"PSG Was Wrong!" €40 Million Lee Kang-in Captivates Madrid with a Dramatic Turnaround... Spanish Media: "Already a Perfect Replacement for Griezmann"

[Financial News] Lee Kang-in (25, Atlético Madrid) has completely shed the 'substitute' label that followed him during his time at Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (PSG).
In just two months since arriving in Madrid, Spain, he filled the void left by the team's legendary ace, Antoine Griezmann, and established himself as a perfect key player.
On the 24th (local time), the influential Spanish sports media outlet 'Diario AS' highlighted Lee Kang-in's performance through a report by F.J. Díaz, the chief reporter covering Atlético Madrid (hereinafter Atlético Madrid). Under the headline "Lee Kang-in Soaked in Atlético," Diario AS highly praised him, stating that he has perfectly blended into Diego Simeone's football philosophy and the club's culture.
Lee Kang-in has recorded 2 goals and 1 assist in a total of 528 minutes across 8 matches this season, including 7 La Liga games and 1 UEFA Champions League (UCL) game. Noting that newly joined players struggle to adapt to the system of the notorious Diego Simeone, the media highly praised Lee Kang-in's rapid soft landing.

In fact, praise from the local media has been pouring in since a week ago. Immediately after the match against Club Atlético Osasuna on the 17th, Diario AS released a groundbreaking assessment, stating, "Kang-in Lee is already playing the role of Griezmann." Atlético Madrid's biggest challenge this season was filling the void left by Griezmann, the team's all-time leading scorer (212 goals) and the link between offense and defense.
Diario AS analyzed that Lee Kang-in is perfectly performing the dirty work required by Diego Simeone, including not only attacking buildup but also defensive contributions, active pressing, and sacrifice. It also added an interesting comparison, noting that while it took even club legend Griezmann half a season to adapt to Diego Simeone's tactics, Lee Kang-in quickly established himself from the start of the season.
He is effortlessly handling the weight of being the 'new number 7.' Regarding Lee Kang-in, who inherited the number of aces who have illuminated the club's history, such as Griezmann and Diego Forlán, the media assessed that he "does not feel the weight of the number 7."
It emphasized that Lee Kang-in has instantly overturned the assessment that he was a 'substitute' during his time at PSG through his fighting spirit in pressing situations and link-up ability, and is proving the value of a transfer fee of up to €40 million (approximately 60 billion won).

Lee Kang-in's outstanding performance is the result of thorough preparation. According to Diario AS, even before his transfer was confirmed, Lee thoroughly analyzed Diego Simeone's tactics and training methods, as well as the "football of fighting spirit and grit" desired by Madrid fans. Furthermore, his fluent language skills and adaptability to the local environment, honed since his youth in Spain, created synergy.
Just a few months ago, Lee Kang-in was burdened with the question of "how much playing time he could get at PSG," but now he is receiving the full weight of expectations from local fans with the exclamation mark of "how much bigger a role he can play at Madrid." Bearing the weight of both a €40 million transfer fee and the number 7 jersey, Lee Kang-in's conquest of the Spanish stage has only just begun.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter