PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), which wants a trophy, worked hard to work with Lee Kang-in, who has a lot of trust from coach Luis Enrique.
French media ‘RMC Sports’ reported on the 30th of last month (Korean time), “PSG worked hard to secure Lee Kang-in’s presence at the Tropez des Champions (Super Cup) on Thursday (4th).” 카지노사이트 백링크
PSG is scheduled to play Toulouse and Tropez des Champions at Parc des Princes (Princes Park Stadium) at 4:45 a.m. on the 4th. The Tropez des Champions is a competition between the team that reached the top of Ligue 1 the previous season and the winner of the Coupe de France, the French Football Association (FA) Cup.
Last season’s league champion PSG begins 2024 with a close match against Coupe de France winners Toulouse for the trophy. To lift the trophy in the first game of the new year, PSG tried to retain key players Lee Kang-in and Ashraf Hakimi.
Lee Kang-in and Hakimi are scheduled to participate in the continental cup competition held in January as members of the South Korea and Morocco national soccer teams, respectively. Lee Kang-in will participate in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which will be held in Qatar on the 12th, and Hakimi will head to Ivory Coast to participate in the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, which will open on the 13th.
Since both players are key players in the team, PSG hoped that they would join the national team after at least playing against Toulouse. The timing of Hakimi’s call-up has not yet been determined, but after PSG’s desperate persuasion, the Korea Football Association agreed that Lee Kang-in will participate in the national team after the Toulouse match.
The media said, “PSG worked hard to secure Lee Kang-in’s presence in the Tropez des Champions,” and “However, Morocco’s Hakimi is not guaranteed yet. Both players have appeared as starters in major competitions, so they are expected to start against Toulouse as well. “I can see it,” he said.
He continued, “PSG is trying to postpone Lee Kang-in and Hakimi’s departure time abroad. According to Le Parisien, numerous discussions took place after the final roster of Morocco and Korea was officially announced, and PSG recently announced that Lee Kang-in’s participation in the tournament “We obtained the first results,” he added.
He said, “This is news that clearly made coach Luis Enrique happy,” and added, “He has always selected Lee Kang-in as a starter since Lee Kang-in returned to the club at the end of October, except for the league match against AS Monaco. Lee Kang-in has been a starter in the last six games. “I participated,” he said.
In fact, Lee Kang-in has consistently appeared as a starter after returning from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with a gold medal around his neck. After his return, Lee Kang-in started 8 of the 9 league games, and the remaining game was against Monaco in the 13th round, when coach Enrique did not let Lee Kang-in play due to his fatigue immediately after the November A match.
It is known that Coach Enrique has always cared for Lee Kang-in very much. At a pre-press conference held on the 20th of last month ahead of the match against Metz in the 17th round of the league, he said, “Lee Kang-in is probably a bit unfamiliar to those who do not follow Spain’s La Liga. He is a Korean superstar. We met this summer, but he is our best friend.” “He is also an important player. He can play left and right wing, midfield, and other positions,” he praised.
“Lee Kang-in also has top-notch technique, to the point where he can play as a false nine in certain games. And he clearly has good defensive skills,” he said. “He is a player who sacrifices himself for the team, and it is great for a young player to have such outstanding qualities.” “It’s an amazing thing to have. He smiles a lot, is funny, and has a kind personality. He really has everything,” he said, adding that he is great not only in terms of soccer, but also as a personality.
As Coach Enrique wanted Lee Kang-in to play against Toulouse, PSG succeeded in coordinating the schedule for him to join the Korean national soccer team. Korean overseas players plan to join Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the national team’s training camp is located, on the 2nd, but Lee Kang-in will head to Abu Dhabi after playing the cup tournament.
Conversely, it is known that Hakimi’s joining schedule has not yet been agreed upon. The media reported, “Currently, there is no player in the team who can replace Hakimi, so PSG is negotiating with Morocco coach Walid Legragui, but there is no word yet that PSG has won.”
As it was the first game of the new year and an opportunity to lift the first trophy of the season, PSG was determined. Coach Enrique also set his sights on winning, saying, “We are only halfway through the season. The second half will be very exciting, and we need to play more and work harder to win the title. This is our goal.”
For Lee Kang-in, the Super Cup against Toulouse is a meaningful game. If PSG wins the game against Toulouse and wins the championship, Lee Kang-in will lift his first trophy since joining PSG.
Lee Kang-in left RCD Mallorca in Spain’s La Liga during last summer’s transfer market and entered the French stage wearing PSG’s uniform. Although he did not have much playing time due to an injury at the beginning of the season and participation in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, he quickly integrated into the team and established himself as one of PSG’s key players.
Ahead of the winter break, Lee Kang-in finished the first half of the 2023-24 season with 2 goals and 2 assists in 15 games. He scored 1 goal and 2 assists in 10 games in the league, and scored 1 goal in 5 games in the UEFA Champions League. He played 90 minutes in the Metz match, bringing his total playing time to 1,005 minutes.
Although his offensive points are not many, Lee Kang-in’s performance during the first half of the season received favorable reviews. Football statistics media ‘WhoScored’ included Lee Kang-in when selecting the best 11 for the first half of League 1 this season. The ratings recorded from the opening game to the 17th round were divided by the average and the 11 players with the highest scores for each position were selected, and Lee Kang-in was named as the left attacker.
Attention is expected to be focused on whether Lee Kang-in, who has already become a key player for PSG, can lift the Tropez des Champions trophy before heading to Abu Dhabi for the Asian Cup.