​SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – AUGUST 09: Lee Kang-In of Atletico Madrid in action during the preseason friendly match between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid at Seoul World Cup Stadium on August 09, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) | Getty Images 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.View this post on InstagramThe 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