Lee Kang-in is already showing a superstar-like presence.
Lee Kang-in joined the A national team led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann during the A match in October and was involved in three points, including multiple goals, in a warm-up match against Tunisia at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th, contributing to his team's 4-0 complete victory.
Lee Kang-in, who played as the second-line central midfielder on the day, did not show much performance in the first half, but he flew after moving to the right side in the second half. In particular, the highlight began in the 9th minute of the second half. Lee Kang-in induced a foul with a nice dribble outside the opponent's penalty box. He scored his A-match debut goal with a free kick. Three minutes later, he defended the ball with his back in the box and completed a multi-goal with a nice left-footed turning shot. In the 22nd minute of the second half, he induced the opponent's own goal with a promised corner kick play with Kim Min-jae. It was literally a "crack" performance that cracked the game. Klinsmann took a complete 4-0 victory with Hwang Ui-jo adding one goal in extra time in the second half.
Korea is not the only country that paid attention to the victory. On the 14th, French media Le Parisien said, "Korea defeated Tunisia thanks to Lee Kang-in's performance," adding, "Lee Kang-in is having the best time of his life." He kicked the ball perfectly into the corner of the goal with a fine free kick. The second goal also pleased the eye. "The opposing goalkeeper couldn't do anything," he praised. The media said, "After winning the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (AG), he is rapidly growing into a key player in the national team led by coach Klinsmann. "At the age of 22, he has already played in 15 A matches and scored two goals," he added.
On the same day, France's RMC Sport also noted, "Lee Kang-in not only made good moves, but also drew light with free kicks and cool shots."
Tunisia's national football team coach Jalel Kadri was also tongue-in-cheek at Lee Kang-in's performance. Coach Kadri said in a press conference after the game, "Among the Korean players, the offensive line and the 18th Lee Kang-in are impressive. You can make a difference because you have excellent personal skills and are fast. I thought the Korean team was good at free kicks. We haven't solved this problem again today," he said. Coach Kadri commented on South Korea before the game that it was "similar to Europe," which means that he suffered from European Lee Kang-in's performance.
Lee Kang-in, who made his A-match debut against Georgia in September four years ago, finally reported his long-awaited A-match debut goal. It is a growth trend that perfectly meets the expectations of fans.
Lee Kang-in played as a key player for the team, scoring six goals and seven assists in 39 official games in Mallorca (Spain) in the 2022-23 season. In particular, he received attention from fans early on, ranking second in overall dribbling success in Spain's La Liga.
In the winter transfer market, Atletico Madrid (Spain) is already on the list. However, it ended with "New Year's Day," and the full-fledged negotiation table began in the summer. The unexpected team that participated in the match was Paris Saint-Germain (France, PSG). At the time, Spanish media Marca and France's Match L'Equipe shed light on the transfer rumors, saying, "PSG general manager Luis Campos has been waiting for Lee Kang-in." It was in June, when Lee Kang-in came to Korea for two consecutive A matches against Peru and El Salvador. Regarding many transfer rumors, he declined to say, "I'm a Mallorca player," but his destination was decided a month later. It was PSG.
Lee Kang-in signed a contract with PSG until 2028 on July 9 and achieved a "step-up" at once. PSG, which finished Lionel Messi's era, has begun a major reorganization, and Lee Kang-in has joined part of it.
Lee Kang-in could not play many games due to the injury he suffered in a practice game just before the pre-season tour. All he did was play the ground for about 20 minutes in a friendly match against Jeonbuk Hyundai. However, he started the opening game of League 1 in the 2023-24 season against Lorient and successfully finished his debut by playing on the ground for 81 minutes. He had no offensive points, but he also proved his talent at PSG by scoring the most touches among the strikers who played on the day.
However, the momentum against Toulouse was dampened shortly after. He started but played for only 51 minutes, and after the game, news of the injury was reported. The leg injury, which has plagued Lee Kang-in since the pre-season, has been a problem.
This was also a variable in the 2022 Hangzhou AG, which will be held in September. This is because it was unclear whether Lee Kang-in would be transferred or not before joining. However, he completed a month of rehabilitation, and in the first Group F match of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) season against Dortmund on the 20th of last month, he replaced in the 35th minute of the second half and played for about 10 minutes to announce his return. He soon moved to China and boarded the Hwang Sun-hong to help him in the gold medal race.
Lee Kang-in, who is working on a hectic schedule, is increasingly raising his performance and receiving fans' expectations. Meanwhile, Klinsmann will aim for three consecutive wins in the October A match evaluation match against Vietnam at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 17th.