A gift called "Birmingham" came to Lee Myung-jae, a 32-year-old national fullback who pursued dreams instead of money
A gift called "Birmingham" came to Lee Myung-jae, a 32-year-old national fullback who pursued dreams instead of money
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A lie-like gift of "entering Europe" came to the "32-year-old fullback," who was chasing a "dream" rather than "money."
The belated European leagues have emerged. Lee Myung-jae (32), the "fullback of the national team," is set to take on a great challenge. A source familiar with the transfer market said through Sports Chosun, "Lee Myung-jae will wear the English Ligue 1 (third division) Birmingham City jersey. Lee has arrived in the U.K. and is finalizing the details of the contract. The announcement will be made soon." Lee Myung-jae will have his first overseas challenge in the U.K. <Sports Chosun Exclusive Report on February 1>
Lee Myung-jae's contract with Ulsan HD expired after the 2024 season. Lee Myung-jae was a key player in Ulsan's defense and contributed to building a dynasty. He was named the "Best 11" in defense at the K-League Awards in the 2024 season, leading his team to a third consecutive win. He also joined the A-team. Lee Myung-jae, who won the Korean national team for the first time in the second Asian qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup in North Korea and the U.S., later made stable plays and became a key player. He played in all of the first to sixth Asian qualifying rounds for the North China-U.S. World Cup.
They negotiated the renewal of the contract with Ulsan, but there was a disagreement under the conditions. They failed to close the gap until the end. Although there were love calls from domestic teams, Lee Myung-jae, who played only in Ulsan since his debut in Ulsan in 2014, was not considered a transfer to another K-League club. Lee Myung-jae, the last age to challenge, turned his eyes to overseas expansion. When the "Korea's main fullback" came to the market, love calls continued in China, the Middle East, and Japan.
At first, Chinese clubs were the most active. Among them, the Shenzhen club is said to have offered a good offer. It was a troublesome offer from Lee Myung-jae's point of view, who had no choice but to think about money because he is old enough. Nevertheless, Lee Myung-jae had a dream. After visiting the A national team, I became more desperate to play in the World Cup finals. As a player, I made development a priority for transfer. I waited for the offer, thinking of going to Japan rather than China. But there was no meaningful call.
While Lee Myung-jae was highly likely to go to China, he opened a new way. The mood changed as his agent suggested, "If you're going to choose a challenge anyway, let's look for a trip to Europe instead." However, no European team was interested in the 32-year-old fullback. Lee Myung-jae decided to have as much time as possible. He checked not only Turkiye but also Russia, which has a long winter transfer market.
Then, he contacted Birmingham. Just in time, Lee Myung-jae's agent, Yoo Hee-cheon, head of Square Sports, was in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where negotiations proceeded quickly as he connected with a Birmingham official. Birmingham desperately needed a new player after Lee Buchanan, its main left fullback, collapsed due to injury. Coach Chris Davis looked not only at Lee Myung-jae's national team matches but also at his team's matches. After checking his skills, Davis actively asked the club to recruit him, and video interviews continued. Negotiations were finally completed on January 31, and Lee Myung-jae boarded a flight to London on the 1st. The whole process was completed in just three to four days.
Birmingham, which is participating in League 1, is leading the league with overwhelming power. Birmingham is leading League 1 with a different level of investment. The idea is to quickly confirm the promotion by bringing Lee Myung-jae to the left fullback position, which was an unstable factor. There is no doubt about Lee Myung-jae's ability. Despite the uncertainty of his future, Lee Myung-jae did not neglect to build his body. Lee Myung-jae, who is equipped with game management ability in League 1, which plays rough soccer, is a top-notch fullback. The key is whether he can quickly adapt to the new living environment and league. Fortunately, as "national teammate" Baek Seung-ho plays in Birmingham, it seems that he will be able to melt down quickly. 스포츠토토
Lee chose Birmingham and was guaranteed a lower salary and contract period than previous offers. However, he didn't mind. It is Lee's challenge to go all out to Europe.