Korea’s “monster defender” Kim Min-jae (28) is suffering from rumors that he will be released despite his sluggish performance. However, Kim is still the best player in Italy. He had a hard time in this season.
Italy’s Spazio Napoli reported Munich’s elimination from the European Champions League (UCL) on the 11th (Korea time), saying, “Naples still have a lot of regrets about the breakup of Kim Min-jae, who was the best defender in Italy’s Serie A last season.” “Napoli fans still want Korean players to stay in the team. I don’t know if Kim Min-jae feels the same way, but it would have been better to stay in Naples. Kim Min-jae’s first season in Munich was not happy at all.”
Kim Min-jae is having a hard time this season. He wore a Munich uniform last summer, but has remained on the bench as he failed in the competition to become a starting member. Munich is using Matthijs Derricht and Eric Dier as its starting center back combination. Kim Min-jae was under fire for playing less time and making a fatal mistake recently. He started the first leg at home against Real Madrid (Spain) in the first leg of the UCL semifinal, but gave a shock to the team by allowing two runs. Kim was aggressive in the first half and allowed some space in the back, which led Real striker Vinicius Junior to score the first goal. He also gave up a penalty kick in the 37th minute of the second half when his team was leading 2-1. Munich ended up drawing 2-2.
The team failed to make a turnaround in the second leg of the semifinal on the 9th. Kim Min-jae replaced his team in the 31st minute of the second half when the team led 1-0. However, Munich lost the game 1-2 after allowing two runs. It also failed to advance to the UCL final. Although he did not make big mistakes like in the first leg, he was criticized for failing to keep the team’s lead. Spazio Napoli also said, “Munich coach Thomas Tuchel tried to strengthen his defense by sending Kim Min-jae, but the team collapsed. Munich lost its solidity because Kim Min-jae and his teammates failed to melt completely. In the end, it lost its place in the UCL final.”
Rumors have it that Kim Min-jae will be released since then. “One of Kim Min-jae or Dayo Upamecano will leave Munich,” said Florian Platenberg of the German edition of Sky Sports on Tuesday. “Munich is seeking to recruit new players such as Jonathan Ta (Leverkusen) for the center back position.” Platenberg is currently working as a famous reporter in the Bundesliga, reporting on Kim Min-jae’s transfer to Munich last summer. This time, he mentioned the possibility of Kim Min-jae’s transfer.
It was unimaginable even when he was in Naples. At that time, Kim Min-jae played as the best defender of Serie A. Kim Min-jae wore a Neapolitan uniform in Italy in 2022 and immediately became the best defender of Serie A. He played in 35 league matches in the 2022-2023 season, showing off his strong defense in every game. Napoli also won the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years since the 1989-1990 season when club legend Diego Maradona played. The Serie A secretariat selected Kim Min-jae as the league’s best 11 and best defender. Kim Min-jae’s popularity is bound to be good.
Coincidentally, Kim Min-jae is being linked to Serie A with the rumor that he will be released. Big clubs Juventus and Napoli are reportedly interested in recruiting Kim Min-jae. Earlier, FCB Inside of Germany mentioned the return of Napoli as well as the news that Munich has listed Kim Min-jae as a candidate for release. Media outlets reported recently that Napoli (Italy) is interested in Kim Min-jae’s return. If Napoli pays 50 million euros (about 73 billion won) for the transfer fee, Munich intends to sell Kim Min-jae.
One Football, which specializes in soccer, also reported on the 2nd that Juventus, a big Italian Serie A club, is aiming for Kim Min-jae. Juventus’ key defender Glayson Bremer is receiving a love call from Manchester United (England). Juventus is planning to recruit Kim Min-jae as an alternative resource for Bremer.토토