Lee Kang-in signs with PSG as young star continues international rise [REWIND 2023]

Lee Kang-in became the first Korean player to sign with French football club Paris Saint-Germain in July, joining a star-studded lineup that at the time included both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in, left, fights for the ball with AC Milan's Tijani Reijnders during a UEFA Champions League first round Group F match at San Siro Stadium in Milan on Nov. 7. [AFP/YONHAP]

Lee Kang-in became the first Korean player to sign with French football club Paris Saint-Germain in July, joining a star-studded lineup that at the time included both Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.

Lee scored his first PSG goal in a Champions League game against AC Milan in October, which PSG won 3-0. He scored his first Ligue 1 goal a week later, in a 3-0 victory over Montpellier.

But it’s perhaps been a bigger year for Lee outside of France.

PSG released Lee during the middle of the season to represent Korea at this year’s Hangzhou Asian Games. While Lee never saw a full 90 minutes on the pitch, he did gain an exemption from mandatory military service.

Lee has also been a regular on Jurgen Klinsmann’s Korean national squad. He scored for Korea in back-to-back friendlies, against Tunisia and another against Vietnam, as Klinsmann recovered from an early slump, and then again in Korea’s first second round game of the Asian qualifiers to the 2026 World Cup against Singapore.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]