No.004 2008.06 
PARK Ji Sung
Korean hero, Li Chon Soo, returns to Europe for Dutch challenge |
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A fresh start at famous Dutch club Feyenoord for Li Chon Su.
Even before this season’s campaign began Feyenoord were in urgent need of replacement wingers since both Royston Drenthe (now with Real Madrid) and Romeo Castelen (now with Hamburger SV) had left during the summer. That’s when Feyenoord embarked on a mission to acquire Korean Rep national team player, Lee Chun Soo.
They had seen Lee Chun Soo as a potential candidate to sign for a long time. They had also asked the opinion of the Dutch former Korean Rep national team coach Dick Advocaat (now coach for Zenit Saint Petersburg, Russia) and Vim Fellbeck.
“Not just in terms of football ability but also as a person, they both rated him very highly” said Technical Manager Peter Bosv.
Feyenoord hope to use him as an attacking fullback however when numbers are thin:
“Left or right fullback, from the front to the back, he can play anywhere” said Technical Manager Bosv, meaning there is a chance we will see him play as an attacking mid-fielder.
Lee Chun Soo’s debut match was on October 20th in the Rotterdam derby against Excelsior. The match was tied at 0-0 and it was proving to be a big frustration for Feyenoord. In order to snap the tension Coach van Marwick put Lee Chun Soo on in the 61st minute.
“Considering his condition I had intended to use Lee Chun Soo for the last 15 minutes but from the game’s perspective we needed a player who could cut deep into the opposition’s defense”. This strategy proved to be effective.
Whenever Lee Chun Soo got the ball the fans started chanting “Lee, Lee, Lee!” and he was eager to show them some of his skills. Thanks in part to Lee’s entrance onto the field, Feyenoord’s attacking rhythm changed and they were able to win 1-0.
His first start was on November 11th. The stage was a legendary match known as “The Classical”, Feyenoord versus Ajax. When they met 2nd place Feyenoord and leaders Ajax were tied on points. All that separated the two teams was their goal differences.
In the previous match Lee Chun Soo had come on at half time and fascinated his Coach van Marwick with his fearless attitude and playing style.
“His play has an audacity to it. When he gets the ball, 7 times out of 10 he will take on and beat the defender”.
It was with this that Lee Chun Soo was selected as a “secret weapon” going into a match watched by not just all of the Netherlands but the whole world: The Classical.
Playing on the right for Feyenoord, Lee Chun Soo received plenty of passes. The local fans appreciated his superb control and high quality crosses. However in 70 minutes he had only managed two shots. He created chances with his through balls but with no goals coming from them he was subbed off and sat back down on the bench.
The match ended with a 2-2 draw. After the game Lee Chun Soo said with regret “It’s too bad we drew a game we could have won”.
“Personally I’m happy that I’m getting more playing time. I’m grateful to the coach for selecting me for such a big game like this. I want to play even more and have the fans cheer for me even more” thus expressing his expectation that his playing time would continue to increase. He also started to talk about playing in a big league for the first time since returning to Europe.
“I don’t know which club but I have a dream to progress to an even bigger stage in the future, so that's why I want to excel at Feyenoord.”
Up until the Ajax game Lee Chun Soo’s return to Europe had been progressing smoothly. However after that he missed the Groningen game due to migraine headaches. Feyenoord considered it to be a mental illness and after talks with Lee Chun Soo they sent him home to Korea Rep for 2 weeks to cure his homesickness.
11th November 2007, versus Ajax. Li Chon Su showed he was fired up for the legendary match known as “The Classical”.
In 2004 Lee Chun Soo transferred to Real Sociedad, Numancia in Spain for 2 years. He appeared in 28 games but was unable to record a single goal. At the press conference held upon his return in September he had this to say about the mistake “At that time I was young and not mentally tough. I didn't have enough experience as a footballer or as a person. That was the biggest reason I didn't succeed in Spain. I felt very alone”.
Feyenoord knew all about Lee Chun Soo’s trouble in Spain. Therefore following their profiling of him they reached the conclusion that “The new Lee Chun Soo will be alright”. They also encouraged his participation in the Korean community in the Netherlands after he joined their organization. “So we thought everything was perfect leading up to the Ajax game and that’s why we’re so surprised now” said Bosv, but the shock of Lee Chun Soo’s sudden departure wasn’t just within Feyenoord it was big news in his home country, Korea Rep, too. The Korean Rep media sensationalized the news with headlines like “Lee Chun Soo wants to come back to the K-League”.
But Lee Chun Soo hadn’t bought a one way ticket home. His team had included a return ticket back to the Netherlands.
“My trouble in Spain hardened my teeth, and I learnt a lot. I know what I have to do now” said Lee Chun Soo at a press conference in Feyenoord. Hopefully he will find the answer during his break from the team and head back in two weeks.
＜Profile＞
Forward Lee Chun Soo was born on the 9th of July, 1981 in Korea Rep. In 2002 he went from Korea University to the K-League’s Ulsan Hyundai. In 2003 he transferred to Spain and played in their first division league for Real Sociedad, Numancia. After that he returned to Ulsan Hyundai in 2005 and led them to their first championship in 9 years. In October 2007, he transferred to Feyenoord (Netherlands). He debuted for the Korean Rep national team in 2000. He played for them at both the 2002 Japan Korea World Cup and at the 2006 Germany World Cup. He has played a total of 78 matches and scored 10 goals (as of November 2007). He is 174cms tall and 66 kgs.
Text by: Toru NAKATA