Veteran midfielder gearing up for final World Cup

HERRIMAN, United States — Midfielder Lee Jae-sung is preparing for his third FIFA World Cup, which kicks off next week in Mexico for Korea.

The 33-year-old believes it will also be his last one.

Lee, 33, previously represented the country at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Captain Son Heung-min, another 33-year-old and a close friend of Lee's, hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing in another World Cup.

But Lee was adamant Tuesday that he won't be around for another. "I think this will be my final World Cup as a player," Lee told reporters before a training session at Zions Bank Training Center in Herriman, in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. "You just never know when you will have another opportunity like this.

Every player here is not thinking about the next World Cup.

We are all concentrating on this year's World Cup." The soft-spoken veteran said his previous World Cup experience has done little to calm his nerves ahead of his third appearance. "I think I will get even more nervous as we get closer to the tournament, because I know how precious and how important this opport