Who is the new Korean defender of Birmingham City Lee Mun-Ja? – Korea Joongang every day

Ulsan HD FullBack Lee Myung-Jae, to the right, in action during the AFC 2023-24 Champions League quarterfinals against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulusan on March 12, 2024. [NEWS1]

The veteran full defender Lee Myung-Jae is ready to make his first expression in Europe with Club League One Birmingham City.

The 31 -year -old Lee joined Birmingham on Monday after his contract with the winners of the 2024 k League 1 Ulsan HD season ended with the end of the Korean season in November last year. Lee then sat on the fence, reporting that he did not decide not to extend his stay in Ulsan or entertain other home offers as his heart was set to play abroad.

Birmingham answered this call.

The League 1 club will mark Lee’s first time, who plays club football outside Asia. The veteran’s defender has played almost his entire career in Ulusn since he made his professional debut with the club in 2014.

But how successful was Lee in Korea and what can he bring to Birmingham?

Decade spell with Ulsan

Lee took a while to find his feet in Ulusan after debuting in 2014. He didn’t see much time to play during the first half of the campaign, making him joining the Japanese Albirex Niigata team on a half -season loan.

But he began to grow in Ulusan in the following seasons.

He played 19 matches in the 2015 League Campaign and raised three assists in the process, but he was never part of the start of the team. The 2016 season was difficult, with Lee still failing to establish himself as a regular choice in the shadow of the launch of Left Back Lee Ki-G.

But Lee Mun-Ja came out of the shade of Lee Ki-Gi in the 2017 campaign, providing more time to play and contributing to the Korean FA Cup of Ulsan-now Korea Cup in the same year, which was his first trophy in His career.

He continued to observe more time to play during the 2018 and 2019 seasons and reached his 100th performance K League 1 in June 2019. Ulsan, however, did not reach any title during both campaigns.

Lee had to put his career with Ulan’s detention in December 2019 to complete his military service for one and a half years at the Gimcheon Sangmu Military Club, where he remained until June 2021.

The 2022 season is when he began to see both an individual and team success. As a regular choice in Ulsan, he helped his country to win the coveted K League 1 title for the first time in 17 years.

Ulsan HD FullBack Lee Myung-Jae scored a goal during the quarterfinals of the AFC 2023-24 Champions League against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at the Yonju World Cup Stadium, Northern Yola on March 5, 2024 [NEWS1]

This was just the beginning of his success with Ulsan, with the club winning two direct titles in the League in the coming seasons to complete its three consecutive winning series for the first time in history.

His implementation in the 2024 season won him a place in the best XI of the Kereve 1 League 1 campaign, in addition to calling for the Korean national team.

Korea Lee Mun-Ja, on the left, goes to the ball during the 2026 World Cup qualification against Kuwait at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait on November 15, 2024. [YONHAP]

After winning his first World Cup qualification against Thailand on March 21, 2024, Lee became a regular starter in the Korean rear line with Kim Min-Ja of Bayern Munich, with seven hats and one assist under his belt.

Play style

Lee is known for his speed and accurate crosses that make him threatening the wing at both ends of the pitch. He lacked defensive factors in the first days of his career, but showed improvement in recent seasons.

He does not limit his role only to play as a complete connection to the left flank, as he often finds a place in mixtures and tries to shoot himself. He has a good vision, especially when he is in the attack, with his proactive crosses and abbreviations discouraging the protection of opponents.

Lee effectively takes advantage of the space near his teammates and feeds the ball in the path of them, and not straight crosses that could eventually lead to loss of possession.

Residue from the 2024-25 season

The second half of the 2024-25 campaign offers Lee a chance to prove whether he is able to transfer his performance from K League 1 to the largest stage of his career.

Sealing on the spot in Birmingham can bring it to the attention of Korean national team manager Hong-Bo, who will announce the list of March International Break.

With Lee Buchanan, during the rest of the knee injury season, Lee Mun-Ja will probably now have to compete with Alex Kokin’s younger legs for a place in the squad.

Birmingham City Defender Lee Mun-Ja, to the right, poses with Paik Seung-Ho in a photo shared on the official page of the club on Facebook on February 3. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Lee joins Countryman Paik Seung-Ho in Birmingham in the middle of the 2024-25 season, where the club was in the first league, sitting at four points clear at the top of the table, as in the time of the press on Tuesday.

Birmingham had to face Stevenid in the quarterfinals of the Football League Tropher trophy, open to teams in League 1, second and U-21 of the Premier League and the press time of the press Tuesday.

By Pike Gi-Hwan [[email protected])