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Fresh off Son Heung-min showdown, Lee Kang-in prepares to face ex-coach

Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 19:04 Updated: 09 Sep. 2025, 16:52

Korea's Lee Kang-in looks on during training at Icahn Stadium in New York on Sept. 4. [YONHAP]

Fresh off Son Heung-min’s showdown against former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino in a win over the United States on Saturday, Lee Kang-in now prepares to face ex-Mallorca manager Javier Aguirre as Korea competes against Mexico in Nashville, Tennessee, on Tuesday.

Aguirre helped shape Lee into a more complete player at Mallorca, adding defensive responsibility to his attacking skills.

Former Korean national team manager Paulo Bento admitted ahead of the 2022 Qatar World Cup that he was uncertain about selecting Lee but said the player had “changed both his mindset and style” under Aguirre.

The Mexican coach drew criticism from Korean fans during his time at Mallorca for calling Lee "Chino," meaning Chinese in Spanish. Calling Koreans Chino is perceived to be racist because it carries the connotation that all Asian people look the same.

Even so, Lee later spoke warmly of Aguirre in interviews after moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, crediting him for his development.

Aguirre led Mexico to the round of 16 in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups as manager and returned to the job in July 2024.

Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre watches play in the first half of the Concacaf Gold Cup final against the United States in Houston, Texas, on July 6. [AP/YONHAP]

Mexico beat Korea in the group stages of the 1998 and 2018 World Cups. The country enters the match after winning the Concacaf Gold Cup last month and extending its unbeaten run to eight games, with six wins and two draws including a 0-0 draw with Japan on Sunday.

"Aguirre’s Mexico side plays pragmatic football, similar to Mallorca but more aggressive.” Commentator Han Joon-hee said, “They have talented players like Alexis Vega of Toluca and lethal strikers, like Raúl Jiménez of Fulham and Santiago Giménez of AC Milan.”

The Mexican squad features its best XI as opposed to the U.S. national team, which did not have some of its Europe-based players.

Regular captain Son Heung-min, meanwhile, will tie Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo for the all-time Korean record at 136 caps if he plays against Mexico.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]