Lee Jung Soo: I will never forget Al-Sadd, will return once again

Lee Jung Soo: I will never forget Al-Sadd, will return once again
29 Jan 2016

Lee Jung Soo may require no introduction for someone who is reading this. Introducing or trying to describe him will require pages and pages of words but we will attempt to do just that as briefly as possible, however difficult the task is. Lee is an exceptional defender, one who combines everything from natural talent, determination, character and calm – everything you want from a defender in a game of football.
Lee has loved Doha as it loved him and has spent close to 6 great years in the city, playing for Al-Sadd and winning multiple titles, both at home and abroad.
After such a long period of playing with the Wolves, the Korean defensive rock is set to depart from the pitches of Qatar. He leaves with a replacement already in place – the Iranian defender Morteza Pouraliganji. He may be departing but he will still remain in the memories of all those who love him, in the hearts of fans of all colours, be it the black-and-white of Al-Sadd or any other hue.
At this juncture, al-saddclub.com caught up with Lee for a final interview before his departure. Incidentally, it also happens to be his first ever for the website, having always preferred action on the pitch to talk.

· Al-Sadd is my home and Qatar is my second country
· I lived my best footballing moments with Al-Sadd
· Happy with the titles I won with Al-Sadd, the most important of my career was the Asian title
· Contract termination was by mutual consent
· My relationship with Al-Sadd is greater than contracts
· I thank Al-Sadd management for their good conduct and the reception I got
· There is no plan as of now but I will continue to play for the next two years
· I am close to a move to either Japan or China, I will end my career at Suwon Samsung
· I will move to management, expect me as Al-Sadd coach in the future
· Al-Sadd can fight for all the titles
· Belhadj was the closest to me, I wanted to kill myself in the ACL final
· My message to Al-Sadd players & fans: Do not forget Ibrahim Lee

You have spent nearly 6 years at Al-Sadd. How was your experience?
I enjoyed my life here a lot. During my 6 years here, I did not find any difficulty in adapting. It is true that there is a huge difference when it comes to culture and social dealings but it was comfortable especially with the group of players who were with me. They had the biggest role in helping me fit in quickly. There is also a high standard of living in Doha, this also helped me to adapt. What I am saying is that the experience was enriching and everything went very well until the very end of my contract. It was a beautiful adventure that I will never forget.

You won everything there is to win with Al-Sadd: the domestic and the Asian titles, in addition to reaching the global level at the CWC. Were you expecting this kind of success?
I love competing and I always want to win. This is part of me and my personality since I was a kid. So when I signed with Al-Sadd, my goal was not to have a new experience, but I wanted to continue to give my all, play well and win titles. It is true that I did not expect success of this level but I knew that I was moving to a big team, one which is considered the Boss of all teams in Qatar. I won everything I hoped for with them and I consider this my greatest achievement after winning the Champions League title in 2011, participating in the Club World Cup in Japan and winning all domestic titles.

Describe to us the most beautiful memories you have of your time in Qatar.
I lived the most beautiful family moments in Qatar during these six years. In addition to that, the most beautiful and greatest footballing moments in my career have been in Qatar after winning everything I dreamed of with Al-Sadd. Also, Qatar is a great and beautiful country and is like my second country. I am happy to have spent some of my life here and I will work to be here in the future as a coach or a team management official. Expect me as an Al-Sadd coach in the near future!

How did your contract with the club come to an end?
The contract between me and the club was terminated by mutual consent, in light of the good relations which we have. I want to thank the management for these six great years I spent inside the walls of Al-Sadd Club. I also want to thank them for their good dealings with me recently. I want to make it clear that this is life and this is football, the end will always come. I hope everyone forgives me for any mistakes that I have made, especially as I always wanted to help the team to get the best and win all the matches for all the titles.

So what is your career plan for the near future?
At the moment, I do not know. I am a professional footballer and there is no specific plan but I will get some rest before thinking about a new experience, which could probably be in the Chinese or Japanese leagues.

How long will you continue to play?
I can continue for at least two more years. I will seek to end my career with the team I started with – Suwon Samsung Bluewings in Korea. After retirement, I will try to turn to management or coaching.

Al-Sadd has had a campaign of many twists this season. How do you evaluate it?
Al-Sadd is an excellent team and has players of a high calibre. Despite the downturn in the league, the team still has the ability to return and compete for the title strongly with all the other teams. The team can fight for all the titles of this season as we do every year. I ask the Al-Sadd fans to support the team and the players with full strength in all the remaining matches, so as to get the wins and achieve titles.

Who is the player you will always remember as you think of your time with the club?
To be honest, I love all the players; we were a family for six years. So I will miss all of them, they are my brothers and I will follow their matches and I will be supportive and excited about them even though I am not in the team. Still, the Algerian Nadir Belhadj will remain with me always, especially as we started together with Al-Sadd in 2010 and together we won all the titles over these past six years. I wish him all the best with the team.

Is there anything that remains stuck in your mind that you will not forget?
There are many beautiful things that will stay in my thoughts: the titles that we won and the love of the fans. But the most beautiful of all is the joy of the fans after we won the Champions League title in 2011 and the ability of the team to win it for the second time in its history after 1989. I will never forget the moment when I missed the penalty in the shootout in the final against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. I wished to kill myself as I was about to lose the championship for my team.

Finally, do you have a message to convey to anyone?
I thank everyone who helped me to excel here. I thank the club officials and players of Al-Sadd. Huge thanks to the fans who overwhelmed me with love and appreciation; I convey these feelings to the fans through the website. If things go as I plan, I hope to return to the team in the future as a coach. My final message is: “Do not forget Ibrahim Lee!”