‘Golden Boy‘ Lee Kang-in, 22, has joined the prestigious French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Lee is currently in Japan with his teammates on an Asian tour, and his jersey is the best-selling jersey in the country, beating out Neymar, Marquinhos, and other players.
“Lee and Neymar are the most popular players on the tour in Japan,” the PSG news site PSG Report reported on Sept. 29, citing a report by France’s RMC Sport’s Fabrice Hawkins, who said that “Lee’s jersey was the most popular, especially in the PSG store (in Japan).”
According to the outlet, Lee’s jersey was the top seller, followed by Neymar’s and Marquinhos’.
“PSG midfielder Lee Kang-in has become a star since joining PSG,” said PSG Talk on the same day, “and he has been one of the most popular players on the club’s Asian tour this summer, starting in Japan and heading to South Korea.”
PSG announced the signing of Lee on Monday, signing him to a five-year contract through 2028. PSG paid Mallorca (Spain) a transfer fee of 22 million euros (approximately 31 billion won), and Lee will reportedly receive 4 million euros (approximately 5.63 billion won) a year. This is 10 times more than the €400,000 (approximately $563,000) per year Lee earned at Mallorca.
Since joining PSG, Lee has been a hot commodity. His jerseys are selling like hotcakes in France, and he is also a fan favorite on his current Asian tour in Japan.
Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in, who suffered a hamstring injury during a practice match against Le Havre (FRA) on Feb. 22, is slowly working his way back to full fitness.
In Japan, Lee missed the matches against Al-Nasr (Saudi Arabia) on the 25th (0-0 draw) and Cerezo Osaka (Japan) on the 28th (2-3 loss).
Since arriving in Japan, Lee has been focusing on his individual training and has now joined the team training, raising expectations ahead of the team’s trip to South Korea early next month. “He has joined the team training and is improving his physical condition,” said L’Equipe France.
PSG will play Inter Milan (Italy) 한국야동 in Tokyo on August 1 before hosting the K League’s Jeonbuk Hyundai at the Busan Asiad Stadium on August 3.