Kim Min-jae conducted his first media interview after joining Bayern Munich, revealing his Korean tour and the reason for joining Munich.
German 스포츠토토 an interview with Kim Min-jae on the 9th (Korean time), saying, “Munich’s rookie wants to be called by everyone.”
Sport Bild said, “Kim Min-jae moved from Naples to Munich this summer for 50 million euros (approximately 72.2 billion won). In an interview with us, he talked about how he wants to be called, how he started in Munich, and who was the toughest opponent. explained,” he said in an interview with Kim Min-jae.
Kim Min-jae played his best performance in his debut season in the top 5 European leagues as he became the main player in winning the Italian Serie A Napoli in the 2022/23 season. He showed strong defensive skills and became a key driving force for Napoli to win Serie A 33 years after the era of Diego Maradona. He enjoyed the great joy of winning the team as well as being selected as the best defender of Serie A following the Serie A season’s best 11.
Kim Min-jae, who showed great performance, received attention from big clubs in Europe. Kim Min-jae included a buyout clause with Naples for 50 million euros (about 70 billion won) in the summer of 2022, and clubs lined up to take Kim Min-jae this summer. In the beginning, a transfer to Manchester United was discussed, but Munich, which transferred key defender Luca Hernandez to PSG in France, appeared at the forefront before recruiting Kim Min-jae to recruit a replacement, and eventually succeeded in bringing Kim Min-jae after courtship.
First of all, Kim Min-jae said about his first game in Munich, “I am not satisfied yet. I am not satisfied with my physical level. I want to improve greatly, and I need it. It is good if there is a lot of feedback from the outside. I am self-critical.”
In the process of transferring to Munich, he emphasized that Thomas Tuchel’s phone call was decisive. “That phone call was very decisive and moving. Coach Tuchel spoke very positively about me. He knew everything about me and my game and told me everything, more than that. He has clear plans for me as well. It was very detailed. It gave me a great feeling, confidence, and stability,” directly mentioning how coach Tuchel persuaded Kim Min-jae.
“His thoughts about my game and my strengths matched exactly with my thoughts. I decided immediately in a conversation with Tuchel,” he said, admitting that coach Tuchel, who recognized his strengths and performance, was decisive for the transfer to Munich.
Kim Min-jae was also asked about a Korean tour next summer. He said, “I’ve never done a tour like this before. I think Japan is cool and Singapore is beautiful. It’s also a dream to tour Korea with the team. It is important to show good performance,” he said. In fact, Paris Saint-Germain, who recruited Lee Kang-in, a Korean player who is receiving a lot of attention just like Kim Min-jae, added a visit to Korea to their Asian tour schedule, playing in Busan and receiving great love from Korean fans.
Regarding the interest in the Bundesliga in Korea, Kim Min-jae said, “I have always been interested in players like Cha Bum-geun, Son Heung-min, and Hwang Hee-chan.” He emphasized that the goal is to receive
Munich showed a disappointing appearance in the last two years, only being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, but Kim Min-jae nevertheless showed strong confidence in the team’s chances of winning. “We have an obligation to focus on the Champions League. Munich has everything to win. But I have to focus on short-term things step by step. I want to stay in top shape and win the next few games as a starter.” Both long-term and short-term wishes were revealed.
Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae started three consecutive pre-season games with great interest ahead of the opening of the next season in Munich.
On the 23rd, Munich released the list of players participating in the Asian tour list on its official website, and put Kim Min-jae’s face on the main photo to confirm that he was a key player in the Asian tour. Later, a noir-style poster for this Japan tour was released, and on the poster, Kim Min-jae showed off his presence once again with Leon Goretzka, Yoshua Kimmich, and Serge Gnabry in suits.
In a video released by Munich’s official SNS account of the team getting off the plane after arriving in Japan, Kim Min-jae was the first to appear, and Kim Min-jae’s surprised expression was also included in the photo of the Munich team meeting fans in front of the hotel where they will stay in Tokyo.
It may be that he has received more attention because he is the only Asian player currently in Munich, but it also indicates that Munich has a lot of expectations for Kim Min-jae and considers him as the core of the team.
After the match, more attention was poured out. In the match against Kawasaki, where Kim Min-jae played for the first time in a Munich uniform, in the 11th minute of the first half, he cut off a pass from the opponent’s camp and then attempted a reckless dribble to break through directly to the space to the left of the penalty box, showing a cross into the box. In the process of stopping dribbling, the ball flowed and a breakthrough was allowed, and immediately caught up with the opponent striker at a fast pace and cut the ball to show off his defensive power.
Coach Tuchel said at a press conference, “I am very satisfied. Today’s match was Kim Min-jae’s first match. He trains very hard and is doing well.”
Kim Min-jae, who finished the Kawasaki game in compliance, even recorded an attack point in the Liverpool game. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Kim Min-jae’s long pass from the rear passed through all of Liverpool’s defense and was connected to Gnabri. After receiving the ball, Gnabry returned it to the outside of his right foot, passed Matip who was following him, and calmly pushed it into the goal with his right foot.
Following the match against Kawasaki, coach Tuchel showed strong faith in Min-jae Kim in the match against Liverpool. At a pre-game press conference, he answered, “It’s a very easy question,” when asked, “Do new recruits Kim Min-jae, Benjamin Pavard and Dayo Upamecano have the qualities to become the world’s best central defenders at Bayern Munich?” It means that the fact that three defenders, including Kim Min-jae, have the talent to become world-class center backs, is a natural story that needs no explanation.
n the last game against AS Monaco, he showed a bit of a disappointment, revealing that he still needs to improve his physical condition ahead of the season opening.
In the 28th minute of the first half, Munich, which was on a wave of offensive, conceded the first goal due to a defensive mistake. None other than Kim Min-jae passed to a fellow defender, and Monaco Russian striker Aleksandr Golovin intercepted and shot. Ulreich luckily did not concede, but in the ensuing situation, the goal was stolen again, and in the 29th minute of the first half, Minamino’s left-footed shot from the front of the penalty area forced him to concede.
German media AZ said, “Kim Min-jae’s mistake will be expensive,” and gave Kim Min-jae the lowest rating of 5 points among the Munich players who participated in the Monaco match that day. Although it varies by media, German media usually give ratings on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 6. In the ratings of the German media, the lower the number, the better the performance. So, it seems that Kim Min-jae definitely showed a disappointing appearance in the match against Monaco.
However, as Kim Min-jae revealed himself, his physical condition is not 100% yet, and he is still in the stage of working in harmony with his teammates, so there is no reason to be happy in a friendly match. There is still time left before the season opener, so Kim Min-jae is still working hard on training to show his true value.
Munich will play the opening game of the German Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season through an away game at Werder Bremen at 3:30 am on the 19th. Before the opening match, the DFL (German Football League)-Supercup is scheduled to be held at 3:45 am on the 13th with RB Leipzig, the last season’s DFB-Pokal Cup champion. Kim Min-jae is likely to make his Munich official debut with his Super Cup match.
Attention is focusing on whether Kim Min-jae, who once again received great attention for his first interview in Munich, will shake off his disappointment in the last game of the pre-season and satisfy fans’ expectations.