‘200 matches in Jeju’ Lee Chang-min, “I will give my all before enlisting”
Lee Chang-min (29), a living legend of Jeju United, set a bigger goal beyond 200 games.
On the 14th, Changmin Lee started in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 round 13 away match against Suwon FC held at Suwon Sports 안전놀이터Complex and led the team to a 5-0 victory. Jeju rose to 3rd place with 5 consecutive wins in the league. Lee Chang-min took part in 200 league matches (176 K-League 1 matches, 24 K-League 2 matches) as a member of Jeju alone.
It’s been 8 years since I lived in Jeju. It is no exaggeration to say that it is now a living legend of Jeju. Changmin Lee has been active in the team for the longest time since wearing the Jeju uniform in January 2016. He played a whopping 200 games wearing only the Jeju uniform. He is gradually approaching the stronghold of Jeju’s all-time player record 1 (Kim Ki-dong 274 games). He himself aspires to set the record for the most appearances by a Jeju player.
Lee Chang-min said, “Now Jeju Island is like my other hometown,” and looked back, “Among the current players, (Jeong) Woon hyung and (Ahn) Hyeon-beom seemed to have played in Jeju the longest.” He said, “As a member of a good team called Jeju, I am proud to have achieved a lot of achievements and development.” That’s why I play desperately in every game,” he said.
In particular, the reason why each game is more precious is that we are about to say goodbye to Jeju for a while. Lee Chang-min, who is scheduled to receive an enlistment date sooner or later, said, “Until the day I leave, I will pour everything for Jeju and say goodbye to the fans with a smile.” I don’t want to return to Jeju in a weeded out state,” he said, adding that he would maintain his competitiveness.
Changmin Lee is one of the best midfielders in the K-League, including the 2017 K-League Classic Best 11 Midfielder and the 2017 7th EAFF E-1 Championship Men’s National Team. The reason he stands out even more is because of the spirit of putting the team first.
“Maybe the expression ‘a team is better than an individual’ may be clichéd,” said Changmin Lee, laughing, “But I’m serious.” Regarding Jeju, he said, “It is steadily developing under the direction of coach Nam Ki-il, and the captain (Choi) Young-joon and other captains are holding the center well.” The players that will become are developing rapidly,” he said. He expressed his anticipation, saying, “This is a team that I can really look forward to, even with the enthusiastic support of the fans.”
