Veteran goalie calls it quits

Goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae shows during a press conference in Seoul Monday to announce his retirement. / Yonhap

Veteran football goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae on Monday paid tributes to his fans for their support as he bid farewell to a 17-year playing career.

“My body will leave the football pitch, but my heart will always be there,” Lee said at a press conference in Seoul. “And it’s all thanks to love and support of my fans that I’ve been able to accomplish things that I did during my career.”

This was Lee’s first public appearance since announcing his plan to hang up his gloves for good last week through his agency. Lee leaves the sport as one of the country’s most decorated goalkeepers and a key member in South Korea’s historic run to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Lee said he began thinking about retiring when Jung Hae-seong resigned as Chunnam’s head coach in August in the midst of the team’s free fall in the league table. Jung had been an assistant coach for South Korea at three of the four World Cups in which Lee had played.

“A lot of things went through my mind in the late part of the season, but I couldn’t speak my mind because the team was struggling,” said Lee, who only recently made the decision to retire. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to keep playing. But ultimately, I decided it’d be best for myself for the present and the future to call it a career at this point.”

In 2012, Lee played for Chunnam Dragons in the K-League, the first division South Korean league, and allowed 38 goals in 33 games as the team finished 11th among 16 teams. The Dragons decided not to re-sign the 39-year-old for 2013 as they started a rebuilding process.

Lee had been with the Dragons for the past two seasons. Before that, Lee had been with Suwon Samsung Bluewings since his K-League debut in 1996.

Lee’s best K-League years were all with Suwon. He helped the team win four K-League titles, two FA cups and the 2001-02 Asian Club Championship, which is now called the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

In 2008, Lee became the first goalkeeper to win the K-League MVP honors.

Internationally, Lee represented South Korea at four FIFA World Cups, and played 132 games, the second most ever for a South Korean player. In those matches, he gave up 114 goals.

He was also an instrumental player in the country’s improbable march to the final four at the 2002 tournament, co-hosted by South Korea and Japan.

In the quarterfinals against Spain, Lee denied Spain’s fourth kicker, Joaquin, in the penalty shootout to help the home team win 5-3.

“The 2002 World Cup brought me the biggest success,” Lee recalled. “I will never forget the love from the fans and the camaraderie we had on the team over the seven games at the tournament.”

Lee said if an opportunity arises, “(I’d like to) dedicate the rest of my life” to developing young football players.

He said he’s not received any offer to coach in the K-League, including from his former club, Suwon, but added, “Every professional footballer in Korea would want to coach for Suwon.”

Normally an emotional person, Lee didn’t shed tears at the press conference. He admitted he cried every day for a week since he decided to retire.

Lee said, “(I had) resolved myself not to cry before fans,” but quipped, “When I go home, I think I am going to cry in my wife’s arms.” <The Korea Times/Yonhap>