Lee Chun-soo

John Duerden reports on a young man hoping to make his mark at World Cup '06

He's brash, brassy and usually blond and he has the potential to be one of the stars of the World Cup.

He's only 24 but already has 59 international appearances under his belt and is ready to finally make his mark in Europe after returning from the west in failure less than a year ago.

Such praise about Lee Chun Soo may raise a few eyebrows in northern Spain as fans of Real Sociedad struggled to recognize the player as the same one who impressed during South Korea's run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup – performances that helped win the award of the Asian Football Confederation's Young Player of the Year.

After a potential move to then English Premier League club Southampton failed to happen, Korean fans were delighted in July 2003 when the star signed for Real Sociedad. The San Sebastian club had just shocked the Spanish football establishment by finishing second in La Liga after leading the standings for the majority of the season and was pipped to the post by Real Madrid.

"My first objective is to become the first South Korean player to score a goal in the European Champions League" said a typically confident Lee after signing a three-year contract with the Basque club, forgetting that national team-mate Seol Ki-hyeon had already beaten him to that honor with Belgian team Anderlecht in August 2002.

Perhaps it wasn't surprising that Lee missed his international team-mate's strike as after the country basked in the afterglow of the World Cup, he was doing a little basking of his own – in the limelight. For a time it was difficult to turn on the television without seeing that familiar cherubic face on game and chat shows alike.

Born in the gritty west coast port city of Incheon, the winger was a popular choice for the entertainment world as he was never afraid to voice his opinions and court controversy. He wasn't alone in releasing a book about the events of 2002 but only Lee Chun Soo's recollections included criticisms of team-mates and coach alike.

Such opinions did not sit well with the public who felt that the youngster shouldn't be criticizing his elders off the pitch especially as he didn't pass to them on it and soon after, the player was booed by fans at the K-League All Star game. The move to Spain came at an opportune moment.

True to form, the player, then 22, had a high-profile haircut the day before jetting out to Spain. "We put a big star on his head. We wish him to be reborn as an international star player," a hairdresser from the salon said.

Lee was happy with the style. "In my soccer career, there hasn't been any luck. It is the pure sweat and the efforts that made me become such a player that I am now," Lee said. "I am confident that I can also make a new life in Spain with only soccer balls. I won't disappoint fans."

Unfortunately, he did. His time in Spain will never be regarded fondly by anyone who witnessed the spell with Sociedad and the subsequent short-lived loan with Numancia. Lee struggled to settle and found it more difficult to find a regular place in the team. He was often seen on the substitute bench, made just13 appearances for the team and failed to find the net.

Ulsan Tigers were happy to have their wildcat back and paid just $2million for him, a million less than they had received not too long before and he slotted straight into the line-up for the second half of the season.

Maybe it was the experience of having played and trained in one of the world's best leagues, maybe it was the fact that he had a point to prove after failing or maybe it was just the natural development of a player that was never short of talent but on his return, Lee's star quality shone brighter than anybody else's in the K-League and in the right place too – on the pitch.

Since lifting the title in 1996, Ulsan had become the bridesmaids of the K-League, always there or thereabouts at the top but never quite getting the breaks or the points necessary to repeat the feat.

Lee seemed to be the missing link. In the second half of the season, he scored seven goals and five assists in 12 games. Always handy with the free-kicks, the player had taken his set piece skill to a new level and was unerringly accurate from 20-30 meters. Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura had a new rival for the best dead ball specialist in Asia.

The Tigers powered into the championship play-offs and brushing aside Busan I'Park to make a date with destiny – or in this case, Incheon United. In the first leg, Lee tore his hometown team to shreds in front of its own fans, scoring three and creating one as the south-easterners won 5-1.

Such form pushed Lee right back into the reckoning for a place in the starting eleven for the national team. He made the squads but never the pitch in Dick Advocaat's first three games in charge in October and November 2005.

That all changed during the Taeguk Warriors' six week overseas tour that started in January, the winger showed the Dutchman what he is capable against some strong opposition with two goals and impressed staff with his overall team play.

The Kid Lee has matured as a person and a player – how much so- we, and the world, will be able to see in a month or two.

John Duerden

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