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| South Korea's Lee Kang-in receives the golden ball after the final match between South Korea and Ukraine at the U-20 World Cup in Lodz, Poland, Saturday. South Korea lost 1-3, finishing as a runner-up. Yonhap. |
By John Duerden
A certain Lionel Messi is just one of several people named most valuable player at FIFA U-20 World Cup tournaments, along with Paul Pogba and Sergio Aguero. If Lee Kang-in, winner of the 2019 individual prize, can have a career half as successful as those three, then it will be something special indeed.
It was quite a consolation for Lee as his team lost the final of the World Cup to Ukraine on Saturday in Poland. The talisman scored his second goal of the competition but it was not enough to prevent a 3-1 defeat. With four assists on the way to the final, Lee confirmed his status as one of the best teenagers in world soccer.
Plenty already knew how good he was. After all, he plays for Valencia in Spain and he has been so impressive that the club slapped a release clause of around $100 million in his contract when he was just 17. If you want him, that is how much you will have to pay. And even with that price tag, there are increasing rumors and reports of European clubs, such as Dutch giant Ajax, more than willing to open their wallets.
Lee first captured the nation's attention just over a decade ago as a cute kid in the television reality soccer show "Shootdori."
That was just the start. At the tender age of 18, he is the youngest in the team but his skills, turns, goals, assists and all-round composure are those of a much more experienced player. He takes decisions on the field quickly and sees openings and possibilities before others. And he has the skill to take advantage.
"I don't know if it's maturity," he said earlier in the week. "What I try to do is help my teammates to win and nothing more."
In Spain, Lee is just starting to get minutes on the field and this tournament will show that he is deserving of more time and more responsibility. If not, he may be tempted to take his talents to where he can play regularly. At the very least, he may want to be lent to another club where he can play every week.
That is what he needs to gain more experience so he can keep growing. But just how far he can grow is the question. Will Lee turn potential into something special? He has already followed in the footsteps of some of the game's giants by being named tournament MVP. Yet for every Messi there is a Dominic Adiyiah ― the Ghanaian goal-getter was the best in the 2009 tournament but never became the star that was expected and was last seen knocking around the Thailand league.
The signs are good when it comes to Lee, however. His career has already been interesting but it has the potential to be something special. It is up to the player, the brightest young talent in Asian soccer, to live up to the standards set by the likes of Messi and Aguero and make the most of what he has. Fans who follow his career should be in for quite a ride.
