Thirty minutes, one shot, one hero
He did not start.
Kang-in Lee came off the bench with half an hour to play at the Metropolitano on the opening night of the Liga season, and Malaga were handling everything Atletico threw at them. Organised, disciplined, unbothered. Then the South Korean took the ball, looked up, and put it away. Baena curled in a free kick soon after to make it 2-0.
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Wearing the number nobody wanted to touch
Atletico paid PSG 40M for Lee after three seasons in Paris and two Champions League medals earned as a premium rotation option. Then he asked for the No 7. Griezmann’s No 7.
In this city, that shirt is not just a shirt.
The Madrid press made up its mind by breakfast. “Oh, la, la, Kang-in Lee,” ran AS, before going all in: “Griezmann may no longer be here, but his No 7 has found an heir: Kang-in Lee. And his Atletico story could not have started any better. With a goal as brilliant and decisive as the ones the Frenchman used to score.” Marca went with “Atletico hail their new hero.”
Simeone gave the instruction, Lee followed it
Lee told Movistar+ exactly what he heard before going on. “The coach told me there was a lot of space between the lines, that as soon as I got the ball I should try to shoot, and thanks to his words I went onto the pitch really motivated.”
Shoot. He shot.
Simeone preferred to talk about temperament. “He is a player who has to adapt to the demands of the match. He is a footballer committed to his team. We have seen that with his national side, and with the teams he has played for before.”
Lee refused the crown outright. “Griezmann was irreplaceable, and rather than think about those things, I tried to help my team. I have a lot to improve and I will work hard to get better.”
He was less modest a few days earlier. “We are ready to win. This year, we will win a lot of things and bring a lot of joy to Atletico fans.” One match, one goal. Thirty-seven left to back it up.
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