Lee Jae-sung "I will fully enjoy" leading Mainz to Europe after 9 years

Ahead of joining the 'Century Club' in international matches, "I will do my best in every game"

Lee Jae-sung celebrating a goal. [Reuters=Yonhap News]

Lee Jae-sung (33), a national team midfielder who led German club Mainz to the European club competition stage for the first time in nine years, has expressed his determination to fully embrace the hard-earned opportunity.

On the morning of the 29th (Korean time), Lee Jae-sung scored a decisive header in the second leg of the 2025-2026 UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) playoff match against Rosenborg (Norway) at the MEWA Arena in Mainz, Germany, contributing significantly to Mainz's 4-1 victory.

Lee Jae-sung was involved in three of the team's four goals on the day.

Mainz, who had lost the first leg 1-2 away, secured their spot in the tournament proper with a 5-3 aggregate score after this commanding win.

This marks Mainz's first appearance in a European club competition since the 2016-2017 Europa League season, a span of nine years.

This is Lee Jae-sung's first time participating in the main stage of a European competition.

After the match, Lee Jae-sung conveyed his feelings through his agency, stating, "I am so grateful to be able to play on the European stage," and "There's a saying that 'experience is wealth,' and I feel so honored to have this valuable experience."

Mainz's Lee Jae-sung celebrating a goal. [Reuters=Yonhap News]

He continued, "Of course, it will be physically demanding and tough, but I am very excited thinking about traveling to various countries and enjoying the experience," adding, "I don't know how far Mainz will go, but since this is a hard-earned position, I want to fully enjoy this opportunity."

Lee Jae-sung scored the go-ahead goal in the 43rd minute of the first half, when the score was tied 1-1. He rose to meet a cross from Antony Caci on the right flank and headed the ball into the net.

The header goal drew particular attention as Lee Jae-sung had suffered a cheekbone injury during a preseason friendly and played with a mask in the DFB-Pokal match on the 19th of this month.

Regarding this, Lee Jae-sung said, "Fortunately, the injured area was not affected by the impact of the header, so I was fine. Rather than being scared or fearful of heading, I felt it was easier to score with a header, so I wished for the ball to come to my head more often." He added, "I scored with a header in training yesterday as well, so I am very happy to have scored with a header in this match too."

Lee Jae-sung's header goal moment. [Reuters=Yonhap News]

Lee Jae-sung is set to join head coach Hong Myung-bo's national team for friendly matches against the United States and Mexico in the United States during the September international break.

If he plays in both of these matches, he will reach his 100th career international appearance for the national team, joining the 'Century Club'.

Lee Jae-sung stated, "There is less than a year left until the (2026 North America) World Cup finals. The matches played in each call-up are really important," and "We can assess our competitiveness against opponents we might face in the World Cup, and I believe we need to prepare well based on that."

He then added, "As always, I intend to do my best in the September international matches with the same initial mindset," and "I think it's too early to talk about the Century Club. Since I don't know when or how the situation might change, I will strive to be able to play in every game through my training, and I want to discuss the Century Club after that."