2024-04-26 06:22:09
I played soccer for a short time in elementary school. Throughout his middle school, high school, college, and military days, soccer was a sport he enjoyed playing with his friends and colleagues. Soccer, which he had forgotten about for over 30 years due to business reasons, has been playing a role in protecting his health since his mid-50s. GTL CEO Taeyong Lee (66) started playing soccer in his mid-50s to regain his health, which had been deteriorating since his mid-40s, and has been playing on the green field every weekend for over 10 years.
“I was working in a real estate development business and practicing religion on the weekends, so I didn’t have time to exercise. As I passed my mid-40s, symptoms such as headaches and high blood pressure began to appear, and various parts of my body began to malfunction. I had many lingering illnesses, including pneumonia. More than anything, I suffered from insomnia. I visited the hospital often. Still, I never thought about exercising, but when I was just 55 years old, I saw villagers playing soccer at a civil engineering construction site in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and they asked me to join them. It also reminded me of the old days. So we did it together. It was hard because it was the first time in a long time, but I slept really well that night. “It felt like a lie.”
From then on, Saturdays became soccer days. Because my stamina was low, it was difficult to kick the ball at first. I often got my feet tangled while running and fell. So I bought a stationary bike at home and rode it. After building up my body for about 7 months by doing stretching exercises and riding a bicycle at the same time, my ‘past skills’ came out. Dribbling and trapping became free, and speed also came out. During his school days, he began to show off his skills playing as a midfielder and shadow striker. He also scored a lot of goals.
“As you go through life, you may have no choice but to not be able to go play soccer. Then your body responds right away. I feel tired and my condition is a mess. So, unless it’s important, I go to the soccer field on Saturdays. “If you warm up, kick a ball, and sweat off all the sweat, your body will feel refreshed as if it were flying.”
Representative Lee plays for two teams, United One and the Seoul Yongsan 60s Grand National Football Team. United One, founded in 2022, is a club that includes former national soccer team members. Representative Lee serves as the general manager. There are also former national team members such as K-League 2 (second division) Suwon Samsung general manager Park Gyeong-hoon, soccer commentator Lee Sang-yoon, and Kim Sam-soo. The Yongsan 60’s Reserve Group is a team that can represent Yongsan-gu when participating in soccer competitions.
United One plays on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and Yongsan 60’s Reserve Team plays on Saturday. Representative Lee plays on two teams with Manager Park. Representative Lee said that the Yongsan 60’s Reserve Group goes out every week, but United One aims to participate at least twice a month. In terms of business, it is not easy to find time on weekdays. “Honestly, when will I ever play with players from the national team? I’m not very good at it, but I’m learning a lot. United One is a team in their 60s, but during practice matches, they play against teams in their 40s and 50s. “After one game, my body feels exhausted, but my soccer skills are improving even though I am in my late sixties.”
Director Park said, “CEO Lee is not only talented, but he also has great passion. “He almost always comes out on Saturdays.” Even in his late 60s, Representative Lee boasts strong physical strength, playing more than three 25-minute games. In his team, he plays as an attacking midfielder. He is active on the field as if he were selecting players with good skills and stamina, such as national team player Lee Young-moo (former Goyang Hi FC coach) and Cho Gwang-rae (Daegu FC president), as the best players. He likes Hwang In-beom (FK Crvena Zvezda), who boasts tireless stamina in the current Korean national soccer team. He laughed and said, “I am considered to have good physical strength in my late 60s.”
Representative Lee considers injury prevention the most important thing when playing soccer. He said, “In soccer, you can get seriously injured if you’re not careful. He makes a lot of rough movements, such as tackling and fighting. So, if possible, avoid situations in which rough movements may occur. “It’s good to have a competitive spirit, but you can only play soccer for a long time if you don’t get hurt.”
Representative Lee has completely regained his health after playing soccer for more than 10 years. “Before I started playing soccer, I was weak to heat in the summer and cold in the winter, but now I can handle it well. “All kinds of stress goes away when you kick a ball.” After taking several medications, I now only take medications for high blood pressure, which I have a family history of.
Yang Jong-gu, Deputy Director of Sports Department yjongk@donga.com
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2024-04-26 06:22:09