“PSG is the team everyone wants to be at… Thank you Mbappe-Neymar!”
On July 9, 2023, exactly one year ago, Korean soccer fans had an unreal experience. A South Korean player joined Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a big club with a lot of world-class stars. Lee Kang-in, a “little giant” who grew up in Spain, began a new challenge after posting a photo of himself smiling with a jersey with the number 19, LEE KANG IN in English, and the contract expiration date of 2028.
On July 9, 2024, exactly one year later, Lee celebrated his first anniversary with PSG. On his personal Instagram Story, Lee took a look back at “One Year Ago Today” by posting a video of him in his jersey and suit, taking official photos and giving an official interview with the club.
On the one-year anniversary of his arrival at PSG, Lee joined the EA Sports FC Online YouTube channel to talk about how he became a soccer player, his youth career at Valencia, his national team call-ups, the process of joining PSG, and more.
Lee, who joined PSG for a reported €22 million transfer fee from Mallorca, which he describes as his “second home,” says he didn’t have to think twice about choosing PSG. “Paris (PSG) is Paris,” he said. As every soccer player knows, PSG is where the best players in the world go. Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Mbappe played there a year before I joined. It would be hard for anyone to turn down a PSG offer,” he said.
“PSG is a club where you go because you play (soccer) well in other top leagues. But I went to Paris from a team (Mallorca) that was fighting for the bottom,” he said proudly, adding, “I knew very well that (joining PSG) would make me stronger, that it would make me better, and that I would learn a lot from training, playing and living with such great players.” After joining PSG, he admits that he felt the same strange emotions that fans 카지노 커뮤니티 who follow the national team’s games intimately feel when they watch a national team player.
Lee scored five goals and provided five assists in 36 appearances, including a cup, for PSG under Luis Enrique. He had a successful season, winning the European Champions League, the Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions as well as the ‘Domestic Treble’. It wasn’t all roses from the start.
“Of course, it was hard to compete for a starting spot,” Lee admits. Lee, who can play in all two positions, had to compete with the likes of Portugal’s fast-rising Vitinha, 2006 youth superstar Warren Zairemerri, Spain’s Fabian Luis, and France’s Ousmane Dembele.
Lee’s ability to adapt quickly exceeded expectations. For this, he credits Neymar (Alhilal) and Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) for being ‘world class’. “(They) really liked me and took care of me better than other players. I’m grateful. It’s really special to play with good players,” he said. He called Neymar “a wonderful adult” and Mbappe “my three-year-old brother who is really good at soccer. He added that Neymar gave him soccer and life advice, and Mbappe taught him how to shoot.
“Before Neymar transferred, I was invited to his house and we had dinner with Marquinhos, Keylor Navas and the four of us, and he told me about his experiences, how he thinks about life and what’s important to him as a soccer player. I learned a lot. I realized that I should try to be as cool as him.”
Mbappe moved to Real at the end of last season. “It’s a shame that Mbappe left, but I’m sure he’ll do really well at Real. Good players do well everywhere,” he said, adding that he hopes to face Mbappe in next season’s Champions League final.
When asked in the interview about how he became a soccer player, Lee said, “I was destined to be a soccer player. My father, who loves sports, wanted to raise his son to be a soccer player even before I was born,” he said.