Lee Kang-in (24) of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) received support from his former team Mallorca in Spain's La Liga, but could not participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final.
On the 14th (Korea time), Lee did not take the field in the final match against Chelsea (England), which took place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. He only warmed the bench. The team lost 0-3 and settled for second place.
Before the match, his 'former workplace' Mallorca (Spain) wished Lee good luck with 'winning luck.'
Mallorca posted photos of Lee from his time at the club and one with a PSG uniform on its official social media account, along with the message, "May fortune favor you." This reflects their hope for him to win in the Club World Cup final.
While the support was warm, PSG surrendered the 'champion' title to Chelsea.
PSG achieved a domestic treble this season by winning Ligue 1, the French Super Cup, and the Coupe de France. They then achieved their first-ever victory in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), becoming quadruple champions. Winning the Club World Cup final could have secured them an unprecedented quintuple, but they failed.
PSG was struck by a blow from Brazil's Botafogo in the group stage, but they later experienced a rise. Since entering the knockout stage from the round of 16, they showcased overwhelming performance by scoring 10 goals without conceding in three consecutive matches. However, they faltered against Chelsea, conceding three goals.
This year’s tournament, expanded from the previous seven teams to 32 teams, has a total prize money of $1 billion (about 1.266 trillion won).
The tournament organizing committee will award a bonus of $40 million (about 55 billion won) to the winning team in the final. This amount is more than 100 times greater than the 500 million won awarded to the K League 1 champions.
From the early minutes of the match, PSG struggled against Chelsea's sharp attacks. They conceded the first goal in the 22nd minute, with Cole Palmer scoring with a left-footed shot inside the penalty box.
Palmer added another goal in the 30th minute of the first half. After a personal breakthrough, he scored accurately, finding the net for PSG. In the 43rd minute, Pedro Neto, assisted by Palmer, scored another goal, extending Chelsea's lead to 3-0.
PSG coach Luis Enrique brought on Bradley Barcola, Gonçalo Ramos, Warren Zaïre-Emery, and Seni Mavourou in succession at the start of the second half, hoping to turn the tide.
However, PSG failed to catch up, stifled by Chelsea's organized defense. Instead, moments before the end of the second half, midfielder João Neves was sent off, resulting in a numerical disadvantage.
On this day, Lee was named on the substitute list but never received a call-up.
Chelsea emerged victorious, winning the first Club World Cup featuring 32 countries organized by FIFA after fierce competition.
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