Lee Kang-in, who had been anxiously waiting for the official announcement, underwent a 'secret hellish training' for three weeks... "I aimed to be helpful from the first day of joining ATM"

*This content was translated by AI.

The wait is finally over. Lee Kang-in (25), the ace of the South Korean national football team, will don the jersey of Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid after leading Paris Saint-Germain (France·PSG) to back-to-back UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles. Although the official announcement came later than expected, Lee Kang-in remained silent and shed sweat in preparation for his new challenge.

Atletico officially announced the signing of Lee Kang-in via its club SNS on the 25th (Korean time). The contract runs until June 2031. Lee Kang-in was assigned the number 7 jersey, which symbolizes the team's ace.

With this move, Atletico has added Lee Kang-in as its third summer signing, filling the void left by key striker Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City), who departed the club. Griezmann also wore the number 7 jersey while playing for Atletico until last season.

According to Spanish media outlet AS and others, Lee Kang-in's transfer fee is 35 million euros (approximately 58 billion won) including options.

The official announcement of this transfer took longer than expected. In fact, the deal for Lee Kang-in to join Atletico had already been virtually finalized weeks ago.

Earlier, Spanish local media outlets such as Estadio Deportivo reported that "Lee Kang-in and Atletico reached a five-year agreement extending until the summer of 2031." European transfer market experts including Fabrizio Romano also successively confirmed that Lee Kang-in's move to Atletico was effectively complete.

However, for nearly a month, only reports of an imminent transfer circulated without any official announcement from the club, raising doubts among football fans.

The person who suffered the most anxiety must have been the player himself. AS also reported that "for Lee Kang-in, who had to wait for the official announcement despite the transfer being finalized weeks ago, this time likely felt long."

But Lee Kang-in did not remain idle amidst anxiety and impatience. Immediately after joining his new team, he worked on building his body and improving his condition to deliver his best performance.

The media explained that "after South Korea was eliminated from the group stage of the 2026 North American World Cup, Lee Kang-in stayed in his home country, South Korea, starting from June 30," and added that he "crossed over to Madrid, put on his football boots again, and waited for the day to receive coaching under manager Diego Simeone."

It further stated that "however, Lee Kang-in did not stand idle during the past month. According to our investigation, from the first day of joining, he underwent intense personal training in South Korea over the last three weeks to be helpful to the team and achieve a perfect physical condition. He prepared thoroughly to ensure physical issues would not hinder his performance."

It also noted that "Lee Kang-in will officially join the squad led by manager Simeone starting next Monday and participate in training," adding that he "enters Atletico with ambitions of becoming a key player for the team."

This signing is also the result of Atletico's long-term efforts. In January 2023, when Lee Kang-in was playing for Mallorca, Atletico attempted to sign him on loan with a clause for a permanent transfer. However, negotiations collapsed due to Mallorca's opposition at the time.

Last January, Atletico's top executives personally flew to Paris to attempt signing Lee Kang-in. This time, however, PSG did not permit the transfer.

Despite two failed attempts, Atletico never lost interest in Lee Kang-in. Finally, after approximately three years since initially pursuing his acquisition, they succeeded in bringing him into their squad. This transfer is the fruit of Atletico's long-standing persistence.

Lee Kang-in left Mallorca for PSG in 2023. During three seasons at PSG, he made 124 appearances in official matches, recording 16 goals and 16 assists. In the French Ligue 1, he contributed with 12 goals and 14 assists in 80 matches.

During this period, he won the Ligue 1 title three times and reached the summit of the UCL twice. However, it remains a regret that he did not secure sufficient playing time in important matches.

Ultimately, Lee Kang-in is returning to the Spanish stage by joining Atletico this summer. Having lifted numerous trophies at PSG, he now embarks on a new challenge for more playing time and a key role in the familiar La Liga.

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*This content was translated by AI.