SEOUL– Elite football players aren’t immune from cyberbullying, when overzealous fans hide behind the wall of anonymity and hurl insults at athletes on social media for seemingly minor miscues.
Just ask Lee Jae-sung, a veteran midfielder for the South Korean men’s national football team. When South Korea gave up a tying goal against Iran in their World Cup qualifying match last month, Lee was singled out as a scapegoat for a turnover that led to the goal.
People terrorized Lee’s social media page with expletive-laden comments. But Lee took the high road in the immediate aftermath, thanking his actual fans for support and vowing to step up his game.
Lee, who has been called up once again for two World Cup qualifiers this month, told reporters Tuesday that he has emerged a better man from that incident.
“Personally, that was a turning point,” Lee said before practice at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. “I ended up receiving so many encouraging messages of support from fans. And that has pushed me to play even harder when I went back to my club (Mainz 05 in Germany). I feel a sense of responsibility to give back to my fans with a strong performance.”
Lee scored his first Bundesliga goal late last month and had another solid match last weekend.
“That first goal was a major boost to my confidence,” Lee said. “I will try to make sure that momentum carries over to the national team.”
South Korea will play the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 8 p.m. Thursday at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul. It will be the first of two Group A matches for South Korea in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
South Korea will next play Iraq in Qatar as a neutral venue next Tuesday.
The crafty midfielder has eight goals in 57 matches for South Korea, but none since March 2019. With the usual striker Hwang Ui-jo out with a hamstring injury, South Korea could use scoring from different sources.
“I think I am due for a goal,” Lee said. “Before some recent national team matches, I hadn’t been playing much for the club and my confidence was running low. But things have changed for the better now.”
Lee is among a handful of Europe-based players who’ve had to take long flights home for national team matches. Match fitness for these players is an oft-discussed topic among football fans, and Lee said he’s taking it all in stride.
“I try to look on the brighter side,” Lee said. “I am having fun playing football with the national team.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency