It was a reckless challenge that he should not do. The main defender of the Korean national team is on the verge of leaving a disgraceful record without playing for even a second in the English third division.
This is the story of defender Lee Myung-jae. After his contract with his former K League 1 champion Ulsan HD expired, he signed a short-term contract with Birmingham City in the English league 1 (third division) at the moment when the winter transfer market was about to end in January, but he failed to leave any records of his participation and is on the verge of being released.
Contrary to expectations, a British media outlet delivered the news when he was curious about his recent situation, which did not show his face at all in the soccer club.
"This summer could be a busy summer for Birmingham again," England's Football League World said on the 6th (Korea time), adding, "We need to improve in some positions to adapt to the championship and move to the top."
Players who could leave Birmingham were then mentioned.
In addition, Lee Myung-jae's name was also mentioned. "Lee Myung-jae had a disappointing time in the last few months. As Alex Cochrane continued to play the left-back role, Lee lost ground in the competition to become the starting member. He is still a stranger to fans. Chances are high that Birmingham will release him after the end of the season," the Korean media reported.
Birmingham also has no burden on releasing him because he came on a short-term contract. Lee Myung-jae's gambling-like trip to England, wrapped under the name "Challenge" at a rather late age, seems to end in failure.
Lee Myung-jae joined Ulsan in 2014 after graduating from Hongik University. Since then, he has played for Ulsan except when he was on loan at Albirex Niigata in the Japanese J League and when he was managing director from 2020 to 2021.
He played 193 matches in the K-League until last year for Ulsan. He played eight matches for Sangmu.
Notably, he played a key role when Ulsan won its third consecutive K-League title from the 2022 season to the last season. Notably, he seemed to emerge as a troubleshooter for left-back players, who are agonizing over Korean soccer, after being selected as a member of the national team for the first time in his life in March last year.
Coach Hong Myung-bo, who was a teammate of Ulsan, then moved to the national team and played as a fixture. He played full-time in all six games from September to November last year in the first six rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup.
However, the contract with Ulsan has since expired, and the place he chose was Birmingham, England's third division, where his teammate Baek Seung-ho plays. 메이저놀이터
Lee Myung-jae's choice was acknowledged when he came to Birmingham. As for Birmingham, it was not a team that would be in the third division, including participating in the Premier League more than 10 years ago, so if it succeeds in renewing its contract this summer, it could play in the second division and go further to the Premier League. Moreover, Lee Myung-jae, the main player of the Korean national team, was considered to be well-versed in Birmingham.
Lee Myung-jae, however, disappeared afterwards. Coach Chris Davis from Wales did not mention Lee Myung-jae. He visited the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London in the second half of last year, ahead of the A-match period in which he sweated a lot with his fellow Taegeuk Warriors.
Meanwhile, coach Hong Myung-bo appointed Lee's son, Kyungnam FC coach Lee Eul-yong, as the team's left-back. Lee was particularly applauded for tying up the opponent team's flagship striker Moussa al-Tamari against Jordan on March 25.
Given the current situation, it is uncertain whether Lee Myung-jae will be able to play until the final match of League 1 early next month. Even if he steps on the ground, he will not be able to play meaningfully.
The conclusion is changing from a beautiful challenge to a reckless choice. It is expected that it will be the best transfer in history to lose the position of the Korean national team without playing in the third division.