Kim Min-jae's first life in Munich

"My first six months in the Bundesliga are completely unsatisfactory."

"Barbarian Football," which delivers the news of Bayern Munich, said on the 29th, "Munich center back Kim Min-jae has been a starter under Thomas Tuchel since he moved from Napoli last summer."

Kim Min-jae ranked among the world's best center backs after two seasons. Kim Min-jae left Fenerbahce, Turkiye, in the summer of 2022, and wore a Napoli jersey.

It instantly became a core defensive resource of the team. Kim Min-jae was in charge of the back of Napoli with his fast speed, one-on-one individual defense capability, and quick judgment.

Kim Min-jae's presence allowed him to gain a numerical advantage. Myro Louis, who played as a left fullback, was able to advance to a high position while Kim Min-jae covered both the left center and the side. Napoli naturally led the game by increasing the number on offense.

Throughout the season, the team overwhelmed most teams. After steadily accumulating points, Napoli became the Italian champion by winning the Scudetto the Italian Serie A title 33 years after Diego Maradona won the title.

Big clubs drooled over this performance. This is because the buyout that Kim Min-jae signed just before moving to Naples was leaked. In the end, Munich paid 50 million euros about 72 billion won to embrace Kim Min-jae.

In Munich, he became indispensable in name and reality. He immediately established himself as a key defender of the team. Dayo Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt became more important as they were out of power due to frequent injuries.

Kim Min-jae couldn't rest to the point where controversy over his abuse arose. Kim played in 22 of the 24 games he played since moving to Munich. He played in all 16 Bundesliga matches and played in five UEFA Champions League group matches.

Kim Min-jae was also listed as the best Eleven in the first half of the Bundesliga in the 2023-24 season. On the 22nd, Kim Min-jae received a 7.14 rating based on "Huscoord Dotcom," the highest rating among defenders. Along with Kim Min-jae, four players including Harry Kane 8.17, Jamal Musiala 7.42 and Leroy Sane 8.25 were listed.

"Gone are the days when center backs were evaluated for their sheer physical ability and ability to overwhelm strikers. It has transcended the traditional stereotype that defense is the only strength of the center back's role in modern soccer," he said, even naming Kim Min-jae as the best center back in 2023.

However, Kim wasn't satisfied with his play. "I'm not completely satisfied with my first six months in the Bundesliga. I'm still not sure I'm the undisputed starter," Kim said in an interview with "t-online Julian Bull."

"If the three of us Matais de Licht, Dayo Upamecano really compete, we don't know what will happen," he added.

Meanwhile, Munich will have to play its season without Kim for a while. Kim will join the Korean national soccer team led by Jürgen Klinsmann on Jan. 2, 2024.

Kim is thus set to participate in the upcoming 2023 Asian Football Confederation AFC Qatar Asian Cup. If Korea advances to the final on Feb. 10, Kim will not be able to play in up to six matches. https://www.betmantoto.org