Lee Kang-in aims for UEFA Champions League glory to join Korean football legacy

Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) has lifted the UEFA Europa League (UEL) championship trophy. Now, attention is turning to Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), who is in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final. If he also reaches the top, it would mean that Korean players have won both the UCL and UEL in a single season.

On the 22nd (Korean time), Son Heung-min was substituted in the 67th minute during the 2024-2025 UEL final against Manchester United held at San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain, contributing to the team's 1-0 victory. Although he did not record any attacking points, he played a proactive defensive role to maintain the lead. The goal was scored by Johnson, who netted a precious winner in the 41st minute of the first half.

With this victory, Son Heung-min has secured his first trophy after 15 seasons since turning professional. Tottenham has also returned to the top of European club competitions for the first time in 41 years since winning the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of UEL) in the 1983-1984 season. Additionally, they added a new trophy for the first time in 17 years since the League Cup in the 2007-2008 season.

With the UEL victory, Son Heung-min has become the fourth Korean player to lift a trophy on the European stage. The first person to experience the trophy was former coach Cha Bum-kun, who won the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of UEL) twice with Frankfurt in the 1979-1980 season and Bayer Leverkusen in the 1987-1988 season. Later, Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho experienced UEFA Cup victory with Zenit in the 2007-2008 season. However, Kim Dong-jin only played for one minute during extra time in the final, while Lee Ho was not included in the match squad.

Son Heung-min has also set a record as the first Asian player to appear in both the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and UEFA Europa League finals. He was a starter in the UCL final of the 2018-2019 season, but Tottenham lost 0-2 to Liverpool, finishing as runners-up. In contrast, this time he lifted the trophy as captain, marking a new milestone on the European stage.

Now, the attention of Korean soccer fans is focused on Lee Kang-in. Lee Kang-in's team, PSG, will face Inter Milan in the 2024-2025 season UEFA UCL final on June 1 at 4 a.m. in Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany.

Lee Kang-in is the third Korean player to face a UCL final, following Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min. Although Korean players' teams have made it to the final four times before, none have experienced victory while participating.

Park Ji-sung reached three finals with Manchester United. He was not included in the squad for the final against Chelsea in the 2007-2008 season and was a starter in the match against Barcelona in the 2008-2009 season, becoming the first Asian player to participate in a UCL final. However, the team lost 0-2. In the rematch against Barcelona in the 2010-2011 season, he played the full match but lost again, this time 1-3.

Son Heung-min also started in the final against Liverpool in the 2018-2019 season, but Tottenham fell short of victory.

This season, Lee Kang-in has played 30 matches in Ligue 1, recording 6 goals and 6 assists. He has appeared in 11 UCL matches, but has remained on the bench for the last four matches since the first leg of the quarterfinals. His availability for the final is still uncertain.

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