Lee scored again in the round of 16 match against Uruguay in South Korea's 2–1 defeat. He was named in the top 10 rising stars of the 2010 FIFA World Cup by Sports Illustrated. On 15 October 2013, Lee made his 50th appearance for the Korean national team in a friendly match against Mali. Lee provided two assists as Korea won the game 3–1. One month later, Lee captained the side in a friendly against Switzerland and scored the winning goal with an 87th-minute header. It was his first international goal in more than three years, his last coming in the 2010 World Cup. Lee was selected for the South Korea squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He started all three games as Korea were eliminated at the group stage. In the last minutes of the game against Belgium, he made a late challenge on Anthony Vanden Borre, ruling the Belgian out for injury for the rest of the tournament as a result. Lee was included in South Korea's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. However, during the team's first match against Oman, he sustained a hairline fracture of the right tibia and was unable to participate in the remainder of the tournament. Lee was included in South Korea's preliminary squad for the 2018 World Cup but did not make the final selection. Lee married his middle-school girlfriend at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on 12 July 2014. Lee stated that he shuns alcohol and smoking, and even refrains from drinking coffee. Upon arriving in England, he reportedly spent 2–3 hours a day studying English and attended English classes to improve his speaking ability. FC Seoul  Crystal Palace  South Korea  Individual