Kim Min-jae, 27, has so far done little to prove he is worth the €50 million ($69.7 billion) transfer fee.”
“Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae has hardly proven himself worthy of a €50 million transfer fee so far,” German media outlet ‘Kicker’ reported on June 6 (KST). v
Kim joined Germany’s most prestigious club ahead of the 2023-2024 season. After spending the previous season with SSC Napoli, he switched back to the Bavarians after just one season in the Bundesliga.
His transfer fee was €50 million. Munich paid the buyout clause and landed one of the best defenders in Europe. They beat out competition from Manchester United for Park Ji-Sung, Paris Saint-Germain for Lee Kang-In, and Newcastle United for Middle Eastern capital.
With a transfer fee of 20 million euros (about 27.8 billion won), Kim more than doubled his transfer fee in just one year when he joined Napoli from Turkish club Fenerbahçe, becoming the highest transfer fee in South Korea and Asia.
Upon arriving in Germany, Kim established himself as a first-team defender. The winner of the Serie A’s best defensive player award, Kim has been a stalwart of the team’s defense. He also proved his class in the Ballon d’Or rankings released last month, finishing 22nd.
The Bavarians are currently without their two main defenders, Dayo Upamecano and Matthias De Ligt, due to injury. Kim has started all 10 of Munich’s Bundesliga games this season and has now played 868 minutes. In the UEFA Champions League (UCL), he has played all three matches full-time.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Kim has been the anchor of Munich’s defense this season. The Bavarians have conceded seven goals in 10 games this season, the fewest in the Bundesliga. His performance against rivals Borussia Dortmund was particularly impressive, with a rating of 7.5 on Fúscore.com.
His dedication to the team has not gone unnoticed. ”I think we’re lucky to have him,” said Munich director of football Christoph Proint. He’s getting better and better,” said Munich director Christoph Feint.
However, German legend Lothar Matthaeus and the German press kicker seem to disagree. Mateusz said at the start of the season: “Kim Min-jae is not as good as we expected. He is a source of uncertainty for Bayern Munich.”
After the sixth round of the German Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich, Kicker said, “There was no reason for Kim to go one-on-one, but he went forward.” Kicker’s criticism of Kim continued this time around.
“Newcomer Harry Kane took a hit,” Kicker said. But Kim Min-jae has hardly proven himself worthy of a €50 million transfer fee so far,” he said. As usual, Kicker is known for his harsh assessment of Kim.
Even when he has a good game, soccer statistics sites such as Fourscore.com, Sofa Score, and FoTMob give him high ratings, but Kicker has been particularly harsh and has lowered his rating.