Will Lee Kang-in have a chance to play in the European Travel Challenge for the first time among Koreans
Will Lee Kang-in have a chance to play in the European Travel Challenge for the first time among Koreans
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Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), the pride of Korean soccer, is only one step away from achieving the first European stage "Treble (triple crown)" by a Korean player.
Lee Kang-in's team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG, France) will play the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final against Inter Milan (Italy) at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, at 4 a.m. on June 1 (Korea time).
PSG has already achieved a "double" this season by winning four consecutive French League 1 titles and two straight Coupe de France Cup titles. If it wins the Champions League final against Inter Milan, it will achieve its first UCL title and treble in 55 years at the same time.
Will PSG achieve its first 'treble' for French team
There have been 10 European trebles within a total of eight clubs in the history of the tour. They are Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Celtic (Scotland), Ajax and Eindhoven (the Netherlands), Manchester United and Manchester City (England), and Inter Milan (Italy). Barcelona and Munich were the only ones who achieved the treble twice. The most recent example of the treble was Manchester City during the 2022-23 season. There has been no case of treble in French clubs yet.
When Qatar Sports Investment, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, took over the club in 2011, PSG has become an emerging club in Europe by banking on its massive oil money. It has become the unrivaled absolute powerhouse in France, with a whopping 11 league wins since the 2010s. It has become the most winning team in all domestic competitions in France, including Ligue 1 (13), Coupe de France (16), Coupe de la League (League Cup, 9), and Trophy de Champion (France Super Cup, 13).
PSG's only long-cherished dream was to win the European Club Championship. Although it won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (merged into the Europa League) in 1996, it has never reached the top in the UCL, the most highly anticipated European Club Championship. Unlike other big clubs in Europe, PSG is often eliminated from the round of 16 or the quarterfinals if it goes to the UCL, unlike its overwhelming aspect in the French league, and has been teased as a "paper tiger" and a "female in the room."
In the 2019-20 season, led by Thomas Tuchel, he succeeded in advancing to the UCL finals for the first time in history with the performances of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. At that time, PSG had a golden opportunity to achieve quadruple (4 gold medals: Ligue 1 and League Cup, FA Cup, UCL) beyond treble, but failed to overcome the last crisis in the final and eventually became a sacrifice to Bayern Munich's second treble.
PSG coach Luis Enrique has been recognized for his leadership by leading his team to the finals for the first time in five years, despite the fact that Mbappe, the undisputed ace, moved to Real Madrid this season, following his first UCL semifinal last year. It is all the work of Enrique that the Pulse Nine (fake striker) centered on Usman Dembele-Hvicha Kravatshelia-Desire Doue and the modified three-top tactics were successful.
Enrique has already made a treble in the 2014-15 season at Barcelona. If he leads PSG to its first UCL victory, Enrique will become the second coach to achieve the treble twice after Pep Guardiola (2008-09 Barcelona and 2022-23 Manchester City).
In the league phase, PSG seemed to repeat its UCL jinx in a somewhat sluggish performance amid the hell of a match, but as it entered the tournament, it defeated three EPL teams from the round of 16 to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal in succession to advance to the finals.
Inter Milan, the finalist, will advance to the finals for the first time in two years after finishing second in the 2022-23 season, and is aiming for the fourth UCL title in 15 years since the 2009-10 season when they achieved the treble. This year, they ranked second (24 wins, 9 draws and 5 losses) in the league after Napoli in their own Serie A league.
Lee Kang-in is uncertain to start, but...
The first concern for Korean fans is whether Lee Kang-in will play in the final and achieve the championship. If Lee Kang-in plays in the UCL final, he will be the third Korean to play after Park Ji-sung (former Manchester United, 2008-2009, 2010-2011 season) and Son Heung-min (Tottenham, 2018-2019 season).
Park Ji-sung became the first and only Korean to lift the trophy after the 2007-2008 season at Manchester United. However, Park had to watch his team win the championship as he was excluded from the final round despite his stellar performance at the UCL tournament. In the final of the 2008-09 season and the 2010-11 season, he started confidently twice, but he failed to cross Barcelona's wall and finished second both times, leaving a regret. Son Heung-min also started in the final at Tottenham in the 2018-19 season, but his dream of winning was not achieved as his team lost to Liverpool.
Unfortunately, it is unclear whether Lee Kang-in will start or include the list for now. Lee Kang-in has scored six goals and six assists in 45 games (26 starts) this season, but he has not been able to play in the second half due to his lack of competition to become a starting player. At UCL, he had to stay on the bench from the first leg of the quarterfinals against Villa, and failed to play in the last Coupe de France final.
Nevertheless, Lee Kang-in said in an interview released on the club's website ahead of the UC final, "I want to do my best to prepare and win the championship. The team's progress toward the same goal of winning will be the driving force behind the best results." 카지노
Above all, the UCL final against Inter Milan may be the last game for Lee Kang-in as a member of PSG. Currently, Lee Kang-in is classified as one of the most likely players to leave PSG in the summer transfer market after this season. A UCL victory could be the most complete and splendid finale at PSG for Lee Kang-in.
Lee Kang-in has already lifted six trophies in PSG over the past two years.