For a few years Seung Woo Lee wore a Barcelona shirt with the sign of being the chosen one. He arrived at the club when he was just 13 years old, and in his first season, 2011-12, with the youth team led by Fran Sanchez, he left feeling like a bombshell
Before arriving at Barcelona, he was already the talk of his country, having become the top scorer in the Youth Championship and receiving the Cha Bum Kwon Award, the most prestigious in youth categories in South Korea
Lee was one of those short, short La Masia players who in the lower leagues would overpower opponents and score goals with overwhelming superiority . Some performances that quickly earned him exaggerated comparisons: “It’s a huge honor to be called the Korean Messi. But, personally, I want to be the first Seung Woo Lee”
On 5 February 2013, there was a before and after in his career: FIFA’s sanction against Barcelona meant Lee had gone almost three years without competing for Barcelona and nothing would ever be the same again
When he was able to play again, he was unable to transfer the dominance of his early years to the new categories. Neither with Al-Shabab nor with the reserve team, the explosion ended and the first team became an unattainable dream
In August 2017, he left Barcelona and signed for Hellas Verona, the first of several adventures in Europe (later Sint-Truiden and Portimonense) without settling
Lee spent two seasons at Hellas Verona where he participated in 43 matches for the Italian team. Less promising was his time at Belgian side Sint-Truiden (17 matches) and Portuguese side Portimonense (4 matches in competitive action)
