Lee Kang-in inherits the No. 7: what the number means at Atletico Madrid

Lee Kang-in, who has joined Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid, has been assigned the No. 7 jersey — a number synonymous with a club's ace. [Atletico Madrid website capture]

In the history of world football, the No. 7 jersey has never been just a number. It has long stood for the face of a team — the ace, and sometimes the very identity of a club. At Manchester United, George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo each wore it in succession, forging what fans came to call the lineage of the No. 7. At Liverpool, Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish etched their names into club history under the same number. On the international stage, Ronaldo made it Portugal's symbol and Beckham did the same for England.

Korean football has its own version of that tradition. Park Ji-sung wore No. 7 for the national team for years, anchoring the side, and Son Heung-min inherited the number to become the squad's undisputed ace. At club level, Son wore No. 7 at Tottenham Hotspur for years, serving as both captain and the team's marquee star.

Now a new name is being added to that symbolic lineage: Lee Kang-in, 25.

Lee has left Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for Spanish La Liga giant Atletico Madrid and will wear No. 7 at his new club. The club announced the move Saturday on social media, posting a video of the name "KANG IN" and the number 7 being applied to a jersey, with the caption: "Introducing the new No. 7." Atletico also announced that Lee has signed a contract through June 30, 2031. According to local media reports, the transfer fee, including add-ons, is around 40 million euros ($45.5 million).

What makes the number significant is the weight it carries at Atletico Madrid. No. 7 was worn through the 2025-26 season by club legend Antoine Griezmann, now at Orlando City, and has long symbolized the team's ace. The club's decision to hand the number to Lee signals that it views him as Griezmann's successor and the central figure in its attack going forward.

Lee is the first Korean player ever signed by Atletico Madrid, a club considered one of Spain's three great institutions alongside Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Having worn No. 19 for the national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, Lee will carry a single-digit number at club level for the first time in his professional career.

His jersey history makes the change all the more striking. When he made his first-team debut at Valencia in 2018, he wore No. 16, then switched to No. 20 for the 2020-21 season. He kept No. 19 at both Mallorca, where he spent two seasons from 2021, and at PSG. Across his time at Valencia, Mallorca and PSG, he made 259 appearances in official competition, scoring 26 goals and adding 30 assists. In international play, he has 11 goals in 50 caps.

A player who wore only double-digit numbers throughout his career has now been handed a single-digit one — and not just any single digit, but the No. 7, the ace's number. Just as Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min carried No. 7 as successive aces of the national team, all eyes are on whether Lee can write a new chapter in the history of that number at Atletico Madrid.

why37@heraldcorp.com