Both adored in South Korea and unknown in France, Kang-In Lee is the new recruit of PSG. Inducted in his new colors this Saturday, the native of Incheon will tread the lawn of the Parc des Princes until 2028 and could have a shot under the orders of Luis Enrique. Endowed with an exciting history, the 22-year-old attacking midfielder could be one of the very best picks in the summer transfer window, especially since the capital club only paid 22 million euros to attract him. .
Marcelino launched it at the A
To trace the fabulous destiny of Kang-In Lee, we must return to his native South Korea. Raised in Incheon, he participated in a game show from the age of six Fly Shoot-Dori which he will also win. As a reward, they will travel with his team to Manchester to make an advertisement with the South Korean football star of the time: Park Ji-Sung. From then on, his adventure in South Korea could not continue when he was considered one of the country’s great prodigies. The young Kang-In and his family think bigger and a departure for Spain, near Valencia, is then undertaken when he is only 10 years old. Doing his classes within the che club, he is upgraded and the young prodigy of the 2001 generation trains with the players born in 2000 from Ferran Torres or Abel Ruiz. When he was only 17 years and 253 days old, he was thrown into the deep end in October 2018 in the Spanish Cup against CD Ebro. During this victory, the product of the formation of Valence is even established by his coach at the time who is none other than Marcelino, the current coach of OM. He then became the youngest South Korean to make his debut in the Old Continent.
His World U20 made him switch to another dimension
Subsequently, his career took on a global dimension in 2019 in Poland. The reason ? A historic U20 World Cup punctuated by three goals and a status of co-best provider in the competition with 4 assists. Fantastic statistics which have an obvious impact on his teammates whom he manages to hoist in the final against Ukraine. Despite his brilliant career, he lost in the final against the Europeans even if he scored his team’s only achievement in this match (3-1). He will be voted the tournament’s best player as a consolation prize. From now on closely scrutinized, he does not manage to continue in the south of Spain. The departures of Marcelino and Pablo Longoria from the side of Mestalla made him somewhat lose the thread of his very promising start to his career. Faced with the Valencian slump in which he feels less and less fulfilled, Kang-In Lee finds a way out and joins Mallorca in the summer of 2021.
He is one of the best dribblers in Europe…
After a first season of adaptation in the Balearic Islands, Kang-In Lee is having a second season which is surely the best of his career so far. Small statistical point. Last season, in 39 games under the Majorcan colors, the native of Incheon scored six goals and delivered seven caviars for his teammates. Used as a luxury joker at the last World Cup in Qatar, he is indeed an indisputable starter under the orders of Javier Aguirre Onaindía, who did not hesitate to use his versatility to align him on the wings or in a more axial role during the financial year that has just ended. But during this season, it is mainly thanks to his quality of elimination that Lee has been talked about. With 90 dribbles last season and a rate of 2.9 successful dribbles per game, he is in fourth place in the ranking of the best dribblers in Europe. A list where only Vinicius, Lionel Messi and Jérémy Doku preceded him. After having therefore lost the second best dribbler in Europe, PSG therefore bet on the fourth. A pretty clever choice.
…but also stands out for his aggressiveness on the pitch
“My position on the pitch can vary, I am a midfielder capable of playing on both wings. I am a skilful and comfortable ball player. I have a lot of desire and thirst for victories. I am at the service of the collective, with the objective that the team wins.This is how Kang-In Lee would define himself on a football pitch as he revealed during his first interview for the Parisian club. Graceful with the ball, Kang-In Lee also distinguished himself for his sense of sacrifice with the Bermellones. And if his defensive qualities relate to his attacking prowess, the South Korean has everything to become the phoenix of the hosts of the Parc des Princes next season. Boasting a rather impressive rate of successful tackles per game (1.73) for a player with an offensive vocation, the native of Incheon likes to defend. Even if he still has to manage a surplus of commitment as evidenced by the 10 yellow cards he received last season, Lee has a quality that the PSG attackers did not show last year: a gift of self. for defensive tasks.
He will become the first Asian player to wear Parisian colors
Recruited for 22 million euros therefore, his arrival could bring much more benefits. Indeed, with this transfer, Kang-In Lee will become the first Asian player to wear the Parisian tunic. A surprising fact but which should provide PSG with a lot of assets while the player also has a Spanish passport allowing his team to free up a place outside the community. Being already very popular in Asia, the club of the capital will now be able to link its image to that of the prodigy of Incheon in this continent. A marketing coup that could, of course, bear fruit on the ground. Even if he should be confined to a substitute role for his debut, he has the sense of sacrifice and the ability to eliminate which can please Parisian supporters, but also Luis Enrique. The Catalan tactician could also be tempted to trust a player who has been rocked and pampered according to the precepts of Iberian football.
