Lee: “Finally playing like the true Mainz again”

An eye for goal, fighting spirit and creativity on the field – in the last two years, Jae-sung Lee has proved often enough the qualities he brings to the 05ers’ game. The South Korean attacking midfielder epitomises the Mainz spirit through and through. There were turbulent and emotional days for him ahead of the game against RB Leipzig after the departure of Bo Svensson the previous week, with the resulting farewell affecting everyone deeply. “During preparation for the game, I found out that our head coach and assistant were leaving the team. A lot of people were sad, including myself of course. Bo brought me to Mainz and he was also the reason why I decided to play for Mainz. That’s why him leaving really hit me in the heart,” admits Lee.

Nevertheless, he now sees new chances ahead with Jan Siewert as interim coach and is trying to remain calm. “Jan has emphasised that we have to look forward. I trained with him for the first time, but I noticed immediately that he’s Mainz through and through. He really understands the way we want and need to play. The situation wasn’t easy for him either, but he’s tried to motivate us all in a short time and made a very good impression.”

“I hope it’s a turning point” 

Prior to the home game against Leipzig, the 05ers hadn’t managed to win a game in the league, as is well known. For that reason, Mainz had an enormous desire to pick up all three points for the first time this term before Saturday’s fixture. Lee’s heroic header to put the 05ers 1-0 up could hardly have been more beautiful and symbolic. Following Karim Onisiwo’s hard work on the right wing and his perfect cross, our goalscorer didn’t get back to his feet, but chose to celebrate on the floor. The midfield strategist looked back on the moment: “I had to run a long way before scoring, so I didn’t have any energy left in the seconds after the goal. Thanks to this win, we’ve got ourselves out of a fairly depressing period and have been reenergised. I hope that we’ll look back on this game as a turning point because today we finally played like the true Mainz again. I’m looking forward to the next game and I hope that we can build on the victory.” 

The opening goal against Leipzig was the South Korean’s second of the season. “I had already notched against Frankfurt, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win the game due to Frankfurt’s injury-time equaliser,” remembered the 05er, who has had to wait a long time to be able to celebrate again with the fans, along with his teammates. “Thankfully, this time round my goal was enough to secure all three points.” 

You could also tell that the over 30,000 fans who watched the well-deserved first win of the season in the MEWA ARENA last Saturday were both relieved and enthusiastic about the passionate performance. Lee has also come to appreciate the largely unconditional support from the fans in recent years. “I really missed the feeling of being able to celebrate with the supporters. We always want to win and we have given our all in every game, but often that hasn’t been enough. I’ve waited a long time for this moment. Even in training I’ve been constantly thinking about giving the fans something back. I always want to bring joy to the Mainz supporters and we finally did just that with this win.” 

Expecting an "intense and aggressive game" in Darmstadt

The team now prepare for their next challenge, as they travel to Darmstadt on Saturday afternoon (15:30 CET) in search of more important points. “I've faced them before in the second division, so I won't have any issues preparing for the game. Darmstadt are currently stuck in the relegation battle, just like us. I think it will be a very intense and aggressive game. Mainz and Darmstadt are located pretty close together as well, so we will also have lots of Mainz fans there to support us. Our goal has to be to make them feel happy and proud of us once again,” said Lee.

“We now want to keep the momentum on our side. This game against Darmstadt is a crucial one, in order to build on the positive mood we've created and to go into the international break feeling good. My job is to use my skills to help the team. I try to give my best in every game by pressing hard and winning the ball back," he said. "I'm even happier when this helps us win.”

After a disappointing start to the season, the team are focused on doing everything they can to ensure Mainz stay in the Bundesliga. “We want to continue playing and performing the way we did against Leipzig. If we manage to do so, then anything is possible. But, we need to keep fighting, no matter what situation we find ourselves in. That's the task we've been set. We can't be satisfied with just one win – we want to be dominant in our upcoming games as well,” he emphasised. 

On international duty with South Korea

Waiting for Lee after Saturday's game is the final international break of the year. The midfielder is a regular starter for South Korea, who are now preparing to enter into the second round of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

The team are currently led by former Germany national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann, with Lee only having positive things to say about the former striker. “He's a very positive person and is eager to learn. He's trying to learn and understand our culture. He was at our games against Bayern München last season, as well as this season. He told me before the game that he would be there and that he hoped that we won,” Lee said with a grin. The 1990 World Cup winner proved to be a lucky charm for FSV last term, with the team running out 3-1 winners at home. They will now be looking to get their second-round qualification campaign off to a positive start, with games against Singapore (16th November) and China (21st November). As for Lee, there would be no better feeling than to go into the international break on the back of consecutive wins with FSV.