National team defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) shows amazing performances wherever he moves, as if he is breaking the seal.
Kim Min-jae’s step-up is surprising even in Europe. It was only two years ago, in the 2021-22 season, that Kim Min-jae officially took on the challenge of Europe. Kim Min-jae, who conquered Asia through Jeonbuk Hyundai and Beijing Guoan (China), only transferred to Turkye Fenerbahce in 2021.
The start of his European career was in Türkiye, which could be considered a periphery, but he rose through the ranks with his skills. In just one season at Fenerbahce, he has grown into a defender that the big leagues are paying attention to. Last summer, Naples of Italy’s Serie A made a move. Napoli spent 18 million euros (about 25.6 billion won) to recruit Kim Min-jae.메이저사이트
The monster myth was completed in Naples. Minjae Kim achieved all the glory in his first season in the big league. When he arrived at Naples, it seemed like a difficult challenge to fill the void left by former key defender Kalidou Koulibaly’s move to Chelsea.
There was a lot of talk about the difficulty of replacing Koulibaly, but Kim Min-jae overcame it easily. He immediately took over as a starter and did not miss the starting position until the end of the season. Kim Min-jae, who played a total of 3,055 minutes in 35 Serie A games last season, left excellent defensive indicators such as 1.6 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, and 3.5 clearances per game.
That’s not all. Kim Min-jae actively participated in set pieces and showed off his offensive and defensive capabilities by scoring 2 goals and 2 assists. He continued his stellar performance in the UEFA Champions League, playing 9 games and leading Napoli to the quarterfinals.
Thanks to Kim Min-jae’s support like a wall throughout the season, Napoli won Serie A for the first time in 33 years. Kim Min-jae, who reached the top with Napoli, was recognized for his contributions and was named the best defender in Serie A last season.
It is a performance that even legends are surprised by. Italian defensive legend Paolo Maldini, who visited Korea for the Legend All-Star Game to be held at Goyang Stadium in October, knows Kim Min-jae’s capabilities better than anyone else.
On the morning of the 22nd, he attended a press conference held at the Paymont Ambassador Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, and when asked about Minjae Kim, he evaluated him as if he was familiar. He said, “Last season, Naples played so well that it was strange. I also know that Kim Min-jae played a big role.”
That’s why Maldini was considered the best defender of all time as an AC Milan one-club man during his time as a player. He recently also served as Milan’s director. In particular, when Milan competed with Napoli last season, the crowd was caught astonished when Kim Min-jae made a decisive defense.
Maldini admitted, “If you look at Kim Min-jae, he is a player I already knew because of his stamina and defensive accuracy. Italy was also keeping a close eye on him,” and added, “It is not easy for him to do well in other countries, so I was very surprised to see him do well in Italy.”
Even from a striker’s perspective, Kim Min-jae is like a monster. The opinions of Francesco Totti, who is preparing for the legendary match together, were also consistent. Totti is also a legend among legends. He is a one-club man who came from AS Roma youth and has devoted himself to Roma for nearly 30 years. He also participated in the Korea-Japan World Cup and led Italy to victory in the 2006 Germany World Cup. He was the Serie A top scorer once and the Player of the Year award twice.
Totti also gave a thumbs up about Kim Min-jae, saying, “I was very surprised. Recruiting Kim Min-jae was the best thing Naples did. There has to be a period of time to adapt, but I was surprised to see him do so well so quickly. I felt it was great to see the time he had to adapt.”
Meanwhile, the reason Totti and Maldini visited Korea is to promote the Korea, Italy, and Brazil Legend All-Star Game.
Maldini, who will visit Korea again in October to participate in the Legends match, expressed his determination, saying, “I haven’t played soccer for 7 to 8 years, but in October, I will play a more interesting match than the Korea-Japan World Cup.” Totti also pledged, “I will return in top condition in October. I know that Korean legends are high-level players. I will return at the best level.”