"Welcome, Lee Kang-in, let's play together again" — A vintage group photo is summoned... An 'unexpected connection' rekindled at Atletico via Baeña and ATM

*This content was translated by AI.

Korea national team ace Lee Kang-in and Spain national midfielder Alex Baeña have reunited at Atletico Madrid after a long separation.

Spanish outlet AS reported on the 25th (Korean time) that "Lee Kang-in and Baeña have reunited at Atletico," introducing the special bond between the two players.

Atletico officially announced Lee Kang-in's signing via its club SNS on this day. The contract runs until June 2031. According to local Spanish reports, the transfer fee includes a base of 35 million euros (approximately 58 billion won) with additional options.

Lee Kang-in was assigned the number 7 jersey, symbolizing the team's ace. He also occupies one of the quota spots for players from non-EU countries. This highlights how highly Atletico values Lee Kang-in as a key asset.

When Lee Kang-in's signing was officially announced, the player who welcomed him most warmly was Alex Baeña, who plays for both the Spain national team and Atletico Madrid.

Baeña left a comment on the club's post announcing Lee Kang-in's arrival: "Welcome, friend. I look forward to the day we play together again."

However, one question arose: Lee Kang-in and Baeña have never played for the same professional club before.

Lee Kang-in, a product of Valencia youth, moved through Valencia's first team and Mallorca before joining French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2023. He then donned the Atletico jersey this summer.

Baeña developed at Villarreal's youth academy and made his professional debut there. During the 2021-2022 season, he spent time on loan at Girona before moving to Atletico last summer.

Fans curious about where the two players had previously played together eventually found the answer in an old photograph. Lee Kang-in and Baeña played together during their childhood for Valencia's U-15 and U-16 Ji Yeok (CEO) teams.

Spain has football associations that govern each autonomous region, including Valencia and Madrid. These associations select youth players from within their regions to operate Yeon Ryeong-byeol (CEO) teams.

At the time, Lee Kang-in, who was with Valencia's youth setup, and Baeña, playing for Villarreal's youth team, were both selected for Valencia's regional youth representative team, the Ji Yeok-eul (CEO). Despite growing up at different clubs, they wore the same jersey and coordinated on the field as part of the Ji Yeok (CEO) team.

AS reported that "fans located a vintage group photo of Valencia's U-16 representative team," adding that "the photo shows Baeña and Lee Kang-in standing side by side in the same uniform with the same emblem."

It further explained, "The two players not only played together for Valencia's U-16 but also for the U-15 representative team. At that time, Baeña was with Villarreal's youth team, while Lee Kang-in was developing at Valencia's youth academy."

The two players, who once nurtured the same dreams together in the Ji Yeok (CEO) team during their childhood, are now teammates again at Atletico Madrid. After leaving Mallorca for PSG in 2023, Lee Kang-in has made 124 official appearances over three seasons, recording 16 goals and 16 assists. In France's Ligue 1, he contributed 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 UEFA Champions League (UCL) twice.

Baeña has made 27 appearances in Spain's La Liga for the 2025-2026 season, scoring two goals and providing three assists. Although his primary position is attacking midfielder, he is a versatile player capable of operating on the left flank as well. Both players share the common trait of delivering creative play from both the midfield and wide areas. Depending on the situation, they could either coordinate together in the same team or become friendly rivals competing for starting spots.

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*This content was translated by AI.