The value of Lee Kang-in’s (Paris Saint-Germain-PSG) presence as a pillar of the national soccer team’s “Klinsmann Lake” can be seen in the auction price of his Taegeuk Warriors jersey.
Since July, the Korea Football Association has been auctioning off jerseys of men’s national team players to secure youth facilities at the Football Complex being built in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
The first auction was held in July for the jerseys worn during the March A-Match call-up, followed by a series of auctions in August (June A-Match jerseys) and November (October A-Match jerseys). All Taegeuk Warriors jerseys are eligible and include player autographs. The starting price of the auction is 20,000 won, and the highest bidder at the end of the auction wins.
The highest bidder in the first and second rounds of the auction was Son “Captain” Heung-min (Tottenham). In July, his jersey was bid on by 97 people and sold for 4.42 million won. In August, Son’s jersey went for an even higher price of 5.7 million won (41 bids).
But in the third auction of the month, the highest-priced item changed hands. Lee Kang-in’s jersey fetched 4.46 million won (89 bids), 260,000 won more than Son Heung-min’s (4.2 million won – 121 bids). Kim Min-jae (1.56 million won – 45 bids), Hwang Hee-chan (1.3 million won – 38 bids), and Cho Kyu-sung (1.14 million won – 27 bids) rounded out the top three.
Lee Kang-in’s jersey was the second highest-priced item after Son Heung-min’s, having fetched 2.93 million won (86 bids) and 3.3 million won (49 bids) in the previous two auctions, respectively.
The fact that his jersey topped the charts at the third auction coincides with his recent rise to prominence. After winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last month, Lee was granted a special exemption from military service and has been flying between clubs and national teams ever since.
In October, shortly after the Asian Games, he scored goals in two consecutive matches, including his A-match debut, against Tunisia and Vietnam in a two-game series. Since returning to PSG, he has continued to be an attacking point producer. He scored his PSG debut against AC Milan in the European Champions League (3-0 win) on October 26, followed by his second goal of the season on his regular season debut against Montpellier on October 4. In between, he also recorded his first assist of the season against Brest (October 29), setting up Kylian Mbappe’s goal. 무지개토토
He was called up to the A squad again on Oct. 16 in Seoul, where he was at the helm of the attacking lineup in the 5-0 Group C win over Singapore in the second Asian qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America.
The excitement surrounding Lee Kang-in, the “next pillar” after Son Heung-min, has spilled over into the jersey auction market.