Discrimination because I'm Asian? Also, the French media's Lee Kang-in and the enemy's praise + the statistical site's generous rating hit the lowest point in all French media

Jan 23, 2025

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If the same situation continues to be repeated, it can only be seen that there is a specific intention. French media have a very negative view of Lee Kang-in (23) of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

I don't know exactly why. It may be a discriminatory perception of Asian players, or it may particularly dislike Lee Kang-in's style of play. What is certain is that the French media's rating on Lee Kang-in continues to be at the lowest point as if it were a promise.

The problem is that this lowest score differs greatly from the ratings of soccer statistics companies that rate them by objective indicators. Statistics companies are not evaluating Lee Kang-in's performance that low. Even the enemy general praised Lee Kang-in's play. The French media can only be seen as maliciously undermining Lee Kang-in.

Lee Kang-in started the seventh home game of the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League (UCL) phase against Manchester City at 5 a.m. on the 3rd (Korea time).

PSG coach Luis Enrique activated a 4-3-3 formation, putting Lee Kang-in in the front three-top. Bradley Barcola - Desiree Dué - Lee Kang-in came out. The role Enrique gave Lee Kang-in was 'Fake No. 9'.

It was a front-line zero-top that provided opportunities to colleagues with diligent movements. He worked diligently between the front line and midfield, sometimes moving to the left winger position, stirring up the front based on considerable physical strength. However, he failed to secure an attack point. He led Hakimi to a goal with a sharp pass at the end of the first half. Mendes took over the ball that Lee Kang-in sharply stabbed with a return pass and delivered it to Due, and sent Due to Hakimi to score a goal. However, Mendes was declared offside and the goal was canceled.

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PSG, which finished 0-0 in the first half, replaced Lee Kang-in and put in Usman Dembele. It was not a reprimand replacement. It was just Enrique's choice to change the style of play.

The second half was dynamic. PSG faced a crisis by allowing two goals first, but after chasing calmly, it eventually won a great comeback with a 4-2 victory. With this, PSG added three points to 22nd place. Manchester City is in danger of advancing to the round of 16 by staying in 25th place.

Obviously, it was not a game where Lee Kang-in played an outstanding role. However, the performance shown in the first half cannot be considered to be enough to harm the team. Rather, he jeopardized Manchester City's defense several times with diligent movements. This is also recognized by his enemy, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola admitted after the game that he struggled because of PSG's 'fake No.9' tactics. He said "Our players suffered, and PSG was better. PSG had one more player in the centre, and we had a hard time coping. PSG deserved to win." This means that Lee Kang-in played a role in pressuring Manchester City's offense and defense by actively moving not only in the front but also in the center with fake No. 9.

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Soccer statistics companies gave a good evaluation of Lee Kang-in. Huscoordcom gave Lee Kang-in 6.6 points. It ranks ninth among the 15 PSG players who participated in the match. He played only 45 minutes and failed to score an attack point, but he is in the middle and lower ranks with two key passes, a 91% pass success rate, two cross successes, and one long pass success.

The sofa score was a bit generous. It was awarded 7.2 points. It was ranked 5th out of 11 starting players. Another statistical company, Footmob, gave Lee Kang-in a 6.9 rating. This is not the lowest point either.

The French media, however, hit the bottom in unison.

Foot Mercato, who has consistently given Lee Kang-in a low rating, gave him a rating of four points. It's the lowest point in the team. The outlet said "Lee Kang-in tried alternately, sometimes playing with his back to the goalpost, sometimes playing between defensive lines. However, he criticized that he had rarely succeeded in playing fake No. 9 role"I couldn't work with the team members, and I didn't see them cracking with passes or dribbles"

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'Paris Fans' and '90MIN France' also gave 5 points each. This is also the lowest point in the team. The rating is similar to that of Foot Mercato. Lee Kang-in's play is not impressive at all.

The French media's 'Cutting Lee Kang-in down' is not a matter of yesterday and today. In the 18th round of the League 1 away game against Lance on the 19th, Lee Kang-in started 'Fake No. 9' and played 60 minutes. The team won by a score of two to one.

At that time, Huscoordcom gave 6.77 points. This was the eighth of a total of 14 players who played as starters and replacements within the team. Sofa Score gave Lee Kang-in 7.3 points. It was the third highest in the team.

However, French media, including Foot Mercato, gave the lowest score. Even Foot Mercato gave a shocking '3 rating'. It was a similar situation in the sixth game of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) phase of the 2024-2025 season against Red Bull Salzburg on the 11th of last month. Even then, Foot Mercato gave a poor score of four points. This is the point where you can feel distrust and hatred toward Lee Kang-in.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.