Fabio Cannavaro speaks highly of Kim Min-jae. He was the key to Napoli’s title last season. The departure of Kim Min-jae could be fatal for Napoli this season.
In an interview with Italian media outlet Il Matino on June 12 (KST), Cannavaro said, “Napoli let me go in the past. At the time, a satellite club was created, and the manager of that team told me to never give up. After some time, Napoli called me back. Gaetano De Rossa was also in that team, and we went on to become the most capped players in Serie A. That was the beginning of my career. That was the first step in my career. The other was playing constantly from morning to night in the loggia where I lived and in the Piazza San Paolo stadium.”
“I think Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, and Napoli will compete for Serie A this season. The power has leveled off, but the overall quality has dropped. No team will be as dominant as Napoli was last season. I think the loss of Kim Min-jae, who was a key part of the team last season, will have a huge impact on Napoli. The departure of Kim Min-jae could have a huge impact on Napoli. Of course, it’s impossible to judge after only three games. There is still time,” he said.
Cannavaro is a legendary central defender who started his career at Napoli and went on to play for Parma, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid. Despite his lack of height, he was a world-class player with excellent positioning and smart defensive skills. He won the Ballon d’Or, soccer’s highest honor, for leading Italy to victory at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Kim made his way to the European stage with Fenerbahçe from Beijing Guoan. With experience in the UEFA Europa League and elsewhere, he quickly attracted interest from beyond his native Turkey. After just one season with Fenerbahçe, he was inundated with offers and chose to join Napoli, one of Europe’s top five leagues.
At Napoli, he fit in perfectly, dominating the game. His anticipatory defense and short, accurate passes led to build-ups in the Napoli backline. When the opportunity arose, he would move forward to the fullback area to help Napoli attack. His best performances came in the Champions League against the likes of Liverpool.
He played alongside Victor Osimhen and Hvitsa Kvarachelia to lead Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title in 33 years. He signed a 3+2 year contract with Napoli, but once again, after just one season with the club, he received offers from top European teams.
He was linked to Manchester United, but it was Bayern Munich who ultimately landed him. Bayern Munich triggered Kim’s buyout clause, which was set to run from July 1-15. They showed that they were serious about Kim by paying €50 million (approximately KRW 709 billion), the highest transfer fee in Asian history.
He did not participate in Napoli’s preseason this summer. He was strongly linked to Bayern Munich. Local German media reported that “Kim Min-jae’s move to Bayern Munich has not been officially finalized, but it appears to be a done deal. Kim Min-jae and Bayern Munich have agreed on a contract until 2028.”
Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel also mentioned Kim. “It’s no secret who I want to replace Luca Hernandez with,” he said at the official press conference. I’m not going to mention names. We are waiting for confirmation of the transfer of a player from South Korea. We will replace Luca Hernandez with that player,” he said indirectly.
Kim Min-jae arrived in South Korea in June to fulfill his military service obligations. After winning a gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, he received military service benefits and underwent three weeks of basic military training at the Nonsan Military Training Center.
During his basic military training, there were many transfer rumors. He was strongly linked to Manchester United before entering the academy, but Bayern Munich swooped in. With the new owner negotiations and Harry Maguire not working out, Manchester United were unable to make a strong bid for Kim Min-jae, and Bayern Munich approached him.
European transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano tweeted ‘HERE WE GO’ and the move to Bayern Munich was virtually confirmed. However, he was unable to complete the final steps, such as medical tests and signing a contract, because he was still in the army training center.
After completing basic military training, he was discharged and took the final steps. As Bayern Munich is preparing for the preseason in Germany, it was highly likely that he would have traveled to Germany to take the medical test, but he decided to do it in Korea. It all came to an end when Bayern Munich paid Napoli the buyout amount, which was triggered on July 1 for 15 days.
European transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano paraphrases Napoli coach Rudi Garcia’s comments. Speaking about his preseason plans, Rudi Garcia said, “I know that Kim Min-jae is leaving. It’s really sad, but we want to keep all our star players. Victor Osimhen will be able to stay at Napoli,” adding further fuel to the fire of Kim’s departure.
Napoli’s official page also confirmed the news. Napoli are preparing for their preseason until July 25, and Kim was not on their 26-man roster.
After confirming his move to Bayern Munich, Kim had a different goal in mind. “Munich is every soccer player’s dream team, and that’s why I decided to move there,” he said. My goal is to play first. I want to win the European Champions League, and I want to win the league and cup competitions and achieve the treble,” he said.
Thomas Tuchel added: “Kim is a big, fast and very reliable defender. His career is really unique. He has proven himself over and over again. I’m happy that he’s joining Munich. We had several video calls. He is a real man. He is ready to play right away.”
Tuchel’s affection for Kim was also evident in a video released by Bayern Munich. Tuchel announced Kim’s arrival at the training center with a big hug. He smiled broadly and stroked his cheek as he approached him.
He later rode his bike around the training ground and greeted his teammates. He chatted with Joshua Kimmich with a big smile. Bayern Munich fans chanted “Kim, Kim, Kim” as he arrived. Korean fans were also very happy to see Kim.
The reaction of Bayern Munich fans to the video was also impressive. Fans commented, “I’m so grateful that Tuchel brought him here,” and “This is such an exciting moment. He’s going to bring a lot of energy to Bayern Munich this season.” 카지노
Since then, his performances for Napoli have been recognized across Europe. France Football, the organizer of the Ballon d’Or, announced the nominees on its official page. Among the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or was Kim Min-jae. Along with Napoli teammates Kvarachelia and Osimhen, who played together last season, and Bayern Munich teammates Harry Kane and Jamal Moussaoui, other world-class players such as Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Roberto Levandowski are in the running for the Ballon d’Or.
The Ballon d’Or was created by France Football. It’s been awarded since 1956 and is the most prestigious award in soccer. For a while, it was limited to European players, but since 2007, it’s been open to players from all over the world, regardless of nationality or club.
The selection panel also changed. For the first time, journalists from 16 countries (the European jury) who have qualified for the FIFA World Cup were given the right to vote. Last year, the Ballon d’Or was judged by 170 people. Since last year, there has been a change in the timing of the voting, which is now seasonal rather than based on January through December.
He is the fifth Korean player to be honored. Seol Ki-hyun of Anderlecht (Belgium) in 2002, Park Ji-sung of Manchester United (England) in 2005, and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur (England) in 2019 and 2022. Kim Min-jae is the first Asian to be nominated for the defender position.
Only three other central defenders have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or. They are Roberto Firmino, Yoshiko Gvardiol, and Ousmane Dias (Manchester City).
Gvardiol led Croatia to the quarterfinals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. His strong and aggressive defense caught the eye of big clubs before he left Leipzig for City this summer. His leadership and steadfast defense anchored City’s back line last season, as the club became the first club in history to win the English Premier League, FA Cup, and UCL in the same year.
It’s not often that a defender of this caliber is even nominated for the Ballon d’Or. The only central defender to ever win the Ballon d’Or was Fabio Cannavaro in 2006. Cannavaro led Italy to victory at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or for his efforts.
Just look at last year”s Ballon d”Or nominees. Of the 30 nominees, there were only two central defenders, Firmino (Liverpool) and Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid). If history is any indication, Kim Min-jae’s nomination for the Ballon d’Or is a huge accomplishment.