South Korea's Lee Kang-in (left) battles South Africa's Thafel Maseko during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 25 (Korean Standard Time). [AP]
South Korea's Lee Kang-in (left) battles South Africa's Thafel Maseko during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match at Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 25 (Korean Standard Time). [AP]

South Korea's star midfielder Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain has earned a place among the top dribblers at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

According to football statistics outlet Squawka, Lee ranked joint seventh among the top 10 players for completed dribbles at the tournament as of the quarterfinal stage.

Lee completed 11 dribbles in the competition, tying him with Rafael Leão of Portugal, Thaïs Tsoungui of Curaçao and Bradley Barcola of France.

What makes the tally stand out is that Lee achieved all 11 in just three group-stage appearances.

Spain's rising star Lamine Yamal of Barcelona led the tournament with 17 completed dribbles, followed by Brazil's Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid with 16 and Germany's Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich with 15.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has reported that Lee is close to joining Atletico Madrid of Spain's La Liga, with only the formalities remaining.

The transfer fee is estimated at 40 million euros ($45.7 million).

Lee returned home on June 30 after South Korea's group-stage exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and has been resting since.


min3654@heraldcorp.com