It's a challenge deserving applause, but the result is bitter. Lee Myung-jae (32) is facing the risk of being released after not playing even a minute for Birmingham City.

On June 6 (Korea time), England's Football League World mentioned Lee Myung-jae's name, stating, "Unless anything significant happens, they will leave St. Andrews (Birmingham's home stadium)."

The outlet explained, "Lee Myung-jae joined Birmingham after leaving Ulsan HD in the January transfer window. He aimed to support the left defense, which has been struggling with injury issues. However, he has faced frustrating times in the past few months."

Lee Myung-jae still has not made his debut. Football League World reported, "Aless Coccarelli continues to lead the competition for the left-back position. Lee Myung-jae still has a much lower ranking in the new team," and added, "He signed a short-term contract with Birmingham. Fans still do not know him well."

The outlet also noted, "Head Coach Chris Davis is likely to remove Lee Myung-jae from the squad at the end of the season after he played 7 A-matches," and added, "Returning to his home country may be the perfect way for Lee Myung-jae to take another step toward participating in the 2026 North American World Cup with the Korean national team."

Birmingham is having an excellent year alongside another Korean national team player, Baek Seung-ho. On the 5th, Birmingham crushed Barnsley 6-2 at home, achieving a 10-game home winning streak in league play.

As a result, Birmingham is racing solo at the top with 92 points (28 wins, 8 draws, 3 losses) and is one step closer to the championship. They can secure early victory by adding just 2 more wins in the remaining 7 matches.

The club's history is being rewritten. Birmingham already broke the record for the most wins in a single season in club history with 37 official wins and 27 league wins, following their victory against Bristol. With the win over Barnsley, they have now increased the tally to 38 wins and 27 league wins. Every additional win contributes to Birmingham's new history.

The fruits of significant investments made last summer are now appearing. After a season where the coach changed four times, Birmingham finished 22nd in the Championship and could not avoid relegation to the third division. Head Coach Tony Mowbray, who brought in Baek Seung-ho in January 2024, left due to health issues, resulting in a collapse under an interim coach and manager.

Birmingham spared no expense in their quest for promotion. They made a record transfer fee in League One by acquiring Fulham prospect Jay Stansfield for $20 million (approximately 37.7 billion won). Additionally, they spent nearly $35 million (approximately 55.8 billion won) to sign Emil Handsome, Iwata Tomoki, and Christoph Clare. They successfully re-signed Baek Seung-ho for another four years after rejecting several offers.

Thanks to this, Birmingham is on the verge of returning to the second division. However, Lee Myung-jae is not smiling. He signed a short-term contract with Birmingham City until the end of the season at the last moment of the winter transfer window. Although he could have transferred under much better conditions after his contract expired with his former team Ulsan HD, he chose to venture into Europe for the first time in his career.

It was a challenge decided upon in pursuit of a dream. Lee Myung-jae was considered one of the top left-backs in the K League. He was a key member of Ulsan's three consecutive K League 1 championships from the 2022 season until last year and successfully made his A-match debut in March of last year. After Hong Myung-bo took charge of the national team, Lee Myung-jae cemented his spot as a regular starter.

Because of this, expectations were high when Lee Myung-jae signed with Birmingham. With the starting defender injured, many believed that if he had a chance, he could thoroughly showcase his skills. There were even happy imaginations of him helping Birmingham rise into the Championship alongside Baek Seung-ho, followed by a new contract.

However, reality was different. Having transitioned to Europe during the offseason, Lee Myung-jae focused on fitness and also played for the U-21 team. Initially, it seemed like a simple adjustment, but the atmosphere gradually changed. By March, Lee Myung-jae was not even sitting on the first team bench and had disappeared from U-21 matches altogether.

Ultimately, it seems likely that Lee Myung-jae will finish his time at Birmingham like this. Having not played a single match in two months, unless there is a significant turnaround, the possibility that Coach Davis will suddenly give him a chance or extend his contract is slim.

It appears that Lee Myung-jae will need to transfer to find a place where he can play again. Returning to the K League may also be one of the good options. Unlike Birmingham, which initially offered him a thorough short-term backup role, he needs to find a team where he can compete for a starting position.

If Lee Myung-jae continues not to play, he will inevitably fall behind in the national team as well. In fact, he was not called up by Coach Hong Myung-bo for the A-match in March. Instead, Lee Tae-seok, the son of Gyeongnam FC Coach Lee Eul-yong, was selected to start in the matches against Oman and Jordan, where he performed well. He notably received praise for effectively containing 'Jordan's Messi' Musa Al-Tamari.

If this continues, the dream of participating in his first World Cup will also drift away. Lee Myung-jae will need to make another decision this coming summer.

[Photo] Birmingham City social media.

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