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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
Lee Young-Pyo has won 100 caps for South Korea and currently plays for Saudi Professional League club Al-Hilal. He has previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, Anyang LG Cheetahs in the Korean K-League and then spent two years with PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, earning high acclaim from PSV Coach Guus Hiddink, who had previously coached Lee and South Korea during the 2002 World Cup. He spoke to FIFA.com about the 2002 and 2010 World Cups...  What is your most cherished memory of taking part in a FIFA World Cup and what is your favourite memory from your career in general? Naturally, it's the play-off for third place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. I still can't believe that the South Korean national team made it to the semi-finals and that we knocked out such big sides as Portugal, Italy and Spain. It's the greatest memory of my entire life. Turning to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, what do you make of your rivals in Group B and how do you rate your chances? There will be no easy teams at the World Cup. I can't say we're pleased with the draw, but we accept it. It's difficult to rate our chances, but we can get wins against Greece and Nigeria. We have to qualify for the second round - that's our objective for this World Cup. Korea Republic's first match will be against Greece. How important will it be to take maximum points in that game before facing Argentina? For me, that match against Greece will be the most important game of all in the group stage, because if we can win it we'll be in better shape to take on Argentina and Nigeria. You were a key player in the side that finished fourth at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Do you think Korea Republic can match that feat this time around? Although we never got past the group stage before or since, we're just concentrating on qualifying for the second round. We don't want to think about anything else. The Korea Republic teams at both the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups were led by Dutch coaches. This time around, South Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo will be pulling the strings. Will he be able to move the side beyond its Dutch influences? Definitely. We've picked up plenty of victories with him over the last two years. I also think that South Korean football has evolved enormously during those two years. The national team has a much better understanding of the World Cup and modern football in general. All the players in the team have lots of respect for the current coach and we have a very good relationship with him. more interviews... |
