“These aspects have put more responsibility on me and I feel like me succeeding as a player also gives more opportunities to future Korean and Asian players. This motivates me to work even harder.”

Lee, who speaks five languages, is helping Belgian Pro League team Sint-Truiden avoid relegation in what has been a topsy-turvy season. That he has ended up plying his trade in Belgium’s Flemish region is testament to his unrelenting desire to succeed on the continent.

After graduating to Barcelona’s B team and cementing himself through South Korean national team age-group set-ups, Suwon-born Lee made a shock move to Italian outfit Verona in 2017.

Less than 40 club appearances in two years would end his rather underwhelming tenure, with fans and media increasingly fearful of potential career stagnation. After all, he was still one of South Korea’s hottest prospects, having been called up for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and 2018 Asian Games.

Lee signed for Sint-Truiden in 2019 after being guaranteed playing time under club CEO Takayuki Tateishi, appointed by owners and Japanese e-commerce giants DMM.com. He became the club’s highest-paid player and was given the No 10 jersey. Perhaps intimidating to some, but nothing he had not experienced before.

“I talked with the owners a lot before joining,” Lee recalled. “I saw and began to trust the team and its vision. It was also a different challenge from Spain and Italy – I wanted to experience a more aggressive style of football here.”

Lee again struggled for minutes on the pitch, only made worse by his open feud with then-coach Marc Brys. The Belgian had clearly taken issue with Lee’s attitude, famously telling the youngster not to “dream of the past”.

He eventually made his Pro League debut four months later and earned a few more appearances before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the season to an early close. In an interview with Korea JoongAng Daily, he expressed overwhelming emotion after reflecting on the sacrifices his mother made ahead of the move.

Under new Australian manager Kevin Muscat, appointed this summer, Lee took the clean-slate opportunity to prove he was worthy of regular starts. He has made a conservative 14 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. Unlike his predecessor, Muscat was full of praise and optimism.

“He’s a very impressive player and shows maturity beyond his years. It’s a very challenging competition for him, maybe because of his lack of physicality. But he makes up for it in sharpness and quick decision-making,” said Muscat, before he was sacked last month for the team’s poor run of form.

“It goes without saying that he’s not going to get into or win too many battles – his game is based around winning the contest before the duel actually appears.

“There’s no doubt he’s well respected and has a great following in Korea. He very ambitious and believes in his ability without being arrogant. There are certainly no signs of him settling on where he’s at the moment. He wants to achieve a lot more in career.”

Lee was encouraged by being under the tutelage of someone hailing from the Asia-Oceania region, though the reins have since changed hands once again.

As for the future, Lee had previously vowed to demonstrate he was capable of reaching his early Catalonian heights. The objective now is more general, but the fire in his belly is still very much alive.

“I aim to be on the field more and score more goals, get more assists, and win more games. Regarding the amount of game time, I’m just trying to do my best whenever I get on the field,” he said, adding that he did not have any real trouble adapting to life and football, having been in Belgium “almost two years now”.

“I want to fully enjoy every day of my life with no regrets. By doing so, I believe that better opportunities will come my way and I will develop myself more in a positive environment. I am trying to believe in myself and take steps forward.”