Lee Soon-min (30, Daejeon Hana Citizen), who had a rollercoaster-like 2024, vowed to take pain as a medicine to grow further next year.
“Looking back on this year, there were some sad and painful things. But I think everything had a meaning,” Lee said. “I learned and grew through various things. It was a good experience.”
“I was injured in the beginning, and director Lee Min-sung left. I was disappointed that I could not show the performance I expected from myself. Still, I managed to end it with a big smile without giving up until the end,” he added.
Lee Soon-min went through twists and turns this year.
He got off to a good start. He participated in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which opened in January, and participated in a major championship for the first time in his career under the national flag. He also gained recognition for his value after moving from Gwangju FC to Daejeon.
However, he suffered a long hard time as he suffered a serious injury early in the season. Lee hurt his ankle in the fourth round against Incheon United, and spent more than a month rehabilitating and recovering. Even after his return, Lee failed to show any significant performance, perhaps due to aftereffects.
While Lee Soon-min was unable to perform due to injury, Daejeon continued to slump and fell to the relegation zone.
“I couldn’t spend the pre-season due to my participation in the Asian Cup, which also affected my performance this year,” Lee said. “I had difficulty in managing my condition because I was not a key player in the Asian Cup. Even after joining the new team, I couldn’t train for a long time in winter, which made it difficult for me to keep up with the flow of the team. There were many difficulties in the situation that I was experiencing for the first time.”
However, Lee Soon-min said, “After debuting professionally, I have never missed such a long time during the season due to injury. I feel personally responsible for the injury. I worked hard to prepare and manage the injury, but I realized what I lacked. It was time to learn a lot about what needs to be improved and how to take a rest,” looking positively at the difficult time.
In addition, he said, “In the long run of my remaining soccer career, I think 2024 is a process for progress. I will go further up like the name ‘WELO’ I use when rapping.”
Lee Soon-min’s performance returned to normal in August. When Lee Soon-min regained his skills, the team was in full swing in the midfield. “He gave a huge boost to the team by sacrificing himself at the end of the season,” Daejeon’s senior coach Myung Jae-yong praised Lee’s performance.
Since August, Daejeon has had seven wins, three draws and two losses, successfully remaining in the league. Though the team failed to advance to the top of the league in the opening match, the fact that it can play in the K League 1 next year is a welcome outcome for Daejeon.
Lee Soon-min, who was at the center of the rebounding team, said, “The team’s culture clearly had a positive effect on staying,” and added, “Even if the performance was bad from the beginning and the ranking fell, San-i-hyung and Min-hyun-hyung, who could not play in the game, always took the lead, creating a good atmosphere. They created a strong culture and atmosphere so that seniors would not break the team down,” stressing that internal solidarity was crucial to staying.
Despite many twists and turns, Lee aims to make another leap forward in 2025, after finishing 2024 with a smile. One of Lee’s goals is the national flag, which has been removed due to injury and sluggish performance this year.
Lee Soon-min said, “I am satisfied with my recent life in Daejeon. If you look at the direction of Daejeon, it is a club that needs to develop further and do well. I want to support Daejeon to become a higher level team,” adding, “I believe that Daejeon and I will develop further in 2025 as we always draw and think about a positive future. The team will grow to a higher level and I will be with you,” displaying affection for Daejeon and committing to growth together. 메이저놀이터
At the same time, Lee Soon-min spoke frankly about the selection of the national team.
“The national team is a place that every player dreams of. I was so happy about my experience in the national team,” Lee Soon-min said. “After I was called up to the national team once, I was disappointed and unhappy if I did not have a name on the list. I practiced to empty my mind, thinking that I should not do this to myself. I felt much better thanks to this.”
Still, he did not give up the national flag. “I was able to join the national team for the first time last year because Gwangju showed good performance and I was playing hard in it. If I go back to my initial commitment and faithfully perform my role for Daejeon, something miraculous will happen again,” Lee said, expressing his commitment to challenge again by focusing on his team.