Scorer against Montpellier on Friday evening, the South Korean is improving his statistics with PSG, for whom he has been decisive in the last three matches.
To reduce its carbon footprint, rather than taking the train for its travels, PSG had the ingenious idea of recruiting a zero-waste player during the summer transfer window. Lee Kang-in, who arrived from Mallorca (Spain) in relative anonymity, is seducing everyone in Paris, by showing himself to be very fair and decisive in the last matches. Scorer against Montpellier on Friday November 3 (3-0), the South Korean is already more than an understudy for the capital club.
100% successful passes in the match, six duels won out of six contested and three successful dribbles out of three attempted before the break… Even if he hadn’t scored, Lee Kang-in would have had an almost perfect game against Montpellier . The omnipresent South Korean was nevertheless rewarded for all his activity with a goal, in the 10th minute of play, after an intelligent feint from Kylian Mbappé. And when he finds himself in a shooting position, Lee Kang-in does not do things by halves once again and sends a very powerful shot out of the reach of Benjamin Lecomte, into the top corner.
First weeks truncated by injury and selection call-up
This achievement comes in addition to the one he scored against Milan, and the assist delivered against Brest last Sunday, making him a decisive player in PSG’s last three matches. A return to form with Paris after an injury to his left quadriceps had him away from the field for three weeks between the end of August and the beginning of September, before he flew to the Asian Games with his selection from September 23 to 8 october.
For four matches, the Parisians have therefore had plenty of time to really discover their recruit who arrived discreetly this summer, symbol of a less flashy but smarter recruitment from PSG. And in the space of these few meetings, the 22-year-old South Korean displayed all his offensive and defensive qualities, showing clearly that he did not arrive in Paris just to sell jerseys in Asia , even if red and blue tunics have been selling like hot cakes since its transfer.
Finally at the disposal of his coach, the South Korean delights Luis Enrique. “He doesn’t lose the ball, generates superiority [numérique] with his dribbling, he has physical qualities in attack and defense”, he declared before the trip to Brest. His performance against Montpellier only confirmed his coach’s praise. “It’s magnificent, he’s small, but he can play anywhere. He has personality, he’s physical, he’s a complete player. It was Luis Campos who attracted him to Paris, and it’s a great recruit for the club”he enthused, at the microphone of Prime Video after the meeting.
And if he took it out on the hour mark, perhaps to preserve it for future deadlines, the Spanish technician can be reassured: he will be able to count on his South Korean nugget in the months to come, because Thanks to his victory at the Asian Games, Lee Kang-in will be exempt from military service in South Korea.