Former teammate accuses Lee Kang-in of 'going too far' many times

Midfielder Lee Kang-in is said to have repeatedly angered Korean players since he was young, before the punching incident with captain Son Heung-min.

"Kang-in has a very erratic temperament," South Korean newspaper Money Today quoted FC Seoul striker Cho Young-wook as saying. "Everyone knows he is picky with his seniors and sometimes jokes too much. Maybe Kang-in does that because he likes us so much. But we are all sensitive. Because the tournament is going on, we are angry and have to endure a lot. We hope Kang-in will behave more properly."

Cho Young-wook mentioned the 2019 U-20 World Cup, when Lee was the youngest player in Korea at the tournament, at the age of 18. The Korean squad at that time also included strikers Oh Se-hun, Um Won-sang, and defender Hwang Tae-hyeon, all two years older than Lee. These players all shared Cho's views.

Lee Kang-in during a training session of South Korea at Al Egla, Doha, Qatar, February 3, 2024. Photo: News1 — Lee Kang-in during a training session of South Korea at Al Egla, Doha, Qatar, February 3, 2024. Photo: *News1*

When asked if there were any players who couldn't stand Lee's pranks and got angry, Um Won-sang said he was one of them. "There was a time when I was eating quietly and Kang-in cursed at me and told me not to say anything bad. I was so embarrassed that I didn't say anything directly to Kang-in, I just told Young-wook," Um said.

1.93m tall striker Oh Se-hun added: "Kang-in is not a normal boy. He has crossed the line many times. I couldn't stay silent and had to punish him. One time I had to pick him up and throw him on the bed."

Hwang Tae-hyeon, then captain of the South Korean U20 team, suggested that cultural differences might have been the reason why his teammates disliked Lee. "Regardless of whether Kang-in was normal or not, his culture was different from ours," Hwang said. "We grew up in different cultures, so I tried to understand Kang-in as much as I could. But I also had my own personality, so I would often call Kang-in aside to talk to him when I was angry."

Lee was born in South Korea but trained at Valencia, Spain, from the age of 10. Since then, he has played for Valencia, then Mallorca in La Liga, before moving to France to join PSG. Korean culture values seniority, while the line between senior and junior is more blurred in Europe.

At the 2019 U20 World Cup in Poland, Lee was only 18 years old but was selected as the "Best Player of the Tournament". He was then called up to the national team, and has so far scored seven goals in 25 international matches. Lee shined at the 2023 Asian Cup, scoring three goals, all of which were masterpieces. Meanwhile, Cho, Um, Oh and Hwang were all left out of this Asian Cup.

Lee is a good professional, but he is being criticized by Koreans after a scuffle with captain Son Heung-min at dinner on February 5, before the semi-final match against Jordan in the 2023 Asian Cup. Korean media said that Lee and several other young players were playing table tennis right next to their teammates who were eating and drinking. Son went out to remind them, but Lee did not listen and even spoke disrespectfully to the captain. The 32-year-old star got angry, grabbed Lee by the collar, and the 23-year-old midfielder responded by swinging his fist but Son avoided it. During the scuffle, Son dislocated his hand. He had to bandage his finger in the semi-final match, when Korea lost 0-2 to underdog Jordan and was eliminated.

Nine days later, the brawl between the Korean players was revealed, first by the British newspaper Sun. The Korean Football Federation also quickly confirmed the information. Lee posted on Instagram , apologizing to fans. Lee did not mention punching Son, only saying that the two sides had a disagreement.

Lee's lawyer said today, February 15, that the PSG midfielder did not swing his fist at Son. The Tottenham star has not commented on the incident.

Son rose to prominence with Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, before joining Tottenham in 2015 at the age of 23. He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2021-2022, becoming the first Asian player to do so. Many publications, such as Titan Sports , consider Son to be the best Asian player of all time.

Hoang An

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