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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| 사진=PSG SNS 캡처 |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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The fans who were angry at Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain)'s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 'Winning the International Player of the Year' were none other than Japanese fans.
Lee Kang-in was selected as the winner of the 'International Player of the Year' at the"Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Awards 2025" held at the King Fahad Cultural Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 16th (Korea time). The International Player Award determines the best among Asian players who play in non-Asian leagues. Lee Kang-in is the third Korean player to receive the award after Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). In this award, Lee Kang-in overcame competition with Kubo Takefusa (Real Sociedad) and Iran's Mehdi Taremi (Inter Milan, Olympiacos) to win the award.
Lee Kang-in, who was the mainstay of PSG at the beginning of last season, suffered in the second half, but his contribution to the team's outstanding performance cannot be ruled out. He was a member of PSG's treble achievement, winning the French League 1, the Coupe de France (French Cup), the Trope de Champion (French Super Cup), and the European Champions League (UCL). There was no shortage of being the main character of the Prime Minister.
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Lee Kang-in's team, PSG, also won the AFC International Player of the Year Award for the first time in club history. Lee Kang-in scored seven goals and six assists in 49 games at PSG, achieving a quadruple (four gold medals), including four consecutive Ligue 1 championships. He also scored the opening goal against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup, leading his team to a come-from-behind victory. Lee Kang-in's award means a lot to the French league as well as the Asian soccer community.
However, there were people who criticized Lee Kang-in's award. It was the Japanese fans. Japan's Soccer Digest Web reported 'There were several reactions to Lee Kang-in's award after beating the ball.
Soccer Digest Web said 'Kubo, Lee Kang-in, and Taremi were named as the award to determine the best player in Asia, and Lee Kang-in won the award. However, even though PSG won four gold medals, Lee Kang-in was mainly a backup. Because of this, many people say they don't understand. Japanese fans claimed on social media that they did not understand Lee Kang-in's award, saying, `I don't know why he was picked.'
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| EPAYonhap News |
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However, it is difficult to say that Kubo was really a candidate who was more likely to win the award than Lee Kang-in. Gubo, who scored five goals and two assists in 41 games, had his worst season since moving to Sociedad. Moreover, Gubo's team, Real Sociedad, has achieved nothing throughout the season. There is also a big difference in the phase of PSG, which won the European Champions League. It is hard to say that one is ahead of Lee Kang-in. Some say "Mitoma should have received it."There was even a claim that ", but this is a difficult opinion to understand. Mitoma, like Kubo, also had little special performance last season.
Meanwhile, last year's winner Akram Afif (Al-Sad) of Qatar challenged to win the award for the second consecutive year, while Malaysia's Arif Ayman Hanafi (Johor Darul Takjim) and Saudi Arabia's Salem Aldosari (Al-Hilal) sought to counterattack. Aldosari won the prize in the end. Australia's Holly McNamara (Melbourne City), China's Wang Shuang (Wuhan Jingda) and Japan's Takahashi Hana (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies) were nominated for this year's Women's Player of the Year award. Taga-hashi was chosen and enjoyed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
