Kang-In Lee’s first days as a rojiblanco show that he is the best key Atlético de Madrid could have wished for to unlock the bubbly and loyal Korean masses who have already adopted Atlético as their European side.
Three seasons ago, Atleti visited South Korea for the first time ever in the preseason to participate in the Coupang Play Series, where they lost to 2-3 against a K-League All-Star team before defeating Champions League winners Manchester City.
The fun trivia doesn’t end there. Julián Alvarez
started that game…for the sky blue team. You may not remember that game; few do. But Atleti won 2-1, in a game that leaves a clear “bigger picture” looking at the lineups of back in the day.
Atleti has rebuilt the squad from the bottom up since that game. Only six players remain on the team from August 2023: Koke, Pablo Barrios, Thomas Lemar, Marcos Llorente, Carlos Martín and Jan Oblak. Lemar and Carlos are expected to leave this month, probably permanently.
Three years after that first outing to South Korea, the vibe has changed 180 degrees. Atleti are not just a somewhat-known European side on a world tour to collect a big check for a game or two. Atleti have found scores of hearts to win over in South Korea, fans enamored with the club’s European underdog status.
And the merit is mostly on the shoulders of one star player that hadn’t even played a single minute for the team.
Nothing feels more hip than Atleti in South Korea these days.
If three years ago, you would see your odd Atleti jersey here and there, the country in August 2026 is riding the Kang-In wave in full red and white gear. Beautiful special edition jerseys were designed for the game, and a Casa Atleti — a sort of pop-up headquarters for fans to visit and live the rojibanco experience — was open in Seoul all week, hosting an endless array of both fans and K-culture celebrities of all sorts.
The sheer amount of red and white seen before and during the match gives hopes to the Atleti brass that the investment required to sign Kang-In will basically pay for itself many times over. If Kang-In — as he has settled is his preferred name — can deliver even a portion of the enthusiasm Korean fans showed at the Seoul World Cup Stadium showed, he will make Atleti’s fans very happy in the years to come.
But reports on players usually are about what happens on the pitch. And Kang-In showed personality, skill and leadership, something for which this Atleti squad is starving, as Antoine Griezmann’s exit has left question marks about who will step up.
Atleti’s second participation in the Coupang Play Series was a mixed bag. The game went south for Atleti for several reasons, not just because of uncalled offsides.
Carlos Martín and Dani Martínez will probably not cherish this game where Savinho and Antoine Semenyo toyed with both players, who had to cover for the lack of backs and wingers and put in poor performances which honestly should not be held against them. Only 16-year-old Jorge Domínguez’s goal and post-match interview can compete with Kang-In for the center of attention, on a day when he made his unofficial debut as a new rojiblanco.
David Villa and Atleti’s management though saw firsthand a glimpse of the exposure bump in the Far East — and South Korea more specifically — that the club can expect with Kang-In poised to become a central part of Diego Simeone’s squad. Simeone is not yet sure where he will play, but it feels safe to say that he will play after three years of fighting for scraps at Paris Saint-Germain.
Kang-In brings not only the raw football quality, but also that name recognition that helps Atleti continue to leapfrog competitors in Europe that often manage to outspend the club. Along with Ademola Lookman’s signing in February, this is evidence of a two-pronged initiative. Of course, Atleti are signing these players for their talent. But no one can deny the potential they provide to open new markets and create strong new revenue streams that will bring in new fans to widen the ever-growing base of red and white loyals.
Now that the business part of elite teams goes hand-in-hand with both sporting results and championship rewards, tapping into these markets (like Mateu Alemany and Óscar Mayo seem so willing to do) can open opportunities that will help the Atleti underdog grow even sharper teeth.
