Coach Jose Bordalas Getafe recently mentioned Lee Kang-in ahead of Spain's 2023-2024 Primera Liga match against Valencia. Bordalas led Valencia in the 2021-2022 season. He said through Spanish media Relebo, "The club said they would sell Lee Kang-in as soon as I arrived. Lee Kang-in is a bad player." I was surprised. I trained with Lee for two days, but I said he was the best. I couldn't do anything."
Lee joined the first team through the Valencia Academy. Valencia highly appreciated his talent. When he renewed his contract with Lee in 2018, he reportedly included a buyout (minimum transfer fee) clause worth 80 million euros. However, it was not easy to settle down in the first team. During the process, there were rumors that Lee was ostracized. After moving to Manchester City in the summer of 2020, Ferran Torres (FC Barcelona) announced that "Lee and I were the main culprits behind the dismissal of Marcellino Garcia Toral. The owner wanted to use a former Valencia youth player, but the manager did not comply and he was dismissed. Lee Kang-in had a very hard and lonely time. We need affection from the club."
Lee Kang-in has chosen a new challenge to play. He left Valencia, the 10-year-old friend of the club, through a transfer window back in the summer of 2021. He built a new nest in Real Mallorca in free agency. The card hit the mark. He exploded his talent in the second season after going through a period of adaptation in the first season of Real Mallorca. He scored a goal and six assists in the Spanish Primera Liga in the 2022-2023 season. He moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2023 amid keen attention from around the world.
Lee Kang-in has been writing a success story at PSG. It was the last three days. In an away match against Le Havre in the French Ligue 1 during the 2023-2024 season at the Star de Osean in Le Havre, PSG wore a Korean uniform for the first time in the club's history. PSG's decision was reportedly made as a result of the rapid increase in the number of Korean fans since Lee joined the club. According to the club, the number of Korean fans watching the match at the Parc des Princes, PSG's home stadium, increased by 20 percent during the season after the recruitment of Lee Kang-in. The number of Korean followers on PSG's social networking service also increased by more than tens of thousands. The club said, "Fans from the 'Silent Morning Country' have gained more attention. Paris has become the third-largest soccer club in Korea. In addition, the rise in PSG's popularity in Korea can be measured by the commercial success of the official Seoul store that opened in July. Korea is now PSG's second-largest market in terms of e-commerce." 스포츠토토
He also played full-time in a home game against Nantes on Thursday, spearheading his team's 2-1 victory. Notably, he played the role of the starting goalie in the 38th minute of the second half. As a kicker in the free kick situation, he fired a sharp cross towards the goalpost. Lucas Hernandez's header was blocked by the goalkeeper's defense, but Randal Mouaney scored with a shot again.
After the match, the statistics media Foot Mob gave Lee Kang-in a 7.7 rating. It was the third highest rating in the team. Soapo Score gave the PSG's highest rating of 7.8. However, French media Foot Mercato only gave a 4.5 rating. The media outlet said, "Lee Kang-in looked uncomfortable. He created a golden opportunity, but failed to score."
