Is recruiting Lee Kang-in of PSG for marketing? No…”I only looked at the soccer perspective. I can’t predict Asia’s influence.”
PSG strategic advisor Luis Campos said he did not anticipate the marketing impact of the club’s first Korean player, Lee Kang-in.
Campos gave a lecture at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, on Nov. 11 (KST). He spoke about the soccer transfer market in front of about 200 economics students at the Sorbonne.
Campos, who is officially referred to as “strategic advisor” at PSG, was born in Portugal in 1964 and spent his career as a professional soccer manager from 1992 to 2005.
After a stint as a scout for Real Madrid in the 2012/13 season, Campos turned his attention to other roles before taking on the role of sporting coordinator and general manager at AS Monaco in the summer of 2013. He then moved on to Lille (2017-2020) and Galatasaray (2022) before joining PSG as a strategic advisor last summer. While at Galatasaray, he also began working as an external advisor to Celta Vigo, a role he continues to hold today.
Campos’ track record in the transfer market is impressive. At Monaco, he brought in Fabinho, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Benjamin Mendy to lead Monaco’s 2016/17 UEFA Champions League run. It cost him less than €100 million to buy them all, but he sold them all for a whopping €450 million ($635.1 million).레모나토토
Campos, who has his own transfer market theories, mentioned Lee in a lecture at the Sorbonne earlier in the day. “I worked hard to sign him,” he said, adding that “the finance department told me that I shouldn’t exceed a certain amount (to sign him).”
“From a soccer point of view, I really like him. He’s the kind of player Luis Enrique wanted. But I didn’t think it (the signing of Lee) would affect our marketing in Asia.”
Lee is PSG’s first South Korean player. He moved from La Liga to the French Ligue 1 in the summer transfer window. PSG spent €22 million (approximately $310 million) in transfer fees on him.
Of course, there were other big signings, including Randall Kolo Moani, Manuel Ugarte, and Luca Hernandez, but Lee’s arrival signaled the opening of the Asian market for PSG.
The club had previously only planned a tour of Japan ahead of the season, but when Lee was confirmed as a pre-season signing and joined the Asian tour, they quickly began reaching out to Korean clubs. Coupang Play organized a pre-season friendly against Jeonbuk Hyundai as part of the Coupang Play series, and Lee played in his first pre-season in Korea with the club.
Furthermore, PSG realized the popularity of Lee during their Asian tour. “PSG midfielder Lee Kang-in has become a star since joining PSG,” wrote PSG Talk, the club’s social media account, during the tour of Japan. The midfielder has become a star since joining PSG. He is also a favorite on the club’s Asian tour this summer, starting in Japan and ending in South Korea. His bromance with Neymar is blossoming, and it’s safe to say he’s selling more jerseys than Neymar,” the source said.
Citing a report by influential journalist Fabrice Hawkins of RMC Sports, the outlet said, “Fabrice Hawkins said that Lee and Neymar were the PSG stars with the most followers on the Japan tour. Lee is also currently the player with the most jerseys sold in stores, followed by Neymar and Marquinhos,” he said, explaining that Lee’s jersey sales are number one on the team, ahead of superstar Neymar and PSG captain Marquinhos.
Lee’s popularity in Asia is already evidenced by PSG’s social media accounts and reports in French media.
PSG JAPAN, the club’s official account in Japan, released a fan service video of Lee’s arrival at the airport on March 23, titled “Lee Kang-In Arrival.” The video shows Lee greeting Japanese fans.
The video shows Lee performing a fan service for his Japanese fans. When he saw the fans near the airport entrance, he immediately dragged his luggage over to them and signed their jerseys and papers.
The Japanese fans shouted out his name, “Lee Kang-in,” and many people crowded around him and stretched out their arms to get his autograph. This was a great indication of Lee’s popularity in Japan.
Lee’s popularity, which began in preseason, was reflected in his jersey sales during the season.
On October 10, French journalist Abdelrahim Bulma, who is well versed in PSG news, said on his social media that “the player who has become so popular since his move from Mallorca is the PSG player who has sold the most jerseys.”
“Slightly ahead of Mbappe,” Bulma said of the player’s sales, revealing that even PSG and France’s biggest star, Mbappe, has lost out to him in terms of jersey sales.
Lee’s PSG jerseys have been selling like hotcakes in Paris as well as in South Korea, where they’ve actually become a part of one of the latest fashion trends: blockcore.
Lee’s rise to the ranks of PSG’s starting midfield has proven to be one of the club’s best signings of the summer, as has the impact of its top-notch marketing content.
Meanwhile, PSG will host Stade Auguste-Delon in Lille in the 12th round of the Ligue 1 on December 12 at 1:00 am.