Monster defender Kim Min-jae (27-Bayern Munich) is the sixth best center back in the world.
British soccer publication 90MIN released its positional rankings on Wednesday. They ranked the 25 best players in the world in each position. Kim Min-jae was ranked sixth among center backs.
“Fans across Europe have taken notice of South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, who led the Napoli (Italy) defense to the Scudetto (Serie A title) in the 2022-2023 season,” the publication wrote, “and with him, Munich now has one of the best players in the world.”
The only other center backs ranked higher than Kim are #1 Hubin Dias (Man City), #2 David Alaba (Real Madrid), #3 John Stones (Man City), #4 Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), and #5 Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool).
This shows how highly regarded Kim is. Kim also beat out other world-class players. He was ranked higher than Manchester United’s Rafael Varane (7th), Lisandro Martinez (15th), Man City’s Josuco Gbardiol (10th), and Tottenham’s Christian Romero (18th).
Kim was even rated higher than teammates Matthijs de Ligt (17th) and Dayo Upamecano (23rd).
The media outlet nailed it by saying, “After much discussion, here is the final list. Please don’t object to the list.”
When Kim arrived in a Napoli jersey last year, he immediately took over as the team’s core center back. Behind Kim’s performance, Napoli won the league title for the first time in 33 years since the 1989-1990 season and reached the quarterfinals of the European Champions League, the club’s highest ever finish.
Kim has also become one of the best defenders in Europe. Last season, the Serie A secretariat awarded Kim the Best Defender award, which is only given to the league’s best defender. He was also named to the league’s Best 11. He also played for the South Korean national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he led the team to the round of 16.
In the summer transfer window, a number of big clubs tried to sign him. After fierce competition, Munich succeeded in securing the player for a record transfer fee of €50 million (approximately KRW 73 billion) 메이저놀이터.
Continuing the momentum, Kim was shortlisted for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. A first for an Asian defender. It is only the fourth time in history that a South Korean player has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.
Earlier, global soccer publication Goal.com released its predicted ranking of Ballon d’Or candidates, and Kim was ranked 20th out of 30. It was the highest ranking among center backs. “With 18 clean sheets and a Serie A title, he proved to be one of the best signings of the 2022 summer transfer window,” the site said. Kim has helped Napoli end their painful wait for a league title.”
“Most of the praise has gone to Napoli’s attackers. However, the impact of Kim Min-jae cannot be underestimated. The perfect modern defender, his skill and physicality helped Napoli win the trophy.”