Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique directly refuted the French media's criticism of Lee Kang-in.
PSG is preparing for a home game in the 17th round of the 2023/24 Ligue 1 season against FC Metz at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on the 21st (Korean time).
Coach Enrique held a press conference on the 20th ahead of the Metz match. He mentioned Lee Kang-in's name in front of reporters. Coach Enrique said about Lee Kang-in, “Lee Kang-in is a high-level player who is almost unknown to those who do not watch the Spanish Primera Liga. “He is a superstar in Korea.”
Coach Enrique continued, “Lee Kang-in is a very important player for us. He can play as a left or right winger and can play in the center. He can also play the role of ‘false number 9’. He is a player who has excellent skills and defense and sacrifices himself for his team. It's great to have a player like Lee Kang-in on the team. “He is funny, kind and has it all.”
Lee Kang-in, who grew up in Valencia's youth team, transferred to Real Mallorca in 2021. He went through an adjustment period with 1 goal and 3 assists in 34 official games in the 2021/22 season, and his skills were in full bloom last season. Lee Kang-in has 오피뷰 established himself as Mallorca's ace with 6 goals and 7 assists in 39 games in the 2022/23 season.
Lee Kang-in advanced to France based on his performance in Mallorca. During last summer's transfer market, PSG paid 22 million euros (about 31.3 billion won) to recruit Lee Kang-in. His contract expired in 2028 and he was assigned jersey number 19.
Lee Kang-in has 2 goals and 1 assist in 14 games for PSG this season. Although his attack points were somewhat low, there were times when he enjoyed an upward trend. Lee Kang-in scored his first goal in a PSG uniform in the third match of Group F of the UEFA Champions League against AC Milan last October. He also scored his Ligue 1 debut goal against Montpellier last November.
There was a time when he had good performances, but the French media has recently been evaluating Lee Kang-in harshly. The main reason for this is his lack of offensive points. Lee Kang-in was silent for five consecutive official matches, from the 5th match of Group F of the Champions League against Newcastle United to the 16th round of Ligue 1 against Lille Osc.
After the Lille OSC match, suspicion toward Lee Kang-in reached its peak. French media 'Le Parisien' gave Lee Kang-in a rating of 3 in the match against Lille. The media said, “Lee Kang-in is out of the game. He rarely showed positivity, and when he did, it was hard to find. “It was just a very vague performance,” he said.
The local get more info media is becoming increasingly harsh about Lee Kang-in, but Coach Enrique has shown unwavering trust in him. The most sure way for Lee Kang-in to repay coach Enrique's faith is to score a goal or assist. If Lee Kang-in starts accumulating attack points, the French media's evaluation may also change.