This is a review article written after watching the broadcast.
'Baedalwassuda' Lee Young-pyo recalled the difficult times overseas 23 years ago.
On the March 3 broadcast of KBS 2TV entertainment program 'Baedalwassuda,' with Kang Bu-ja and Lee Young-pyo appearing as orderers, Lee Young-pyo recounted anecdotes about how he became a legend in Europe.
Lee Young-pyo said he lived abroad for as long as 16 years and noted, "I left in December 2002 and came back in the summer of 2018. I went to the Netherlands, England, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada. My whole family went with me. The oldest was raised in the Netherlands, the second in England, and the third in Canada."
Lee Young-ja asked, "Do the three sisters all have different nationalities?" and Lee Young-pyo replied, "Their nationalities are all Korean. Canada grants nationality if you are born there. In my case, I intentionally had the third born in Korea a month earlier. Since I was a national team player, I thought parents and children should have the same nationality."
Then Kim Sook asked, "Wasn't it uncommon to go to overseas leagues in the early 2000s? Wasn't it hard to adapt when you went?" Lee Young-pyo recalled 23 years ago, saying, "It was like that when I first went to the Netherlands. Although we were lucky to reach the World Cup semifinals, Korea was still considered a backwater. There was also racial discrimination."
Lee Young-pyo said, "When I went to PSV they didn't pass the ball to me. Whenever there was a chance to get the ball, it should have come to me, but when they saw me it went the other way," and confessed, "It wasn't so much territoriality as the players not completely trusting me. The tempo has to match, but when the ball came to me my teammates complained. They said, 'He's slow so the tempo doesn't fit.'"
Jo Woo-jong said, "Did they complain that openly?" appearing upset on his behalf, and Lee Young-pyo answered, "If you play poorly they say, 'You were a complete mess today,' and if you play well they say, 'We won today because of you.'"
On the contrary, Lee Young-pyo said the harsh looks from players stimulated him. He said, "It made me tense and caused me to concentrate intensely, which became an opportunity to improve my skills. For a few months—two or three months—then we faced a rival strong team in the Netherlands."
He added, "We won 2-0 then. I had one goal and one assist. And we won 2-0. From the next day my teammates started passing to me."
Jo Woo-jong said, "I travel with Young-pyo for broadcasts whether at the airport or the stadium, and what makes me proud is seeing many unfamiliar foreign players look at Young-pyo with a kind of awe and say, 'I watched your play and I even played on that team,' which made me standing next to him feel even prouder," proudly praising Lee Young-pyo.
[Photo] 'Baedalwassuda' broadcast screen capture
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