Lee Kang-in (24), a soccer star born in 2001 and born in the Year of the Snake, won the first game in the Year of the Snake. Lee Kang-in wore the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) uniform and lifted the fourth championship trophy in his career.
PSG won 1-0 with Ousmane Dembele scoring the winning goal in extra time in the second half of the Trophy des Champions against AS Monaco held in Doha, Qatar on the 6th. PSG, which achieved three consecutive wins, increased its record for most wins in the competition to 13. This competition is also called the ‘French Super Cup’ as it is a competition in which the winners of the previous season’s French Ligue 1 and Coupe de France (French Cup) compete in a single match to determine the champion. Last season, PSG swept Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, and AS Monaco, second place in Ligue 1, qualified to participate.
Lee Kang-in, who started as a right-wing attacker, played 67 minutes until being replaced in the second half. According to ‘Sofa Score’, a media outlet specializing in soccer statistics, Lee Kang-in made four key passes (passes that lead to shots) and recorded a pass success rate of 83%. Although Lee Kang-in did not increase his attack points, he helped the team’s offensive development with his active movements. Since joining PSG in July 2023, Lee Kang-in has won four times in all competitions. Lee Kang-in scored 5 goals (5 assists) in 36 games in the 2023-2024 season, his first season at PSG, helping the team achieve the triple crown. Lee Kang-in’s first win at PSG was the Trophy des Champions (2-0, PSG win) in January last year. At that time, Lee Kang-in scored the winning goal in the 3rd minute of the first half against Toulouse and was selected as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the game. Afterwards, PSG won Ligue 1 and Coupe de France.
Lee Kang-in scored 6 goals (2 assists) in 24 games this season, surpassing last season’s scoring record. PSG coach Luis Enrique said at a press conference held ahead of this year’s Tropez des Champions, “Multi-player Lee Kang-in is a player with great potential to improve.” PSG, which is aiming for multiple wins this season, is ranked first in League 1 as of the 6th. He is in the round of 32 in the Coupe de France.
Lee Kang-in should play a key role in the offense of the Korean national soccer team this year. Lee Kang-in appeared as a starter in all six 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 3rd qualifying matches held after coach Hong Myung-bo took office last year. Korea, which is ranked first in Group B, will continue its third qualifying round with a home match against Oman on March 20th.
Lee Kang-in led the attack in terms of ‘protecting Hong Myung’, but he has not yet achieved a goal in the third preliminary round. Lee Kang-in scored 3 goals (4 games) in the second qualifying round. Attention is focused on whether Lee Kang-in can revive his scoring ability and play a leading role in Korea’s advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time.
Reporter Jeong Yun-cheol [email protected]
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