![[이현호 독점 칼럼] ‘Re-contract refusal’ Lee Kang-in, it is time to leave Valencia](https://cdn.interfootball.co.kr/news/thumbnail/202101/517047_423394_1032_v150.jpg "[이현호 독점 칼럼] ‘Re-contract refusal’ Lee Kang-in, it is time to leave Valencia")
[인터풋볼] Reporter Lee Hyun-ho = It would be good to look forward to Lee Kang-in (19, Valencia)’s first transfer.
Kang-in Lee is a promising midfielder representing Asia beyond Korean football. He passed the entrance test for the Spanish Valencia youth team at the age of 9, and immediately played an important role in the team. He was selected as the MVP at the 2011 Mallorca International Football Competition and won the top scorer at the 2013 competition.
Lee Kang-in, who was running on Tantan Avenue, signed a six-year contract with Valencia in 2013. In 2017, he competed in the COTIF U-20, leading the Valencia U-20 team’s runner-up. He was only 15 years old at the time, and was selected as the MVP of the tournament. Valencia had a plan to raise Lee Kang-in as a franchise star early on.
Valencia extended its contract with Kang-in Lee for two years in 2017. At the end of December of that year, Kang-in Lee made his professional debut in a league match against Real Zaragoza Team B as a member of Valencia B team. In early 2018, it was replaced in the second half of the match against Liagostera and recorded 1 assist. It was Lee Kang-in’s first attack point on the professional stage. At the time, he was 16 years old.
Valencia signed another contract. In July 2018, Valencia extended the contract with Kang-in Lee until June 2022. Here, the minimum transfer fee, the buyout amount, is set at 80 million euros (approximately 10 billion won). Highly anticipated from the beginning, he was compared to Valencian left-footed midfielders David Silva and Juan Mata.
Kang-in Lee’s debut match for the first team took place at the end of October 2018. He started in the Spanish King Cup Ebro. This was recorded as the youngest Korean player ever made his debut in the first European big league team. Lee Kang-in made his Spanish La Liga debut on January 13, 2019. With this, Kang-in Lee became the fifth Korean to play in La Liga after Lee Chun-soo, Lee Ho-jin, Park Ju-young, and Kim Young-gyu.
Even wearing the Taegeuk mark, he flew. Lee Kang-in, who was summoned to the Republic of Korea U-20 national team led by coach Jung Jung-yong at the time, appeared in the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Poland and showed a’youngest brother’. ‘Youngest brother’ is the nickname given by the U-20 teammates because he is the youngest, but he is excellent. Korea took the first runner-up in the men’s competition organized by FIFA. Lee Kang-in, who scored 2 goals and 4 assists in this tournament, won the Golden Ball, the best player in the tournament.
Valencia registered Lee Kang-in on the 1st Army roster and handed him a professional uniform with his uniform number 16 on it. In the 2019-20 season, he stepped on the stage of his dream of the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League (UCL). At the Chelsea away game in September, he was replaced by Rodrigo at the end of the second half and made his Champions League debut. This, too, remained the record for the youngest Champions League appearance in Korea.
He even scored his professional debut goal while hitting him. Lee Kang-in, who started for Getafe at home on September 25, scored the team’s third goal with a right footed ground ball in the 39th minute ahead of 2-1. Lee Kang-in’s score was the youngest foreign player in the club and the youngest Korean La Liga scored. On this day, in addition to scoring, Lee Kang-in recorded a starting pass in the first and second goal scenes.
Unfortunately, Lee Kang-in gradually lost his chances to play after he started flying for his team and national team. La Liga made 17 matches in the 2019-20 season, of which 14 were replaced in the second half. Two goals were scored here. In the 2020-21 season, La Liga is playing in 12 matches. Five of them were replaced. There are no goals yet, and he has scored 3 assists.
In Spain, there are claims that Kang-in Lee should leave Valencia as soon as possible. Spain’s Marca said, “Like Ferran Torres (20), who left Valencia last summer and moved to Manchester City, Lee Kang-in should look for a new team. “Even though Valencia has been growing herself for a long time, it doesn’t give her a chance to play right now.” Torres is also from the Valencia youth team like Kang-in Lee, but is a midfielder who left for Manchester City in England to get more opportunities.
Now it is Lee Kang-in’s turn. Currently, Valencia’s director Harvey Gracia seldom seems to believe in Lee Kang-in. All four of Valencia’s league wins this season came from Lee Kang-in’s starting game. Including both the League and the King’s Cup, Valencia won 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in the eight games where Lee Kang-in started. Nevertheless, Lee Kang-in’s selection opportunities do not increase.
Valencia is constantly suggesting renewal of the contract to Lee Kang-in. However, Lee Kang-in, who was not satisfied with the time he has been given, is looking for a new team after considering renewing the contract. Some analysts say that the transfer is difficult because the buyout is high. Kang-in Lee is also considering how to completely transfer the team after the rental transfer. For Lee Kang-in, who will turn 20 in a month, securing time is more important than anything else.
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