Ah! Another bad news for Korean soccer! Lee Jae-sung, the pillar of the national team, has confirmed a thigh muscle injury. Return Point Undetermined

Sep 11, 2025

Source=Minutes homepage

Another bad news has appeared in Korean soccer. Lee Jae-sung (33, Mainz), a strong core player of the national team, will not be able to play for the time being due to a thigh injury.

Lee Jae-sung's team, FSV Mainz, said on the club's website on the 11th (Korea time) that `Lee Jae-sung suffered a muscle injury in his right thigh. The timing of the return should be to wait and see the progress of the recovery,' the release said. It is bad news for both Lee Jae-sung and Mainz, who have just entered the 2025-2026 season of the German Bundesliga. At the same time, it is tragic news for the World Cup team led by head coach Hong Myung-bo.

The Mainz club said, `Lee Jae-sung injured his right thigh muscle while playing in a friendly match between the South Korean national team and the U.S. national team in Harrison, New Jersey, USA last weekend. A medical check on Lee Jae-sung, who returned to Mainz on Wednesday after the national team's away game, confirmed his injury.

Lee Jae-sung was replaced by Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City) shortly after the second half of the match against the U.S. on the 7th, complaining of hamstring pain. A detailed examination revealed that a week of rest was needed for recovery due to the diagnosis of a fine rupture of an elevated hamstring.

Injured South Korean Lee Jae-sung sits on the ground in a friendly match between South Korea and the U.S. at Harrison Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey on the 6th (local time). 2025.9.7

However, the Mainz club did not take it lightly. He immediately asked for an early return. The Korea Football Association requested Lee Jae-sung's early return from his club on the 9th. Coach Hong Myung-bo and Lee Jae-sung decided to cancel the call-up through an interview, and said that Lee Jae-sung will immediately leave for Germany and return to his team. In the end, Lee Jae-sung returned to Germany without playing in the match against Mexico held on the 10th.

Lee Jae-sung's absence was revealed in the match against Mexico. South Korea gave Raul Jimenez the first goal and gave him the lead. Then, Son Heung-min, who was substituted, scored an equalizer, and Oh Hyun-kyu scored a come-from-behind goal. However, they allowed an equalizer in the second half of extra time and ended up in a 2-2 draw. Hong Myung-bo's midfield without Lee Jae-sung was unstable throughout. At the end of the game, he gave up the lead and eventually scored a second goal.

Lee Jae-sung is like the jewel of Hong Myung-bo. Based on his excellent tactical understanding, he has played 100% of the role of an offensive midfielder while also actively participating in defense. He has served as an outstanding assistant to one-top Son Heung-min.

Lee Jae-sung Blog Capture

The key now depends on when Lee Jae-sung will return. Currently, Lee Jae-sung has played 99 A matches. If there were no injuries, he could have joined the Century Club through the match against Mexico. However, due to this injury, the schedule for joining the national team is unclear. It depends on how fast Lee Jae-sung recovers.

After the injury, Lee Jae-sung posted a picture of him carrying an ice box for 'Icing Treatment' on his Naver blog, 'Ice Box You'll See Often! 'Injuries stop life for a while, but recovery makes the steps to walk again harder.' he posted. It means that he is recovering from his injury with a positive mind. It remains to be seen whether Lee Jae-sung will be able to join the A-match in October.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.