Lee Jeong-min

Lee Jeong-min (Korean: 이정민; born 17 July 1990) is a South Korean professional footballer who currently plays in the Philippines Football League (premier division) club Global Cebu F.C. primarily as a central defender, but he can also play defensive midfielder.

For the singer, see Boyfriend (band).
In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.
Lee Jeong-min
Lee in a PFL Match
Personal information
Full name Lee Jeong-min
Date of birth (1990-07-17) 17 July 1990
Place of birth Seoul, South Korea
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Center Defender, Defensive Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Global Cebu
Number 4
Youth career
2006–2009 Seongnam Ilhwa
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2013 Chung Ang University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Seongnam Ilhwa
– Hwasung
2017 Meralco Manila
2018– Global Cebu
National team
2005 South Korea U15
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Lee Jeong-min
Hangul
Revised RomanizationI Jeongmin
McCune–ReischauerI Chŏngmin

Lee is known for quick and accurate decision-making, and exceptional ball handling skills.

Early life

Lee started playing competitive football at the age of eleven, when he entered Jung Hwa Elementary School. Showing great athleticism at a very young age, he was scouted and was asked to move to Jang An Middle School where he continued training. His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was selected to be a part of the Under-15 National Youth Team of South Korea. As a testament to his remarkable performance as a young footballer, he once again had to move to Pung Sang High School to join a group of young men who would form the K1 League Seongnam Ilhwa FC's Youth Team. He went on to play for the said team and would eventually be one of only three players from his batch to secure a contract with Seongnam FC.

Club career

Seongnam FC

Lee secured a three-year contract with Seongnam FC when he was still in high school. Despite having already been selected to be a part of the K1 League Team's roster, Lee went on to pursue schooling at the Chung Ang University in Seoul. He continued playing football for the University Varsity Team and joining various tournaments in the age category. He remained exceptional at playing, eventually winning Most Valuable Player awards in tournaments such as the National Chungae Tournament of University.

After finishing university, he went on to pursue his contractual obligation with Seongnam FC. He attended training sessions and games with Seongnam FC, but his stay would be short-lived as he needed to get into mandatory military training.

Hwasung FC

As a norm in South Korea, it is compulsory to undergo a mandatory two-year military training for all young and able men. Lee was no exception, as he needed to go through the rigors of military training. He didn’t pass up the opportunity to get into the military football team to continue training. He played for the entire duration of his stay in the military in what was considered the Third Division of the Korean Football League.

FC Meralco Manila

The Philippines saw the introduction of the first ever professional football league in the country through the Philippines Football League.[1] In its maiden season in 2017, the PFL saw eight clubs competing for the first ever championship.[2] One of these clubs was FC Meralco Manila, formerly Loyola Meralco Sparks FC, which represented the Philippines’ capital city of Manila.[3]

Lee was recruited to FC Meralco Manila as one of only four non-Filipino players in a roster of 26 athletes. As regulation provided for only four foreigners in a team, the selection process was rigorous, but Lee was easily chosen because he stood out in the pool of trainees. Upon selection to the team, he joined the team bannered by esteemed Filipino Coach Ariston Caslib[4] and consisting of celebrated national team players from the Philippines.

FC Meralco Manila went on the league series as the number one team after the eliminations round. Lee was instrumental to the success of the team, only missing 3 games at the start of the season due to recovery from ankle impingement during a pre-season practice game, and 1 match for a game suspension resulting from accumulated yellow cards. Lee was awarded Man of the Match in a couple of games because of his outstanding performances.

Despite entering the Finals Series as the top seed Club, FC Meralco Manila lost to Global Cebu FC in the Semi-Finals,[5] and eventually settled for the second runners up position.[6]

Global Cebu FC

As the new season of the Philippines Football League was just about to commence, news broke out about the cessation of FC Meralco Manila’s operations.[7] Lee was meant to sign a new contract with the said Club, only to find himself without one at the start of 2018. Having made a mark in his former Club, he was easily picked up by Global Cebu FC, Season 2017 League second placer.[8] Being the silver medalists in the previous season, Global Cebu FC was given an opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Group Stages of the AFC Cup 2018. Lee is currently fulfilling his contractual obligations with Global Cebu FC. He played in all the games of the AFC Group Stages and is currently playing for the said team in the Philippines Football League.

AFC Cup

Lee was among the players that joined Global Cebu FC in the group stages of the AFC Cup 2018. The Club was drawn to join Group G and had to play against Yangon United (Myanmar), Thanh Hoa (Vietnam) and Bali United (Indonesia). He played in all of the home and away matches and helped his team reach the second spot in the rankings.[9]

References
  1. Jacinto, Christian (22 April 2017). "Finally, a national league for the Philippines after launch of PFL - SPIN.PH".
  2. News, ABS-CBN. "Eight clubs battle in inaugural PFL season".
  3. "PFF grant licences to eight clubs – AFF – The Official Website Of The Asean Football Federation". www.aseanfootball.org.
  4. "FFT's Top 15 ASEAN Managers, 2017: Who are our region's best coaches?". 28 August 2017.
  5. "Late goals from Global Cebu stun FC Meralco Manila in PFL semis opener".
  6. "Meralco routs Kaya to salvage bronze - Philippine Sports News - Tiebreaker Times". tiebreakertimes.com.ph.
  7. "FC Meralco Manila ceases operations".
  8. "Global Cebu signs 3 ex-Meralco stalwarts - The Manila Times Online". www.manilatimes.net.
  9. Corp., ABS-CBN. "AFC Cup: Global wins, Ceres stumbles to end Group Stage". ABS-CBN SPORTS.
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