Center Back Kim Min-jae, Who Became A Role Model For European DF, Leveled Up Every Year

Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich) is also considered a best defender in Europe.

Defender Alexander Zicu (29), who was born in France and played for French Ligue 1 all the time, and moved to Fenerbahce in Turkiye this summer, mentioned Kim Min-jae. In an interview with Turkiye media "Sporx" on the 24th, Ziku said, "I listened to various advice and chose to transfer to Fenerbahce."

"I liked Fenerbahce's ambitions. In the summer, he recruited famous players such as Edin Zico, Dusan Tadic, Fred, and Dominic Rybakovic. "I came here after hearing a plan to become a more competitive and strong team," he explained.

Ziku said, "There are so many cases of moving from Fenerbahce to a higher level team. Kim Min-jae is the player. Kim Min-jae did well at Fenerbahce and moved to Italy's Serie A team Napoli, he added. Kim Min-jae, who played an active role in Fenerbahce in the 2021-22 season, immediately moved to Napoli and is currently playing an active role in Bayern Munich, Germany.

Kim Min-jae is the most noticeably rapid player in football at this point. In the summer of 2021, he moved from China to Turkiye and made his first European debut, and in a year, he advanced to Italy, one of Europe's top five big leagues.

When he first entered Italy, his view of Kim Min-jae was not good. This is because Asian center backs have never been successful in European big leagues. However, Kim Min-jae won the Serie A Player of the Month award two months after joining Napoli, and even won the Serie A Defender of the Year award.

Napoli won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years thanks to Kim Min-jae's outstanding performance. It also succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for the first time since its foundation. It was the most successful season of the 21st century.

Kim Min-jae's growth did not stop there. He played for Napoli for only one season and left for Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. Bayern Munich paid 50 million euros (about 71.5 billion won), the amount of buyout, and hired Kim Min-jae. The term of the contract is five years. Number 3 handed over the enemy uniform.

There is no need for a period of adaptation. Kim Min-jae was on Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel's favorite player list. After the opening of the new season, he will start most of the games and play full 90 minutes. Until the away game in FC Cologne on the 25th, he recorded a full-time appearance of 90 minutes in 15 consecutive games. 스포츠토토

This is why central defenders who continue their careers in European small and medium-sized leagues refer to Kim Min-jae as a role model.