Childhood teammates reunited: Baena welcomes Kang-in Lee to Atletico

Alex Baena and Kang-in Lee are about to discover that football has a remarkable way of bringing people back together.

The pair have become teammates at Atletico Madrid almost 10 years after they first played alongside each other as youngsters in the regional teams of the Valencian Football Federation.

Although their careers took very different paths, they briefly shared the same colours at Under-15 and Under-16 level while representing the Valencia regional selection.

Back then, Lee was one of the brightest prospects in Valencia's academy, while Baena was developing across Spain's east coast at Villarreal. Despite playing together for the regional representative side, they never belonged to the same club.

Their reunion was confirmed in heartwarming fashion after Atletico announced Lee's arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.

Baena, who only days earlier had celebrated becoming a FIFA World Cup champion with Spain, welcomed his old teammate on social media with a simple message:

"Welcome, my friend. Looking forward to playing together again."

The message quickly prompted supporters to dig through the archives, resurfacing a photograph from their youth-team days in which Baena and Lee stand side by side in the Valencia regional squad, alongside another future La Liga player, Hugo Guillamon.

Since those teenage years, both have enjoyed very different journeys.

Baena rose through Villarreal's academy before establishing himself as one of Spain's finest midfielders, winning the European Championship, Olympic gold and, most recently, the FIFA World Cup.

Lee, meanwhile, developed at Valencia before starring for Mallorca and Paris Saint-Germain, where he won multiple major trophies before sealing his move back to La Liga with Atletico Madrid on a contract running until 2031.

Now, for the first time in their professional careers, the childhood teammates will wear the same club shirt.

What began as a brief partnership in regional youth football has come full circle nearly a decade later - this time under Diego Simeone, with Atletico Madrid hoping their long-awaited reunion can help deliver silverware at the Metropolitano.