Who said "Lee Kang-in is slow"? Lee Kang-in selected for UEFA Champions League "Top Speed Best 11"

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Kang-in (25, Paris Saint-Germain) has firmly secured a spot in the Best 11, composed of players with the fastest top speeds in this season's UEFA Champions League (UCL). His presence has even erased the prejudice that his speed was a weakness compared to his technical skills and kicking power.

On the 28th (Korean time), the football specialty media outlet 365 Scores Brazil announced the Best 11 based on the "top speeds" recorded by players in the 2025-2026 UCL. Lee Kang-in recorded a top speed of 35.1 km/h, earning a position as the right midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation. According to UEFA, Lee Kang-in's average speed per match in this tournament is 29.25 km/h.

This is a clear indicator that his speed, which had received relatively less attention compared to his dribbling skills and sharp left-footed kicking power, is indeed competitive. Moreover, the UCL is the most prestigious tournament featuring only the world's best players, making Lee Kang-in's selection in the Best 11 based on top speed even more significant.

Among the 11th players selected for the Best 11, Lee Kang-in's top speed was the lowest, but there was little difference compared to Witsel (PSV Eindhoven, 35.5 km/h) and Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, 35.8 km/h), who also made the Best 11 in the midfield position.

Among the Best 11, the players with the highest top speeds were striker Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) and Landry Dimata (Paphos, currently Chongqing Tonglianglong), along with full-back Lucas Hernandez (Paris Saint-Germain/PSG), all reaching 39.6 km/h. Schick is also the starting striker for the Czech Republic, the first opponent of the South Korean national football team in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Following them, Lee Kang-in's PSG teammate, full-back Achraf Hakimi, recorded 37 km/h, and Bradley Barcola recorded 36.7 km/h. They were followed by center-back Bahruz Mustafazada (Karabakh, 36.5 km/h), goalkeeper Jeronimo Rulli (Marseille, 36.2 km/h), center-back Abdoukadir Kone (Manchester City, 36.1 km/h), and three midfielders including Lee Kang-in.

Meanwhile, PSG, where Lee Kang-in plays, will face Kim Min-jae's team, Bayern Munich, in the first leg of the UCL semi-finals at Paris's Parc des Princes on the 29th at 4 a.m. However, local media outlets such as French outlet L'Équipe and German outlet Kicker have all predicted that both Lee Kang-in and Kim Min-jae will be excluded from the starting lineup, leaving the possibility of a "Korean Derby" on the UCL semi-final stage uncertain.

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*This content was translated by AI.