"Kim Min-jae is not like Munich."→ "I want 82% of fans to reinforce defense."

Kim Min-jae started in the opening match of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga against Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, Germany, on the 25th (Korea time). Bayern won the game 3-2 but Kim Min-jae was sluggish. Kim Min-jae played 81 minutes of the game, and was uncharacteristic with a pass success rate of 79%, one intercept, two ball ownership recoveries, zero tackles, and 50% competition success rate.

Along with his poor performance, he made shocking errors. In the 10th minute of the second half, a back pass to Manuel Neuer was passed by Beamer to get out of pressure from the opposing striker Patrick Beamer. The ball went through Beamer and Robro Mayer to make a come-from-behind goal for Wolfsburg. If Bayern had failed to turn the game around, Kim Min-jae would have been blamed as the main culprit of the defeat.

After the game, German media criticized Kim Min-jae, and Bayern Legend criticized him. Rotar Mateus said of Kim Min-jae, "I couldn't simply combine a clear and fast pass game with the necessary level of defense. With Kim Min-jae, the ball bounces. It's not what I expect at the highest level, and it's not at the Bayern level. Moreover, I don't have the competition ability that I showed at Napoli right now."

The criticism from the fans was even stronger. Some fans strongly criticized that "He is for the sale of Asian uniforms." "We need to send him to the second division. We need to recruit a new player." There was even a questionnaire asking if Kim Min-jae should be recruited. The German version of Sky Sports conducted a questionnaire asking "Should Bayern reinforce its defense?" with a whopping 82 percent of fans calling for it.


Meanwhile, despite the fatal mistake and criticism from fans and legends, Bang Sang Kompany and captain Manuel Neuer covered Kim Min-jae. Regarding Kim Min-jae's mistake, Kompany said, "I don't want to talk about Kim Min-jae's mistake, but only about his reaction. After that, our response was good," emphasizing only the part that rebounded and reversed even after the mistake.

Neuer also stressed that such a mistake is only part of the game. "It's just part of the game," Neuer said. "It's a mistake that we don't usually make, and we didn't make it before. It's a careless mistake that we have to deal with in a cool manner. Maybe the result from this game is a relief, and we got three points," he said, trying to cover up Kim's mistake.

For Kim Min-jae, difficulties have come from the first league game of the season. To overcome the crisis quickly, rebound and performance are desperately needed.

https://www.ibeautylab.co.kr/18/