The decision to call was made.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said on the 15th, “As a result of discussions with Lee Kang-in’s team, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), KFA will allow the team’s home game against Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on the 19th, French local time. “A final agreement was reached on the night of the 14th, Korean time, to join the Asian Games national team after the end. Accordingly, Lee Kang-in will move to Hangzhou, China, on the 20th, French local time, and join the Asian Games national team,” the official announcement said.
He continued, “After receiving an email from the PSG club on the 13th asking for permission to be selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games on the premise of adjusting the schedule for the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, KFA discussed with PSG until late at night on the 14th, and made a final decision. “I received PSG’s official response on the night of the 14th that it would allow me to join the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games team on the 20th without any other preconditions,” he added. As a result, Hwang Seon-hong, who is challenging for his third consecutive gold medal, has Lee Kang-in in his arms.
Last season, Lee Kang-in played as ‘Mallorca itself’. He stood out on the Spanish La Liga stage with his brilliant de-pressing skills, aggressive dribbling, and sharp link-ups in every game. Not only did he shine with striker Vedat Muriki, but his direct finishing ability also improved noticeably.
In particular, dribbling is top-notch even among the five major European leagues. According to soccer statistics media ‘WhoScored.com’, Lee Kang-in recorded 90 successful dribbles last season. He ranked 4th among the five major European leagues, following ‘World Class’ Vinicius Junior (112 successes), ‘GOAT’ Messi (102 successes), and ‘French Ligue 1 prospect’ Jeremy Doku (96 successes).
As the season ended, transfer rumors spread. A trip to Atletico Madrid seemed likely, but the next destination was France. After the appointment of coach Enrique, PSG announced the signing of Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, and Manuel Ugarte in turn, and then made official Lee Kang-in. PSG, aiming for the ‘Big Year’ (UCL championship trophy), recruited Lee Kang-in as a hidden card.
Anticipation exploded. ‘Ouest France’ highlighted Lee Kang-in, who may be unfamiliar to French fans, and introduced, “PSG is about to recruit Lee Kang-in. He is a new talent who is not widely known in France. Let’s take a look at five things you need to know about Lee Kang-in.”
The first point is ‘Fly and shoot.’ The media said, “Lee Kang-in, from Incheon, South Korea, started playing soccer at an early age. He participated in the TV program ‘Fly Shooting Dori’. He also filmed a commercial with Park Ji-sung, a former Manchester United player and Korean icon. He left for Spain at the age of just 10 and went to Valencia. “I joined the academy,” he said, highlighting his childhood.
Next is the ‘Valencia era’. “Lee Kang-in debuted on the Spanish La Liga stage in January 2019 and also took his first steps into the UEFA Europa League (UEL) in the same season. In the 2019-20 season, he participated in the Champions League (UCL) and played against Chelsea and Lille. “Valencia, who suffered from financial difficulties, decided to let Lee Kang-in go in the summer of 2021,” he explained.
The third is ‘2019 FIFA U-20 Poland World Cup’. “The versatile Lee Kang-in attracted attention from the beginning of his career. In particular, he achieved complete success at the U-20 World Cup in Poland. He scored 2 goals and 4 assists to lead Korea to the final. Despite the loss to Ukraine, Lee Kang-in was awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. “He praised.
There was also talk of the ‘2022 Qatar World Cup’. “His national team debut was quick. Lee Kang-in, who played as an excellent joker, took his opportunity against Portugal in the last match of the group stage of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He contributed greatly to Korea’s victory with very active movements. Nevertheless, he remained on the bench in the round of 16 against Brazil. “I only played for the last 15 minutes,” he said.
The last one is the ‘Marseille transfer rumor’. ‘Ouest France’ said, “In the summer of 2020, Lee Kang-in was linked to PSG rival Marseille. Marseille, who had advanced to the UCL at the time, looked for a way to strengthen their power at a low cost and considered leasing Lee Kang-in. However, in the end, the deal did not go through. Now. “Lee Kang-in will wear the PSG uniform,” he said, expressing extraordinary anticipation.
However, trials began immediately after joining the team. He suffered an injury in a friendly match against Le Havre prior to the pre-season tour of Japan. Lee Kang-in accompanied Japan, but missed the Al Nasr match, Cerezo Osaka match, and Inter Milan match, and returned through the Jeonbuk Hyundai match held in Korea.
Lee Kang-in, who held a showcase in Korea, said on social media, “I think I was able to play this game because of the fans who gave me a lot of love and support even in this hot weather. They cheered for our team at the airport, at the hotel, at open training and at the stadium. “Thank you for doing it,” he said. At the same time, he said, “I will do my best to show a good performance this season! Everyone, please take care of your health in the hot weather.”
Lee Kang-in, who returned to France, immediately seized the opportunity. He started as a wing forward in the opening match against Lorient. His partners Marco Asensio and Gonzalo Hamus performed below expectations, but Lee Kang-in was different. Just looking at the main stats, his presence was enormous. Pass success rate 88% (59 attempts – 52 successes), 1 key pass, dribbling success rate 66% (3 attempts – 2 successes), long ball success rate 60% (5 attempts – 3 successes), expected score ( xG) 0.12, expected assists (xA) 0.55, etc. Lee Kang-in made his successful debut by being named ‘THE PLAYER’ as the most decorated player by the League One Secretariat.
The second round match against Toulouse was somewhat difficult. He played as a left wing forward and was on the ground for 51 minutes, but he did not have many opportunities to catch the ball. Amid tactical problems, he was in contrast to the match against Lorient and was replaced by Kylian Mbappe, unable to capitalize on his offensive strengths. Key stats include a pass success rate of 79% (19 attempts – 15 successes), 2 key passes, and xA of 0.29.
However, he was hindered by injury again. Last month, PSG announced, “Lee Kang-in suffered an injury to his left quadriceps muscle and will receive treatment until the end of the international break.” Afterwards, Lee Kang-in missed the Lens and Lyon matches and remained in Paris to focus on his rehabilitation.
There were also concerns that Lee Kang-in could struggle until mid-September or later. France’s ‘French Football Weekly’ said, “Lee Kang-in is injured again. He has already been injured once this summer. Accordingly, he will miss both the Lens and Lyon games. The game against Nice after the international break is also uncertain. Lee Kang-in to coach Luis Enrique. “Leaving is fatal,” he said, worrying.
France’s ‘Get French Football News’ also said, “Lee Kang-in will be absent until the international break. He got off to a positive start after joining PSG and started in both league games. Coach Enrique performed poorly, but Lee Kang-in was impressive. However, he suffered a quad injury. He missed the matches against Lens and Lyon due to a heart injury, and his participation in the match against Nice may also be uncertain. Coach Enrique will hope that Lee Kang-in can return as soon as possible, he explained.
As time passed, good news arrived. PSG shared a special video through social media on the 12th. Lee Kang-in, who left the team due to injury, finally returned to the training ground. Lee Kang-in worked hard to return, not only through indoor cycling training but also by directly controlling the ball on the grass.
Fortunately, Lee Kang-in, who was also included in PSG’s list for the 2023-24 UCL season during his rehabilitation, recovered quickly. It was good news for director Hwang Seon-hong. Earlier, when the Asian Games roster was announced, coach Hwang Seon-hong said, “Lee Kang-in has a very strong will to participate in the Asian Games. (Lee) Kang-in has a very strong will and continues to cooperate. I am very positive and looking forward to it. Plan A position and plan.” “The B position has been planned. It needs to be coordinated through dialogue with the player. Lee Kang-in is very wise, so I think he will be fully aware of it,” he said, revealing his plan to play a key role in the Asian Games.
However, it was still unclear whether he would be selected or not. Coach Hwang Seon-hong, who conducted the final call-up training at Paju NFC on the 14th before leaving for Hangzhou, said, “I have not received an official answer on when he will join. I am frustrated about that. I was not contacted until the 13th to see if the injury was fully recovered. “We decided to give it, but there has been no official response yet,” he said. A KFA official said, “PSG said they would contact us by the 13th. The content contacted by PSG mentioned the Asian Cup, and there was no mention of when they would send it due to their physical condition. After the person in charge came to Korea from England, internal discussions took place. “It will be necessary. I was contacted by the person in charge before departure from Newcastle,” he added. However, the official added that he did not know whether the communication took place by phone or email.
Coordination with PSG continued until late at night on the 14th and was finally completed. He will join Hwang Seon-hong after the first match against Dortmund in the 2023-24 UCL group stage Group F match, scheduled for 4 a.m. on the 20th, Korean time. He is expected to arrive in Hangzhou at least the 21st or 22nd.
Korea, in Group E of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games group stage, will face Kuwait on the 19th and Thailand on the 21st. For Lee Kang-in, who will arrive in Hangzhou after the Dortmund match, taking into account issues with time lag and conditioning,카지노사이트 it is uncertain whether he will be able to participate in the second match against Thailand or the third match against Bahrain on the 24th. Finally, the timing of Lee Kang-in’s joining was outlined. Hwang Seon-Hong-ho must prepare for a situation where he has to play the group stage without Lee Kang-in.
[The final list of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games men’s national soccer team]
GK (3): Gwang-yeon Lee (Gangwon), Seong-jun Min (Incheon), Jeong-hoon Kim (Jeonbuk)
DF (8): Young-woo Seol (Ulsan, wild card), Gyu-hyun Park (Dinamo Dresden) ), Lee Jae-ik (Seoul E), Lee Han-beom (FC Seoul), Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk, Wild Card), Hwang Jae-won (Daegu), Choi Jun (Busan), Kim Tae-hyun (Vegalta Sendai, substitute selection) MF (9): Jeong Ho-yeon (Gwangju
) ), Hong Hyun-seok (Gent), Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk, Wild Card), Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk), Jeong Woo-young (Stuttgart), Ko Young-jun (Pohang), Lee Kang-in (PSG), Eom Won-sang (Ulsan), Jo Young-wook (Gimcheon) FW (2)
: Park Jae-yong (Jeonbuk), Ahn Jae-jun (Bucheon)