The name “In Ji-kyu (Ulsan)” was inscribed. He became the oldest player to be called up to the national team at 33 years, 333 days, and set a new record for debuts at 33 years, 343 days.
On March 21 and then on March 26, Lee played in two consecutive A matches. He started and played 62 minutes in the third match of the 2026 North American Championship Asia Second Qualifying Round (1-1 draw) against Thailand at Anbang. In the fourth match away to Thailand, he came on as a substitute in the 11th minute of the second half to help secure his first A-match win (3-0).
The era of Paulo Bento and Jürgen Klinsmann only got worse. The two-time K League 1 top scorer had never been tested. They were proven wrong.
He was a striker of a different color. His post play was more yin than yang. He had a wide radius of action. He dropped down to the midfield to create space. 바카라사이트 The front line was transformed into a one-top and zero-top type, and the applause for his body-saving efforts was overwhelming.
There was only one thing missing. A debut goal in an A-match. He had finally reached that plateau. In the 20th minute of the fifth match of the North American World Cup Asia Second Qualifier against Singapore at the National Stadium in Singapore on June 6, the South Korean finally got his name on the score sheet.
He headed home a cross from Kim Jin-soo and rattled the net.
Born on April 13, 1990, Kim was 34 years and 54 days old when she scored her first A-match goal. However, he is not the oldest. The record for the oldest A-Match goal is held by the ‘legend’ Kim Yong-sik (39 years and 274 days).
It wasn’t just goals. Lee In-gyu also recorded an assist hat trick. He assisted on Lee Kang-in’s first goal in the ninth minute of the first half, followed by Son Heung-min’s third and fourth goals in the eighth minute of the second half, and Lee Kang-in’s third and fourth goals in the ninth minute of the second half, leading to a 7-0 victory. He was substituted for Hwang Hee-chan in the 13th minute of the second half after recording one goal and three assists.
Lee made his professional debut in the second division in 2013. His main position was midfielder, but he switched to striker in the professional ranks. 바카라사이트 추천 He experienced the first division with Sangsang, but Wonso Sok was in the second division. In 2019, the clock began to turn, and Ulsan HD, the “second best team in the country,” reached out. At the time, Ulsan was coached by Kim Do-hoon.
But it wasn’t the world he dreamed of. In 28 games, he managed just five goals and five assists. The following year, he opted for the second division again. He started over at Jeju United, where he won promotion to the top flight and became the club’s top scorer.
Last year, he was re-signed by Ulsan under Hong Myung-bo, and a different soccer life opened up. In addition to becoming the top scorer, he also won his first K League 1 title.
He also shined for the national A team.
“I expected him to score yesterday, and I had already talked to him about the role he should play as a frontline striker,” said Kim Do-hoon, the ‘interim’ coach of the A national team, who reunited with Kim for the first time in five years, at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport on July 7. “I thought he would have more chances if he didn’t come down too much and waited at the front, but when I looked back at the goal, he scored with a header. I thought it was something to celebrate,” he encouraged.
He added, “I had three assists, which I didn’t realize. 메이저사이트 There’s a point where you don’t just have the ability to score goals, you have to be a team player, and that’s what made me feel very good,” he smiled.