Koo Ja-cheol Jeju became the top scorer at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar in 2011, unexpectedly scoring five goals and has since become a new center of Korean soccer.
Thirteen years later, in 2024, the Asian Cup is being held again in Qatar. Although only the first group match has been played yet, it is by far Lee Kang-in Paris Saint-Germain who receives the most spotlight so far.
South Korea's national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, will play its second Group E match against Jordan at the Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. In the match against Jordan, South Korea has high expectations on Lee Kang-in's left foot.
Lee Kang-in scored multiple goals in the first group match against Bahrain on the 15th, leading to a 3-1 victory.
At the time, Son scored the winning goal with a fantastic left-footed mid-range shot at the 11th minute of the second half when the score was tying 1-1. Then, at the 23rd minute of the second half, he completely beat one defender with a shooting motion and showed off a calm finish. Later, he showed off a sharp pass to Son Heung-min at the frontier, and dribbled to neutralize defenders from the right side.
Not only the spectators who visited the stadium but also the foreign media were excited whenever Lee Kang-in caught the ball. Thanks to this performance, Lee Kang-in was also listed in the best 11 of the first group match selected by AFC.
Lee Kang-in's performance in this tournament reminds me of Koo Ja-cheol 13 years ago. At that time, Koo Ja-cheol was the top scorer with five goals at the Asian Cup, where he was the youngest member of the Korean national team. Since then, he has advanced to the European stage and has long been at the center of Korean soccer.
Lee Kang-in has been in Europe at a younger age than Koo Ja-cheol and has been attracting attention early on, including playing in the World Cup. It has already become a special level, but through this tournament, he has grown more than before, proving that he has become a clear center of the national team.
He is not just the ace in the stadium. As the youngest, he is also the mood maker of the team by being cheerful at the training site and at his lodging.
An official of the national team said, "Lee Kang-in is so friendly. He comes to all the staff first, talks to them, and plays around, which brightens the atmosphere of the team," adding, "Lee Kang-in is a player loved by everyone in the national team."
At the training site, Lee Kang-in spends a long time with Jung Woo-young Sutugart and Oh Hyun-kyu Celtic, who are similar age groups, but he is constantly smiling and talking to his older brothers such as the eldest brother Kim Tae-hwan Jeonbuk and captain Son Heung-min Tottenham to brighten the atmosphere.
Lee Kang-in, who is shining a light that cannot be hidden both inside and outside the stadium, is showing his extraordinaryness in Qatar. 토토사이트
