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Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae arrives at Jeju International Airport on the afternoon of the 2nd, ahead of the "Audi Football Summit 2026 Jeju SK FC vs FC Bayern Munich" friendly scheduled for the 4th. / Yonhap

Korea's marquee stars Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in will square off against players from world-class clubs in front of Korean fans. With Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Atlético Madrid all visiting in succession, summer football fever ahead of the new season is set to peak.

Kim Min-jae is up first. Bayern Munich will play Jeju SK in the international friendly "Audi Football Summit 2026" at Jeju World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 4th, marking their first visit to Korea in two years since 2024. With stars like Manuel Neuer, Jonathan Tah, Joshua Kimmich, and Luis Díaz coming to Jeju, attention is focused on Kim Min-jae's performance.

This preseason is important for Kim, who fell somewhat behind Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano in the starting lineup competition last season and needs to prove his competitiveness again to manager Vincent Kompany. Whether Kim, who was a key defender starting 27 Bundesliga matches in the 2024-2025 season, can reclaim his starting spot is a key point to watch.

At 8 p.m. on the 5th, Manchester City will face a K League select team at Seoul World Cup Stadium. K League stars including Lee Seung-woo, Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Dong-gyeong, Lee Gi-hyeok, and Kim Moon-hwan will take on world-class players. While Erling Haaland and Rodri are absent, Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Antoine Semenyo are expected to feature. Fans will also get a look at the changes under Manchester City's new manager Enzo Maresca, following the departure of Pep Guardiola.

The biggest match is the Manchester City-Atlético Madrid clash at 8 p.m. on the 9th. Lee Kang-in, in particular, is likely to make what would effectively be his debut in front of Korean fans wearing Atlético's new number 7 jersey. The focus will be on what role Lee, who moved from PSG to Atlético, takes on under manager Diego Simeone, and how quickly he adapts to his new club against Manchester City.

The two teams also met in Korea in 2023, when Atlético won 2-1. Whether Lee Kang-in can take center stage in this rematch between big clubs, three years later, is the hottest storyline of this visit. With Kim Min-jae looking to turn around the starting competition at Bayern and Lee Kang-in beginning a new chapter at Atlético, this trip also offers an early look at the new season for two of the national team's key figures — its central defender and attacking midfielder.

                                                                                                        Cheon Hyun-bin