Veteran midfielder Kim Bo-kyung (33, Jeonbuk Hyundai) recalled the first day he met Lee Kang-in (21, Mallorca).
On the 9th, Kim Bo-kyung appeared on Lee Chun-soo’s personal channel ‘Richun-soo”s <Let’s Eat, Myung-boy> corner and said, “I saw (Lee) Kang-in for the first time at the national team call-up. The first time she saw Kangin, she thought ‘Oh, he’s different’. Kangin was still young and the youngest. When we train together, Kangin has a different touch. Looking at Kangin, I could see Iniesta’s sense of touch. Kangin felt that he would become one of the most skilled players in Korea.”
Lee Chun-soo continued, “I felt that when I first saw (Ki) Seong-yong. Even though I kicked the ball with my older brothers, I was not pushed back.” Then Kim Bo-kyung said, “Even Kang-in has no concept of age. He doesn’t have to pass just because he has a senior. Such players thrive,” he praised.
Kim Bo-kyung was called up to the Korean national soccer team in the second half of 2019, led by coach Paulo Bento. At that time, Lee Kang-in was selected as the youngest member of the national team and was making his A-match debut. In September 2019, in a friendly game against Georgia, Lee Kang-in was replaced and Kim Bo-kyung was put in. 안전놀이터
Kim Bo-kyung played in overseas leagues for more than six years. He made his professional debut with Cerezo Osaka in the Japanese J-League, and from 2012 to 2015 played for Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic in England. Since then, he has played for Japan’s Matsumoto, Kashiwa Reysol, K-League Jeonbuk Hyundai and Ulsan Hyundai. He has been with Jeonbuk from 2020 to the present.
He wore the Taegeuk mark and wrote a bold history. He led Korean soccer’s first bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics. In 2014, he participated in the World Cup in Brazil, and scored 4 goals in 38 matches in the A match. Kim Bo-gyeong, who had gone through all the prenatal battles, saw Lee Kang-in, who was in a position similar to herself, and recognized the cotyledon.
The possibility was raised that Lee Kang-in, who has been steadily building a career in Spain, could transfer to England or the Netherlands. Newcastle and Aston Villa of the English Premier League (EPL) are actively recruiting Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in’s buyout is 17 million euros (approximately 23 billion won), and the contract period is 2 years and 6 months left. This is the point where Lee Kang-in’s whereabouts may change.