Korean veteran soccer player Lee Young-pyo played his last game on October 27, wrapping up a 17-year youth and professional football career.
Korean veteran fullback Lee Young-pyo of MLS’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC is thrown into the air by his teammates after playing his last match on October 27. (photo: Yonhap News)
Korean veteran fullback Lee Young-pyo of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Vancouver Whitecaps FC played in the last professional match of his 17-year career, a home game against the Colorado Rapids, in Vancouver, British Colombia, on October 27.
The Korean soccer player announced that he would be retiring from soccer with this last game.
All the tickets to the home game had his face imprinted on them and home fans hoisted banners with cheering messages written in Korean and English. A large Korean flag with his face in the middle of it bid farewell to the outgoing 36-year-old veteran.
Lee Young-pyo is hugged by his teammates, including Camilo Sanvezzo (center, kneeling down), who hands him the ball after scoring a goal. (photo: Yonhap News)
Lee played his last game wearing the captain’s armband and before the game, his team vowed to have Lee kick a penalty if they were to get one. Miraculously, 43 minutes into the match such an opportunity arose. But the Korean veteran defender gave the chance to forward Camilo Sanvezzo, who was on the verge of winning the MLS Golden Boot for the season. Sanvezzo shot the ball into the top right corner, scoring the goal.
After scoring, Sanvezzo ran to Lee, knelt down and handed him the ball as a token of tribute to Lee’s successful, devoted career.
“This is respect. Look at this. It is pure respect for what Lee has done,” said a reporter, while broadcasting the moving moment live.
The Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Colorado Rapids 3-0, thanks to a Sanvezzo’s eventual hat-trick, securing for himself the MLS Golden Boot.
In stoppage time, Vancouver’s Head Coach Martin Rennie substituted out Lee with just a few minutes left before the final whistle, so that the outgoing player could leave the pitch being honored with a standing ovation from the home fans.
As the defenseman waves to the cheering home crowd, fans behind hold up a large Korean flag with Lee’s picture in the middle. (photo: Yonhap News)
“I retired from soccer tonight, but I am happy to have this moment because it is exactly how I dreamed of my retirement when I was young,” Lee said after the match, thanking his fans for their support.
After his last match on October 27, veteran defender Lee Young-pyo expresses thanks to his home fans, raising his hands and clapping. (photo: Yonhap News)
The veteran soccer player has earned 127 caps for his home country and has appeared in three World Cups. He is credited with playing a crucial role as left wingback on the Korean national side during the semifinals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
After starting out in 2000 with the Anyang LG Cheetahs, now FC Seoul, he has played for overseas professional clubs in the Netherlands, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada.
Well-known as a player quite strict with his self-discipline, Lee announced that he plans to stay in Vancouver to study sports marketing.
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