Professional soccer K League 2 Seoul E-Land centerback Lee Jae-ik (24) is passionate. I can see that my physical condition has improved. But it’s not over. There are about two weeks left until the start of the new season. Even during this short period, he set a growth goal, saying, “I will gain 3 to 4 kg more.”안전놀이터
During the field training in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, Lee Jae-ik said, “I am constantly trying to grow my body. Last year, there was a World Cup season in Qatar, so I had a long break. At that time, I increased my muscles and weight. I plan to start the season with 3-4 kg more this year.” told
Lee Jae-ik is a player who has been stepping through the stages of growth step by step. Along with Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) and Jo Young-wook (Kim Cheon Sang-mu), he won the runner-up in the U-20 World Cup under the age of 20, and after experiencing overseas leagues in Qatar and Belgium, he wore a Seoul E-Land uniform in 2021. Last year, he was often called up to the A team as well. He was selected before the match against Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March of last year, but at the time, he sat on the bench in both games and did not play. However, in July of that year he was named to the East Asian Cup roster and made his A national team debut against Hong Kong in the tournament. He is expected to become the next national team center back.
He is a defender with many strengths. At 186 cm tall, his physical fitness has improved through recent steady weight training. The fact that his main foot is his left foot is a big plus. His tactical use value is high. What is most welcome is Jaeik Lee’s determination and passion to grow further. His national team and overseas league experience fueled him even more.
Lee Jae-ik said, “I saw a lot of really good players when I joined the national team last year. Watching them, I felt that I was lacking a lot. Working with good players, my skills improved a lot. Even though I went to the national team for a short time, I felt that ‘I can change’.” he recalled.
The player who made exclamations of exclamation was the same position and ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae (Napoli). Lee Jae-ik said, “Standing next to Kim Min-jae was different. Just standing there, I felt the difference. He is proving his good skills. All players will know that Kim Min-jae is different.” There are many games that could be a big problem if even one game goes wrong, and I thought that players who can overcome this could be in this position.”
Regarding his experience in overseas leagues, he said, “There was a lot of difference between foreign players and the physical part. In Korea, I’m not small, but I’m small overseas.” There are difficult and different views, but I overcame those things,” he said, saying that this was the driving force behind his decision to grow.
Watching videos of world class players, I also find another way to grow. Representative players are Aymeric Laporte of Man City in England and Luca Hernandez of Bayern Munich in Germany. Lee Jae-ik said, “I like technical and intelligent players. Looking at them, I do image training for various situations to become a good player.”
In addition, Lee Jae-ik said, “Every player will have a national team dream. In fact, I felt it more when I entered the national team. At the same time, I thought that I was a lacking player. I can enter steadily if I do well and work hard,” he promised steady development.
Right now, in the new season, I have a sense of responsibility to lead my team E-Land’s promotion to the K-League 1. E-Land has mostly stayed in the mid-lower ranks for the past 8 seasons and has never succeeded in promotion. Last year, they finished 7th in the league. E-Land appointed a new manager Park Choong-gyun. dreaming of a comeback
Lee Jae-ik said, “A new coach has arrived, but I am trying to match the soccer he wants. Coach Park wants a different style of attacking soccer, so I am trying to adapt. In particular, he wants a defender necessary for modern soccer. He emphasizes aggressive defense, not defense, and I think these points are helpful. I think it was a good winter training,” he emphasized.
He said, “I have been in E-Land for about a year and a half, but the team’s performance has not been good.” But we’re trying to set that goal. Others may say it’s a blast, but I think we deserve it.”