General |
Kim Minjae | ||
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Personal information | ||
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Full name: | Kim Min-jae 김민재 | |
Date of birth: | November 15, 1996 | |
Place of birth: | Tongyeong, Gyeongnam, ![]() | |
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
Playing position: | Defender | |
Club information | ||
Current club | ![]() | |
Number: | 3 | |
Youth clubs | ||
2007–2008 2009–2010 2010–2011 2012–2015 2015–2016 |
–2006![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Senior clubs | ||
Years | Club | App (Gls) |
2016 2017–2018 2019–2021 2021–2022 2022–2023 2023– |
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52 (3) 45 (0) 31 (1) 35 (2) 0 (0) | 17 (0)
National team | ||
2014 2016–2018 2017- |
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8 (0) 49 (3) | 2 (0)
Kim Minjae (born 15 November 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the South Korea national team. Considered one of the best defenders in Europe, he is known for his strength, aggressive defending and ability to read opponents.
Kim was born in Tongyeong to a family of athletes. He began his youth football career through traditional academic schools. In 2015, he was enrolled to Yonsei University, but eventually dropped out in his sophomore year, in order to fulfil his dream of becoming professional footballer. Kim joined semi-professional club Gyeongju KNHP in the summer of 2016, and just half of a year later, he made his professional debut with K League 1 side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. He quickly established himself as a key player for the club, and was named as K League Young Player of the Year in his first season. He also helped the team to win two consecutive league titles. His success at Jeonbuk was also accompanied by series of injuries, which prevented him from participating at 2018 FIFA World Cup with the national team. Regardless, Kim would continue on to build his career, joining Chinese side Beijing Gouan in 2019.
His good performances with Beijing attracted several interests from Europe. Tottenham Hotspur was one of the clubs which tried to sign him, but failed at negotiation with the Chinese side. At the same time, Kim also got into controversy after harshly criticizing Beijing's style of play. He only played two matches in 2021 with the club, before finally getting his European transfer dream to Turkish side Fenerbahçe on August 2021. One year later, he joined Napoli for a reported fee of €18.05 million, and will be used as replacement for outgoing Kalidou Koulibaly.
Kim is also an international player for South Korea. He made his senior debut as a starter in a World Cup qualifying match against Iran on 31 August 2017, where his side kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw. He missed out the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament, but he was able to return for the 2018 Asian Games, where he helped the South Korean side to get gold medals. He was also part of South Korean team in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Honours[]
Club[]
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
- K League 1: 2017, 2018
Napoli
International[]
South Korea U23
- Asian Games: 2018
South Korea
- EAFF Championship: 2019
Individual[]
- K League 1 Young Player of the Year: 2017
- K League K League 1 Best XI: 2017, 2018
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2019
- EAFF Championship Best Defender: 2019
- Serie A Player of the Month: September 2022
- AIC Serie A Player of the Month: October 2022
- Serie A Best Defender: 2022–23
- Serie A Team of the Season: 2022–23
- ESM Team of the Season: 2022–23
External links[]
- Kim Minjae profile at the S.S.C Napoli website
- Kim Minjae biography at Lifebogger.com
Kim Minjae at Soccerway
- Kim Minjae profile at Transfermarkt
Bayern München squad - 2024–25 |
1 Neuer (c) · 2 Upamecano · 3 Kim · 4 De Ligt · 6 Kimmich · 7 Gnabry · 8 Goretzka · 9 Kane · 10 Sané · 11 Coman · 13 Choupo-Moting · 18 Peretz · 19 Davies · 20 Sarr · 22 Guerreiro · 25 Müller · 26 Ulreich · 27 Laimer · 28 Buchmann · 39 Tel · 40 Mazraoui · 41 Krätzig · 42 Musiala · 43 Hülsmann · 45 Pavlović · Manager:![]() |
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South Korean competitions · South Korean coaches · South Korean players · South Korean stadiums |
Template:South Korea squad (2019 AFC Asian Cup)
South Korea – 2022 FIFA World Cup – Round of 16 |
1. Kim Seung-gyu
2. Yoon Jong-gyu
3. Kim Jin-su
4. Kim Min-jae
5. Jung Woo-young
6. Hwang In-beom
7. Son Heung-min (c)
8. Paik Seung-ho
9. Cho Gue-sung
10. Lee Jae-sung
11. Hwang Hee-chan
12. Song Bum-keun
13. Son Jun-ho
14. Hong Chul
15. Kim Moon-hwan
16. Hwang Ui-jo
17. Na Sang-ho
18. Lee Kang-in
19. Kim Young-gwon
20. Kwon Kyung-won
21. Jo Hyeon-woo
22. Kwon Chang-hoon
23. Kim Tae-hwan
24. Cho Yu-min
25. Jeong Woo-yeong
26. Song Min-kyu
Manager: |