“When Lee Kang-in gets the ball, football changes” ... Why Spanish media were impressed despite the defeat to Barça

[Financial News] “When Lee Kang-in gets the ball, the play improves.”
His club suffered a painful comeback defeat. But Spanish media lavished praise on the brilliant left foot of Lee Kang-in (25, Atlético Madrid), who sparkled against powerhouse Barcelona.
Atlético Madrid fell 1-2 to rivals Barcelona in a home match on the 9th (Korea time) at Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain, in the 12th round of the 2026–27 Spanish Primera División season. As a result, Atlético (28 points; 9 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) dropped to third, surrendering the top spot to Barcelona (33 points; 11 wins, 1 loss).
Lee Kang-in started alongside Julián Álvarez as a striker up front in a 4-4-2 formation. In effect, he inherited the role of Antoine Griezmann, a club legend and the alpha and omega of the attack. Lee was entrusted with the playmaking duties: holding onto the ball amid the opposition defense, switching the direction of attack and creating opportunities for his teammates to make runs.


Then, in the 10th minute of the first half, he produced a moment that perfectly lived up to those expectations. Receiving the ball on the right flank, Lee threaded a deft, left-footed outside-of-the-foot pass to the opposite side, catching Barcelona’s defense off guard. The ball traveled cleanly across the defense and, after a sharp cross from Álvarez, led to Giuliano Simeone’s opening goal.
Though it did not count as an official goal contribution, the scoring move undoubtedly began with Lee’s creative pass. Spanish sports daily Mundo Deportivo called the play a “textbook counterattack,” noting, “It all started with Lee Kang-in on the right flank. The goal would have been impossible without his perfect left-footed outside-of-the-foot switch pass.”
The assessment from leading Spanish newspaper AS went a step further. The outlet wrote, “Lee Kang-in is still trying to find a position where he can consistently get involved in the game, but when he gets the ball, the play definitely improves.” Rather than simply praising his passing accuracy, it highlighted Lee’s exceptional football intelligence and vision, which can change the course of an entire match. It added, “There is incredible talent in Lee Kang-in’s left foot. I want to see him on the ball more often,” expressing high hopes for him.


Still, there were some disappointments for Lee personally. In the 60 minutes he played before being substituted for Alexander Sørloth in the 15th minute of the second half, Lee touched the ball just 24 times. He completed 17 of 19 passes (89% accuracy) and was exceptionally efficient, completing five of his seven long passes in particular, but he lacked a commanding influence over the match as a whole.
Just six minutes after Lee was substituted, Atlético conceded the winning goal to Fermín López and ultimately suffered a comeback defeat. Even if Lee’s substitution was not the direct cause of the loss, his absence was all the more keenly felt as the team went down.
“When he gets the ball, the play improves.” This striking one-line assessment from a leading Spanish newspaper after a match against powerhouse Barcelona captures both Lee Kang-in’s standing today and the destination he still has to reach.
The Spanish football world is watching to see whether this gifted midfielder, who brings a different level of football every time he gets the ball, can evolve into the perfect “successor to Griezmann,” controlling and dictating the game for all 90 minutes.


[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter