Lee Kang-in Plays 36 Minutes in Atletico Madrid's Final Pre-season Match

South Korean football ace Lee Kang-in, who has joined Spanish professional football powerhouse Atletico Madrid ahead of the new season, has wrapped up his pre-season after making his first starting appearance following his transfer.

Lee started and played 36 minutes in a pre-season friendly match against Marseille held at the Vélodrome in Marseille, France, today (August 15, Korean time).

Having transferred to Atletico last month after playing for French professional football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Lee made his debut as an Atletico player in a Coupang Play Series friendly against Manchester City (England) held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 9th of this month.

Having started on the bench and coming on as a substitute in the 19th minute of the second half back then, Lee played as a starter on this day to build teamwork with his teammates.

Wearing the number 7 jersey and leading the attack alongside Ademola Lookman, Lee showed flashes of brilliance on multiple occasions through his passing and counterattacks.

In the 9th minute of the first half, a brilliant single-stroke pass from near the center circle toward Lookman ahead stood out.

Lookman received Lee's pass and rushed toward the penalty arc to shoot, but it hit the goalpost and went wide, failing to result in a goal.

Lee was substituted for Carlos Martín in the 36th minute of the first half when Atletico made three substitutions at once.

According to football statistics specialist FotMob, Lee recorded 9 touches in this match and successfully completed all 6 of his passes.

Atletico conceded the opening goal to Igor Paixão in the 22nd minute of the first half, but secured a 2-1 comeback victory thanks to consecutive goals by Rodrigo Mendoza in the 39th minute of the first half and Martín in the 33rd minute of the second half.

Atletico will play its opening match of the 2026–2027 La Liga season against Málaga at its home ground, the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, at 4:00 AM on the 20th.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.