'Late bloomers are more beautiful'

That's what a banner read in the stands at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea, on Wednesday during the second leg of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) quarterfinal between Ulsan HD and Jeonbuk Hyundai.

It congratulated striker Lee Min-kyu and fullback Lee Myung-jae on their inclusion in the March A-Match squad, which was announced the day before.

The cheers were especially loud for Lee, who has been one of the best strikers in the K League in recent years, including being the top scorer in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, but has been rejected numerous times.

At 33 years and 333 days old on the day of the announcement, he became the oldest player in history to earn his first national team call-up.

Despite the big stakes, and ahead of a crucial clash with Jeonbuk, Injongyu was quiet on the day of the announcement, but he was all smiles after starting in front of interim national team coach Hwang Sun-hong, who was on hand for the game and played until the 42nd minute.

"It took a very long time, and I was hurt a lot, and there were moments when I wanted to give up, but after preparing for several seasons, I'm really happy that it paid off," he said, adding that he is proud of himself for not giving up.

"My wife teases me about being an 'old man,' but I try to make her feel good about it because she says, 'You're number one anyway,'" he smiles, "I wish I could have made the national team when I was younger, but I don't think I was good enough then. I'm just grateful to be able to make it at this age."

"The fans have been wanting me to make the national team more than anyone else, and the fans who love not only our team but 먹튀검증 also the K League have been giving me a lot of support, so I'm really grateful," he said.

At the press conference announcing the national team roster, Hwang Sun-hong, a former striker for the national team, responded to a question about In Jin-gyu, saying, "There are no players who have scored more than 50 goals in the league for three years now. I don't need to explain more," he said.

"I was disappointed because I didn't know what I could do to get into the national team, and my confidence was low, but I was very happy to see the coach's words in the article and to be recognized," said Kim In-gyu. "I realized my dream because I didn't give up. I hope other players will have hope as well," he emphasized.

When he takes the field against Thailand at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Nov. 21 in the third match of the Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, he will become the oldest player ever to make an A-match debut (33 years, 343 days). Before he can play, he'll need to get acclimated to the national team atmosphere.

"I'm going to 'stick my head in the sand' and work hard, really hard, thinking that I'm the youngest," said Lee In-gyu.

"I think he's the best player in the world, so I'm looking forward to playing with him for a short time and learning his strengths," he said.

"I'm excited and honored to be coached by Hwang," he said. I want to learn the skills and know-how of how he scored so many goals," he said.