soccer player Kim Min-jae was rated by FIFA as the best defender among the best defenders in the world.
On the 11th (Korean time), the FIFA International Institute of Sports (CIES) selected 10 central defenders with the best performance this season via social media. Kim Min-jae from Bayern Munich was first among them.
CIES analyzed performance using its own indicators. Minjae Kim got the highest score, getting 91.1 points out of 100.
Kim Min-jae rose to first place, showing a fairly large gap with the second place score. Defender Ruben Dias, who led Manchester City to four consecutive Premier League wins, was second with 89.7 points. Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk took third and fourth place with 89.5 and 89.4 points, respectively.
Real Madrid’s Eder Militao, the defending UEFA Champions League champion, was fifth with 89.0 points. Defender Dayot Upamecano (88.9 points), who is with Kim Min-jae at Bayern Munich, is in 6th place.
Followed by Manuel Akanji (88.2 points), Inigo Martinez (88.2 points), Billy Orban (87.1 points), and Marton Deron (87.0 points).
Kim Min-jae’s value this season is at an all-time high. Munich’s Upamecano said in an interview with German media ‘AZ’, “Playing with Kim Min-jae is very appropriate. He has more confidence now. Like me, Kim Min-jae has also received a lot of criticism. But it is that’s football. We have “You have to keep your head up and do your best at all times,” he suggested.
Last summer, Minjae Kim went on a rollercoaster ride after moving to Munich. In the early days of his move, he showed a strong presence in Munich by playing in so many games that there was controversy over abuse. However, his status dropped after he returned from being selected to the Korean national team to participate in the Asian Cup last January. He was pushed out of the competition by Eric Dier for the starting position.
In the match against Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, two fatal errors resulted in both goals being conceded, taking responsibility for the defeat. After the match, then Munich coach Thomas Tuchel strongly criticized Kim Min-jae’s aggressive defending.
Accordingly, rumors about Kim Min-jae’s move continued in the transfer market last summer. The crisis accelerated when Munich hired defender Hiroki Ito, who plays the same position as Kim Min-jae.
After the Munich coach changed, Kim Min-jae’s appearance changed. The new coach of Munich Vincent Kompany had full confidence in Kim Min-jae, because he was a central defender like Min-jae Kim. He built confidence in pre-season training and put him back in the starting lineup after the season opened.
There were some ups and downs at the beginning of this season, but the team is finding stability as the game progresses. Not only are they keeping the game scoreless, but they are also showing a 100% pass success rate. German media evaluations are also changing.
German media ‘TZ’ said, “Now that Kim Min-jae has found confidence, he is the best full-back in Europe. Min-jae is much better now under coach Kompany than when coach Tuchel was there.” He looks steady and comfortable. Coach Kompany’s choice was to use Kim Min-jae and Upamecano as a starting center back the right choice. “I feel like I see Kim Min-jae from his Naples days,” he said.