This is exactly what the World Cup is all about 🙌♥️
One lone South Korea fan amongst a sea of Mexican fans. No tension, no anger, just pure joy...
All for the love of football 🇲🇽🤝🇰🇷
Fresh off the 2-1 victory over Czech republic, MOTM Hwang In-beom thanks the Mexican people for their support and for making the stadium, "Like Seoul". 🙌
The players feel the love and support and it played a part in our victory. 👏👏👏
Gracias Mexico! 🙏🇲🇽🤝🇰🇷
Performances like this is what the World Cup is all about; Lee Kang-In showing the world just how good he is.
So dangerous drifting around the pitch picking up pockets of space but his ability to quickly change direction is elite. Best performance of the tournament so far.
🚨LEE KANG-IN : The Next Big Thing
Current Club: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
Age: 25 years old
Primary Position: Attacking Midfielder / Inverted Right Winger
Preferred Foot: Left
Key Traits: Elite Press-Resistance, Low Center of Gravity, Spatial Vision
1. Profile & Elite Quality
Lee Kang-in has solidified his status as one of the most technically flawless and trustworthy playmakers in elite European football. Since moving to Paris Saint-Germain, the South Korean international has become a vital operational pillar in their trophy-laden eras, demonstrating true big-game pedigree. Far from just a luxury player, his consistency under immense tactical pressure makes him a dream asset for any modern manager demanding technical excellence on the grandest stages.
2. Tactical Playstyle
Operating dynamically as a central attacking midfielder or cutting inside as an inverted winger from the right flank, Lee is the ultimate space-interpreter. His game revolves around manipulating defensive lines through sharp body drops and a characteristically low center of gravity. He excels at dropping into deep pockets or intermediate half-spaces to collect the ball, completely anchoring the team’s build-up phase and smoothly transitioning play from the middle third into the penalty area.
3. Offensive Capabilities
Immaculate Ball Retention: His close control on his left foot is practically untouchable, allowing him to shield the ball effortlessly against aggressive physical contact.
Progressive Ball Carrying: While not relying on sheer linear sprint speed, he breaks defensive lines via rapid lateral shifts, intelligent micro-dribbles, and change of acceleration.
Lethal Ball Striking: He poses a constant goal threat from the edge of the box, specializing in whipping dangerous, curlers into the far corner alongside acting as a specialist for dead-ball situations.
4. Defensive Capabilities
Counter-Pressing Output: Lee pairs his creative flair with a phenomenal work rate, instantly triggering aggressive tracking the second possession is turned over.
Tactical Discipline: He tracks back deep into his own half without complaint, intelligently locking down wide passing lanes, squeezing progressive space, and using well-timed tackles to stop counter-attacks before they start.
5. Playmaking & Creativity
Lee's primary superpower is his vision and elite weight of pass. He acts as a master key against deep, stubborn low blocks, utilizing disguised reverse passes and pin-point crosses that catch defensive lines completely off-guard. He consistently ranks near the top of structural metrics for expected assists (xA) and progressive passes, showing a rare ability to execute high-risk, high-reward line-breaking balls with complete composure.
6. The Ekitike Partnership
During their shared tactical sequences in Paris, Lee and Hugo Ekitike formed a highly intuitive partnership. Lee’s immense gravitational pull on the ball naturally dragged opposing center-backs out of their slots, opening up the exact vertical channels Ekitike loved to target with his off-the-shoulder runs. Whether it was early back-post crosses or low-driven through balls, Lee’s precise service consistently acted as a premium supply line for Ekitike's predatory instincts inside the box.
7. The Yan Diomandé Synergy
With Yan Diomandé operating as an explosive, direct 1v1 touchline winger, a partnership with Lee unlocks infinite tactical combinations. Diomandé’s raw pace and width pull opposition blocks apart horizontally, creating massive central half-spaces for Lee to occupy. From there, Lee can dictate play seamlessly: either sliding reverse balls into Diomandé’s path inside the box, or executing quick, looping switches to isolate the young winger against defenders in high-leverage situations.
#LFC #PSG
Hwang In-Beom. What a player.
With Kang-In Lee and Son being well defended, the Feyenoord player took responsibility with the ball and led South Korea in possession.
Great game understanding. Such an intelligent player. South Korea’s metronome.
Lee Kang-in simply the best player in the world that has been rotting on his clubs’s bench.
Starting foregone-concluded games in Ligue 1 doesn’t count anymore, the boy needs to hit the big time & play high pressure games like today for Korea, whether at PSG or elsewhere
#WC2026
“What is your dream?” 💭
As a kid, Lee Kang-in 🇰🇷 said his dream was to play for the Korean national team and win the Champions League.
He’s done all that and then some.
Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does 👊 🩵
💔 While representing South Korea at the World Cup, Kim Seung-gyu is carrying much more than the pressure of a nation on his shoulders.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper left for his fourth World Cup knowing his wife, Kim Jin-kyung, was just days away from giving birth. Their daughter arrived only a few days ago, but Kim has so far only been able to meet her through a video call.
🗣️ Kim Seung-gyu: "I feel very guilty towards my wife and daughter. That's why I want to achieve a good result at this World Cup and return to Korea with a great gift for them."
He responded in the best way possible.
Kim was named Player of the Match in South Korea's opening 2-1 win over the Czech Republic after producing a string of vital saves in the closing stages.
A powerful reminder of the sacrifices some players make to wear their country's shirt. 🥹❤️🇰🇷
🚨🎙️Roy Keane :South Korea is a team to look at after that display against Czechia and Mexico showed us class against a bad South African side
“🗣️ Have to say, I was genuinely shocked by how good South Korea were against Czechia tonight. 🇰🇷 You always expect Son Heung-min to step up, and he absolutely did — led the team really well, showed maturity, quality and responsibility when it mattered. That’s what top players do, they drag standards up around them.
Kang-in Lee was electric, every time he got the ball he looked like something was about to happen. Direct, clever, brave in possession — proper quality winger. Jae-sung Lee, the Mainz player, quietly showed real class as well, intelligent movement and good decision-making all game. And keep an eye on Hwang In-beom because for me, he’s a player to watch in this tournament, composed and very clever on the ball.
Big credit has to go to Hyeon-gyu Oh too. Comes on with around 20 minutes to play and scores the winning goal — that’s being decisive, that’s making an impact when your team needs you. South Korea played with confidence, intensity and real quality in the wide areas. I honestly didn’t expect them to look this sharp, but fair play, they deserved it.
On Mexico 🇲🇽, I still think they finish second in Group A after beating South Africa in a crazy match. #MEXRSA I can’t remember seeing THREE red cards in an opening game before, absolutely mad stuff. Sithole had a really poor day unfortunately, everything seemed to go wrong for him. But fair play to Quinones, thought he was excellent and showed real quality when Mexico needed someone to step up.” – Roy Kean
🚨Stevie G on Lee Kang In:
🗣️"Incredible character shown by South Korea tonight to dig deep and turn that game around. To go 1-0 down and stage a 2-1 comeback under that kind of pressure shows serious balls and tactical discipline.
But I have to give a special mention to Lee Kang-in. That was an absolute masterclass from the lad. When you watch him play, you’re looking at a proper, world-class football player. His playstyle is magnificent—he constantly drifts inside into those central pockets, using his low center of gravity and unbelievable body drops to completely manipulate the opposition's shape. His offensive capabilities are top drawer; he is completely press-resistant and his vision to transition play forward is just different class. He always wants the ball, no matter how tight the space is.
We already know how elite his creativity is at club level for PSG. We’ve seen the synergy he has with Hugo Ekitike, dragging center-backs out of position to slide those thread-the-needle passes into his path, and how beautifully he combines with Yan Diomandé, stretching the pitch to isolate him in high-leverage 1v1 situations. But taking that exact creative authority and dictating a World Cup match for your country is a completely different level of pressure."
#LFC #FIFAWorldCup #LeeKangIn
🇰🇷✨ Atlético Madrid target Kang-in Lee on his first game in the 2026 World Cup for South Korea vs Czech Republic:
- 90 minutes
- 1 assist
- 3 chances created
- 100% (!) pass accuracy
- 5/6 successful dribbles
- 4 fouls won
- 17 ball carries
- 10/14 ground duels won
WOW!
Lee Kang-In is the first player to complete 5+ take-ons and win 4+ fouls in a World Cup game since Eden Hazard in 2018. ⚡️
His game by numbers vs. Czechia:
63 touches
38/38 successful passes
10/14 duels won
5/6 successful take-ons
3 chances created
1 big chance created
1/1 shots on target
1 assist
Baller. 🇰🇷