Son Heung-min may be Korea Republic's poster boy, but Lee Jae-sung, who has proved a success at German side Holstein Kiel since his summer move, can have his moment to shine for the Taeguk Warriors if given the opportunity.
Having been a key part of former side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' success in the AFC Champions League, winning it in 2016, the talented playmaker will now aim for similar glories at the national team level of Asian football.
Date of birth: 10/08/1992
Position: Midfielder
Current club: Holstein Kiel (Germany)
Previous clubs: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea Republic)
International background
A fixture in the Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors virtually from the day he joined in 2014, making his first team debut in the AFC Champions League, Lee had already represented his country's U23 side while still a university student two years earlier in the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship qualifiers.
Part of the gold-medal winning Korea Republic side at the 2014 Asian Games, the Ulsan native then joined the senior team set-up for the AFC Asian Cup 2019 - FIFA World Cup 2018 joint qualifiers, scoring against Myanmar and Laos.
Two superb domestic seasons in Korea in 2016 and 2017 then followed which brought several individual and team honours, before Lee was called into the national side for Russia 2018. His impressive performances at the World Cup would then led to a move to Europe and Germany's second tier side Holstein Kiel.
Style of play
A graceful passer of the ball with a wand of a left foot, Lee is a joy to watch when in full flow. A creative hub for his teams - tallying 17 assists in the 2016 season - the 26-year-old is also a threat from range and from set-pieces.
Lee typically plays on the flank, often as a false right winger, but he can also operate in the middle of the park or as a deep-lying playmaker and it's this versatility that is one of his great assets.
What to look for
As Korea Republic coach Paulo Bento is without recently injured playmaker Nam Tae-hee and, for the first two group stage games, Son Heung-min, Lee could be one of the Portuguese’s key solutions to fill in the attacking midfield position.
Should Lee shine in the opening two ties, he could find himself a fixture in Bento's side for the rest of the tournament, although he may have competition from the likes of Lee Chung-yong and Hwang In-beom.
Where and when to watch him
Korea Republic vs Philippines
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Kick-off: January 7, 17:30 UTC+4
Korea Republic vs Kyrgyz Republic
Venue: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
Kick-off: January 11, 20:00 UTC+4
Korea Republic vs China PR
Venue: Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Kick-off: January 16, 17:30 UTC+4
Photos: AFP
