With less than 100 days to go before the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Lee Seung-woo, known as "Korea's Messi," didn't hesitate to talk about his desire to play in the World Cup, saying, "Of course I want to go!" At that time, he had already scored 10 goals in the K-League and had three assists to his name.
Despite his bright performance, South Korean coach Bento did not include him in his September training roster. Until the end of October, Lee Seung-woo remained absent from the last round of domestic training before South Korea left for Qatar.
On October 27, Lee Seung-woo took the plunge and cut his long hair to join the Nonsan Military Training Center in Chungcheongnam-do to begin a three-week military training program. It also meant he missed the Qatar World Cup.
Lee Seung-woo and Coach Bento
Looking back at the World Cup in Russia four years ago, Lee Seung-woo, as the No. 10 player of the South Korean team, became the center of attention in the world of football "star of hope". The young "Korean Messi" was so talented that people were amazed.
Raised by his father and older brother, Lee Seung-woo became addicted to soccer at an early age. He has participated in various junior tournaments in Korea, scoring numerous goals.
Initially, he played as a midfielder and was known for his speed and tenacity. Coach Choi Kwang-won recalls, "I first met Lee Seung-woo when he was nine years old, and I wanted to develop him as a striker after he performed well in a five-a-side tournament and was eager to win."
At that time, Lee Seung-woo could only kick with his right foot, and after Coach Choi pointed out that his left foot was inadequate, Lee Seung-woo started practicing with his left foot.
"He's very perceptive, I teach him one or two things and he masters them on his own." Coach Choi commented.
In 2010, at the age of 12, Lee Seung-woo attracted the attention of Barcelona's scouts with his outstanding performances in the 9-a-side Mini World Cup in South Korea and the Danone Cup in South Africa.
Lee Seung-woo and his family were thrilled to learn that Barcelona was interested in him, as he has admired Lionel Messi since he was a child.
At the age of 13, Lee Seung-woo received offers from Madrid and German clubs before he embarked on a trip to Catalonia to join La Masia.
When he first arrived at La Masia, Lee Seung-woo was not bothered by the unfamiliar surroundings, but quickly integrated. In his first season, he played for Infantil A and scored 39 goals in 29 games, breaking Lionel Messi's previous scoring record.
In the summer of 2011, Lee Seung-woo scored 13 goals in 10 matches in Spain's youth tournament Torneode Canillas, earning him the 10-goal MVP.Since then, he has gained the title "Korean Lionel Messi" and has become the center of attention in the world of soccer. became the focus of world soccer attention.
"That's right, my dream is to be the first Korean player to play in Barcelona's first team." Lee Seung-woo said spiritedly.
However, the good times don't last long.
Lee Seung-woo enlisted with short hair
In April 2014, Barcelona was penalized by FIFA for illegally importing young foreign players under the age of 18, and South Korean soccer hopeful Seung-Ho Baek and "Japanese Messi" Ei Kukai were also banned from playing for Barcelona.
For Lee Seung-woo, this stage was a crucial time in his growth, but he couldn't find an opportunity at Barcelona and had to play solidly on the national brand ladder.
In September 2014, Lee Seung-woo represented South Korea at the U16 Asian Junior Championships, and although he ultimately failed to win the title, he had an outstanding tournament, scoring five goals and earning the Golden Boot and Golden Ball.
In the quarterfinals, Lee Seung-woo scored twice, and in one of the matches, he put on a "Messi-style solo show" that stretched across half the pitch.
However, due to the lack of systematic competition, Lee Seung-woo's performance fluctuated wildly.
Lee Seung-woo went on to represent South Korea at the U17 World Cup in 2015, but did not perform well.
In the group stage, South Korea beat Brazil 1-0 and drew with England 0-0 to top the table, but lost 0-2 in the 1/8 final against Belgium, with Lee Seung-woo conceding a penalty in the match.
On January 6, 2016, Lee Seung-woo celebrated his 18th Bar Mitzvah by posting a photo on Ins wearing Barcelona's No. 18 jersey with 18 exclamation points.
However, he didn't wait for his chance and didn't get much of a chance with Barcelona B. He also lost his starting position in the Youth Champions League.
In May 2017, at the U20 World Cup in South Korea, Lee Seung-woo had an outstanding performance, scoring two goals, including one against Argentina.
But all that didn't keep him at Barcelona, and in August 2017, Serie A club Verona officially announced that Lee Seung-woo had joined the club for a transfer fee of €1.5 million.
Six years of dreaming about Barcelona ended in failure.
Woe betide Lee Seung-woo, whose career in Europe did not go as well as expected.
Lee Seung-woo, who joined Verona due to the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup feud, also became the first Korean player to be imported from Serie A after 2002.
After signing a four-year contract, Barcelona added a buy-back clause to the contract in the hope that Lee Seung-woo would return to the team in the future.
In his first season in Serie A, Lee Seung-woo made 14 appearances and scored one goal, becoming the second South Korean player to score in Serie A after Ahn Jung-hwan.
However, Verona were relegated and Lee Seung-woo's performances failed to generate any interest from Barcelona to buy back.
In August 2019, Lee Seung-woo moved to St. Tilden, straying from Serie A to the Bianconeri for a transfer fee of €1.2 million.
In his one and a half seasons at St. Tilden, Lee Seung-woo has underperformed with 2 goals in 17 appearances.
He was then loaned out to Portimão Man in the Portuguese Super League, but failed to score in four games.
Lee Seung-woo's return to St. Tilden saw him sit on the bench, and the two sides terminated his contract in November 2021, making the "Korean Messi" a free agent.
Despite a tumultuous club career, Lee Seung-woo still has a place in the South Korean national team.
In June 2018, at the age of 20, he was named to South Korea's 23-man World Cup roster for Russia, becoming the team's youngest player.
Lee Seung-woo came on as a substitute in the group games against Sweden and Mexico. South Korea exited the group early with two consecutive losses.
In the final match, South Korea beat Germany 2-0, but Lee Seung-woo did not play.
In the Asian Games after the World Cup, Lee Seung-woo exploded again, breaking the deadlock in the final against Japan with a left-footed shot in the third minute of extra time to help South Korea win the gold medal 2-1.
He and Sun Xingyi received exemptions from military service as overage players.
In January 2019, Lee Seung-woo was called up to the South Korean team for the Asian Cup and the South Korean coach was replaced by Bento.
In the final game of the group stage, Lee Seung-woo kicked a water bottle and dropped his towel on the bench.
Lee Seung-woo faded out of Bento's South Korean team after the Asian Cup.
In June 2019, Lee Seung-woo was selected for the South Korean national team for the last time.
He then lost to South Korea's U23 team not participating in the U23 Asian Cup, which South Korea won and went on to the Tokyo Olympics.
Prior to the Olympics, Lee Seung-woo retaliated with a triple kick and then a top kick against an opponent after he was robbed by the opponent in warm-up matches for the South Korean Olympics and the Brazilian Olympics.
As a result, he lost the Korean National Olympic team and missed the Tokyo Olympics.
Despite the many ups and downs, Lee Seung-woo did not give up and chose to return to his hometown.
In December 2021, K1's Suwon FC announced the signing of Lee Seung-woo to bring him back home after 10 years of drifting around Europe.
The first season of the K-League is over, and after the "disorientation", Lee Seung-woo started to explode, scoring goals one after another.
After scoring the goal, he danced in celebration and drew a lot of attention.
Because he dances like Zhao Si from Country Love, he has become the "Korean Zhao Si". The Korean media called him a "soul dancer".
In the 17th round match against Pohang Steelers, Lee Seung-woo scored a half-turned overhead kick that was so impressive that FIFA officially reposted the video of the goal.
As his goal tally continued to grow, calls for him to be selected for the South Korean team grew louder and louder, but this TOEI fell on deaf ears:
"It's hard to evaluate a player who wasn't drafted due to technical and tactical considerations."
At the end of the season, Seung-Woo Lee had 14 goals and three assists.
On Oct. 21, South Korea announced its final training roster before heading to Qatar, and Lee Seung-woo remained unselected.
"I had high hopes of making the team that morning and into the morning."
On the 27th, Lee Seung-woo cut off his long hair and appeared at the Nonsan Military Training Center in Chungcheongnam-do in casual clothes.
Although he was exempt from military service, he still had to undergo three weeks of basic military training and then do some volunteer work.
Lee Seung-woo said he was sorry to fall out of the Korean team, but he had no regrets because he did his best.
"I believe the coach should respect his decision."
Back home, Lee Seung-woo has grown up and become more mature.
Lee Seung-woo's outstanding performance in the K-League has also attracted the attention of many overseas clubs.
He is very interested in teams in Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Japan, but Lee Seung-woo says that staying at Suwon FC is his first choice.
"Receiving the offer means a lot to me, I'm very grateful and it's a testament to what I'm capable of.
I joined Suwon FC at the end of last year, after my stint in Europe, and at that time, I just wanted to be able to play more matches, and the club believed in me and gave me the opportunity to stay and would be my first choice."
Of studying abroad for the past 10 years, Lee Seung-woo said, "As a player representing Korea in the Euroleague, I worked hard and tried to do better in every game, and I did my best."
Teacher Choi Kwang-won thought that if he could play in the K-League until he was 18 and then go to Europe, he would have been able to grow more, but they had no choice at the time.
"In the history of Korean soccer, this is a very exciting transfer and a very good opportunity, and we had no choice."
However, since he is only 24 years old, he still has a lot of time left.
