Atletico Madrid's new signing Lee Kang-in, like Messi and Maradona, is a U20 World Cup Golden Ball winner, but the Asian Cup could keep him out for a month.
In 1979, Diego Armando Maradona received this honor in the second edition of the tournament, which Argentina won; in 2005, Messi also helped Argentina lift the trophy again and clinched the individual award. The individual award referred to here is the U20 World Cup Golden Ball, an honor claimed by Atletico Madrid's new signing Lee Kang-in at the 2019 tournament in Poland.
Other recipients include Prosinečki, who led Yugoslavia to victory in 1987, former Atletico Madrid player Agüero, who won in 2007, and Brazilian Adriano in 2003 – all recognized as the most outstanding young rising stars. Now, Atletico Madrid's new signing has achieved the same, leading South Korea all the way to the final in that tournament. Although they ultimately lost to Ukraine, the individual performance of this red and white player was still dazzling.
Atletico Madrid's new No. 7, Lee Kang-in, shone brightly during the group stage, almost single-handedly carrying South Korea forward. He contributed a goal and two assists in the quarter-final against Senegal, delivered the winning assist in the semi-final, and also scored South Korea's opening goal in the final, though the Asian team ultimately lost to Ukraine.
Currently, the biggest concern for Atletico Madrid's third signing is not adapting to La Liga – he made his debut for Valencia at 17 and later led Mallorca, so he is already very familiar with the league – but rather the Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia next January. As a key player for South Korea, if the team reaches the final, Lee Kang-in could be absent for up to a month. The tournament starts on January 7th, with the final scheduled for February 5th. This issue will affect all Asian players in La Liga, including this Atletico Madrid rising star.
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