Lee–Lin rivalry

Lee won 47 Super Series titles between 2007–2017 and ranked first worldwide for 349 weeks, which included a 199-week streak from 21 August 2008 to 14 June 2012.

[5] Their last meeting was 2018 All England Open, which Lin won, before Lee announced retirement due to nose cancer.

Lee is famed for his incredible speed, counter-attacking prowess, crouch defence, recovery, deceptive net play and steep, hard-hitting jump smashes.

Over the years, with the decline of fellow legend Taufik Hidayat and Danish great Peter Gade, Lee and Lin continuously adjusted their game to better suit the playing styles of each other, having already reached a level far beyond everyone else and thus began cementing their duopoly which lasted around a decade.

[11] In 2015, Lin Dan announced he was to leave the PLA's Bayi Badminton Club after a 20-year service due to strict military protocols prohibiting him from partaking in any commercial activities.

During the decider round with the score tied at 20-20, Lee successfully took the next two points to notch one of his biggest wins against Lin and sank to his knees in celebration.

[18] Early on in their career, whenever Lin and Lee were to play one another, fans were extremely hostile towards their opposite number, often trading barbs, insults and even expletives.

Over time, hostility became admiration, hatred became respect as fans realised that what they were witnessing was a once in a generation great sporting rivalry of the highest level and began cheering for both players, most evidently when they played in Malaysia and China.

Level-headed fans will try to calm things down by reminding that this once-in-an-era rivalry has entered its final chapter and everyone should be appreciating what the two men has showcased throughout their storied careers rather than be at loggerheads till the very end.

Nevertheless, the pair are good friends off court, having invited one another to each other's weddings and sharing a mutual love for fast cars and watches.

Among the cars that Lee is known to own or have owned include a blue Lamborghini Huracán, blue Range Rover Sport, blue BMW M5, crystal grey Bentley Continental GT, a white Audi R8, a white Ferrari F430, a grey Nissan Skyline GTR, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover, yellow Lamborghini Aventador and a BMW X6 besides the cars given to him by national automaker Proton, mostly bearing the car plate number of 6, including a 'BMW 6' currently registered to his M5.

[20][21] Lin, on the other hand, has a Porsche Panamera, a grey Aston Martin DBS and also a black Nissan Skyline GTR among his vast collection of supercars.

[34] In April 2020, on Facebook Live, Lee described Lin as a legend, adding that his titles speak for themselves and that badminton fans need to salute him for his career.

[41] His career-long rival, Lin has joined in and wrote on Sina Weibo that he now has to "head into battle alone, as he no longer has a companion anymore (独自上场没人陪我了)", and shared a song titled "Don't Cry, Friend" (朋友别哭).

[42] A year later in 2020, Lin also announced his retirement, ending the rivalry of the two great badminton players and good friends.