Dream matchups with World Cup stars such as Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) and Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) await Lee Kang-in, 25. The opportunity comes as he transfers to Atletico Madrid, one of Spain's "big three" clubs in La Liga.
Atletico Madrid officially announced Lee's signing through its website and social media on the 25th (Korea time). The club showed its enthusiasm by posting 13 social media posts welcoming Lee over the two days through the 26th. The concepts varied widely, from images of Lee wearing a traditional Korean hat (gat) in his new uniform to a promotional signing video displayed on an electronic billboard at Gwanghwamun.
The contract runs five years until June 30, 2031, and according to local media including Marca, the transfer fee Atletico Madrid will pay Lee's former club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) is up to 40 million euros (about 67.1 billion won). This ranks as the second-highest transfer fee ever for a Korean player, following the 50 million euros generated when Kim Min-jae moved to Bayern Munich in 2023. Third in this category is Son Heung-min (LAFC). In 2015, Tottenham (England) paid 30 million euros to Leverkusen (Germany).
Atletico Madrid is known as one of La Liga's big three. Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid represent Spanish professional football. Lee is the first Korean player to play for the first team of one of Spain's three major clubs.
Atletico Madrid, which boasts 11 La Liga titles, has finished fourth, third, and fourth over the past three seasons. Its last league title came in 2021. With Lee as its new engine, the club will challenge for a title for the first time in six years.
Lee has extensive La Liga experience. He played five seasons at Valencia and Mallorca from the 2018-2019 season through the 2022-2023 season. However, these two teams are in the middle to lower tier of the league. He then leveraged his performance at the 2022 Qatar World Cup to be picked up by Ligue 1 powerhouse PSG, where he spent three seasons. At PSG, he experienced a league title every season and even won two consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, but Lee could not escape the role of a "supporting actor" more familiar with the bench. For this reason, talk of a return to Spain and a transfer to Atletico Madrid had emerged several years ago. Negotiations dragged on due to PSG's lukewarm stance, but as both clubs' interests aligned in preparing for the new season, Lee will return to Spain, his "second home," after three years.
Having lived in Spain since age 10 and fluent in Spanish, Lee shared his signing impressions in Spanish through the club's social media on the 26th: "I am happy to join a big club. I want to quickly put on the Atletico Madrid uniform and enjoy this new adventure together with the fans."
Lee's jersey number is 7. The number 7 holds special meaning at Atletico Madrid, as it was worn by Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City). A club legend who played ten seasons at Atletico Madrid and left 144 goals in 336 league matches alone, Griezmann is a former France national team player. The 35-year-old recently moved his stage to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. In Atletico Madrid's social media post announcing Lee's signing, Griezmann left a heart in a comment, cheering on his "No. 7 successor" and his former club.
Atletico Madrid's manager has been Diego Simeone (Argentina) continuously since 2011. Simeone, famous as an outstanding tactician, above all demands high work rate and active defensive involvement. Lee, whose strengths are precise yet bold passing and breaking through pressure, is expected to be used widely, not only in his main position as a second striker but also on both wings and as a central playmaker. He will newly join forces with teammates such as Alex Baena (Spain), Julian Alvarez (Argentina), and Alexander Sorloth (Norway), who all performed at the recent World Cup.
Since the World Cup, Lee has been training at GS Champions Park in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, FC Seoul's training ground. Once he soon joins his new team, he is expected to make his Atletico Madrid debut in the friendly match against Manchester United in Stockholm, Sweden on August 1, or in the match against Manchester City at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 9th.
La Liga opens on August 20. The Madrid derby against Real is scheduled for September 20, and the matchup against Barcelona is set for November 8.
