"My World Cup Performance Was 60-70 Points... I Will Play with More Desperation"

[Anchor] Lee Ki-hyuk, who was a surprise call-up to the national team for the North and Central America World Cup and played a pivotal role as a starting defender, has reflected on the tournament. He is the first player from our national team to give an interview since the event. Rating his own performance at only 60 to 70 points, he pledged to play with even more desperation for the sake of Korean football. Reporter Hong Seok-jun met with him. [Reporter] Before this World Cup, Lee Ki-hyuk had only one A-match appearance, which was four years ago. Despite this, the surprise selection delivered a surprising performance on the World Cup stage. He held his own in aerial duels against the tall Czech squad, contributing to a comeback victory, and played the full 90 minutes in all three matches, showcasing diving defensive plays and a high pass completion rate. However, because the team's journey ended too early in the group stage, he gave himself a score that was close to a failing grade. [Lee Ki-hyuk / National Football Team & Gangwon FC Defender: I think it would be around 60 to 70 points. I felt so disappointed about my mistake in the second match and the goal we conceded in the first match, so I don't think I can give myself a high score.] He also learned a great deal. He grew day by day while playing alongside world-class players, such as defensive anchor Kim Min-jae and emerging ace Lee Kang-in. [Lee Ki-hyuk / National Football Team & Gangwon FC Defender: I received a lot of feedback from Min-jae, who told me I should watch a lot of videos of other players. As for Kang-in, since he played so well on the pitch, I personally thought of him as 'Kang-in hyung' (older brother).] He also opened his eyes to his own shortcomings. [Lee Ki-hyuk / National Football Team Defender: I realized I need to build more strength in terms of my physical condition.] With his World Cup performance serving as a stepping stone, Lee has been confirmed as a wild card selection for the Asian Games this coming September. Reflecting on the areas where the World Cup squad fell short, he set his resolve to play even more desperately for Korean football in the future. [Lee Ki-hyuk / National Football Team & Gangwon FC Defender: Because the players at Gangwon FC are so desperate and work so hard on the pitch, I believe that if I can improve just a little bit more in those areas, South Korean football will show much better results. I will continue to work hard and make improvements without end.] (Video reporting: Yoo Dong-hyuk | Video editing: Park Ki-deok | Graphics: Kim Ye-ji)
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