[2026 World Cup] Aguirre, Mexico Coach Ahead of Korea Match: "We Must Shut Down Lee Kangin"

A Teacher-Student Bond from Their Time at Mallorca in Spain

"I Know Lee Kangin Well... We Will Not Let Him Get the Ball"

Javier Aguirre, head coach of the Mexico national football team, stated that shutting down his former protégé, Lee Kangin, would be crucial for a victory against Korea.

At a press conference held at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 18 (Korean time), Aguirre said, "I will make sure that my former student, Lee Kangin (Paris Saint-Germain), does not get the ball."

Korea and Mexico are set to face each other in the second match of Group A at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium on June 19 at 10:00 a.m. Both teams have won their first matches, making this game virtually a decider for the top spot in Group A.

Javier Aguirre, head coach of the Mexico national football team, is answering questions at an official press conference held at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico on the 18th (Korean time). Photo by Yonhap News

When asked which Korean players he was most wary of, Aguirre first mentioned Lee Kangin, followed by Son Heungmin (LAFC) and Hwang Inbeom (Feyenoord).

Aguirre previously coached Lee Kangin at Mallorca (Spain).

Lee Kangin, who developed through the Valencia youth system, transferred to Mallorca in August 2021. In March of the following year, Aguirre took over as head coach at Mallorca, and the two formed a coach-player relationship.

Aguirre highly valued Lee Kangin's ability to escape pressure and his passing skills, utilizing him as a key asset in the team's attack. Under Aguirre, Lee Kangin established himself as a core player for Mallorca.

Aguirre said that he knows Lee Kangin well. He commented, "Lee Kangin is exceptional both offensively and defensively. Recently, he often plays as a winger in a 4-3-3 formation, and he is a player who can view the field widely and control the ball freely." He added, "We have already analyzed Lee Kangin and shared counter-strategies with our players. I believe we can contain him. We will make sure he does not receive the ball comfortably."

Aguirre also assessed Korea’s overall strength as being at a high level. He said, "I thought the match against Czech Republic would end in a draw, but Hwang Inbeom assisted the winning goal and changed the outcome. The coordination between Hwang Inbeom and the wingers looked impressive."

He also mentioned Oh Hyungyu, who scored the winning goal against Czech Republic. Korea and Mexico played a friendly in September last year, in which Oh Hyungyu scored and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

Aguirre said, "Oh Hyungyu scored against us in last September’s friendly, and he also scored in the recent match against Czech Republic." Referring to last year’s friendly, he recalled, "We struggled with transition speed. Korea is a team that advances at a very fast pace."

Aguirre stated, "I didn’t say anything special to the players this week. I just hope we play well tomorrow and maintain our performance. We’ll prepare for the match as simply as possible. Even when I was a player, I focused on doing my best rather than overthinking things."

Regarding the water break, a new regulation introduced at this tournament, Aguirre said, "I don’t think it’s a bad rule. As a coach, it gives me a chance to call the players over and give tactical instructions, and provides time to address problems on the pitch."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.