There is a legend who has harsh eyes on Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich). Rotar Mateus (63), known as a legendary German midfielder, also left sharp criticism over Kim Min-jae.
“Kim Min-jae is not the kind of player I expect from the highest level. He is not suitable for Munich,” Matheus said on Sky Sports in Germany on Wednesday (Korea time).
He spoke about Kim’s performance in the first round of the German Bundesliga during the 2024-2025 season. While Munich and Wolfsburg were tying at 1-1, Kim committed a mistake in the second half, which contributed to his team’s second loss. Mateus raised strong doubts about Kim’s performance.
However, there was another reason for Kim’s poor performance in the match against Wolfsburg. According to the German media “TZ,” Munich’s general manager Christoph Freund personally reported on Kim’s injury. “Kim Min-jae played the opening game with thigh muscle problems. This is why Eric Dier (31) replaced Kim in the 36th minute of the second half.” Analysts say that he is a key player who can start even if he is not in good physical condition. 스포츠토토
In the meantime, Munich’s central defenders are not allowed to play due to string injuries. Freund said, “Ito Hiroki and Josip Stanisic are also injured. If Kim Min-jae falls down, a big disaster will come to Munich.”
Mateusz, who did not mention Kim Min-jae’s injury, continued his harsh criticism of the player. The Austrian media “Kronen Zeitung” also highlighted Mateus’ remarks. The corresponding media outlet reported the article under the title “Mateusz saw Kim Min-jae as a player who does not fit into Munich.” He then quoted Sky Sports to detail the criticism of Kim Min-jae in Mateus’ column.
“I don’t want to hurt Kim’s feelings. However, he doesn’t seem to match his clear and fast pass game with a certain level of play,” Matheus said. “I didn’t like Kim from the beginning. It was not what I expected. Moreover, Kim is not as good as he was in Naples.”
In particular, Kim Min-jae’s performance against Wolfsburg was not good. Since he had a thigh injury, he seems to have been unable to quickly cover the back space or change direction. Mistakes were made at a time when his body was not well, and Wolfsburg’s offense kept Munich defenders in check with strong pressure. Kim Min-jae was anxious in the process of catching the back pass or the ball.
His teammate and manager covered up Kim’s mistake. According to the German Football Association, Vincent Kompany (38) said in a post-match press conference with Wolfsburg, “I don’t want to talk about Kim’s mistake. I just want to say that the team showed good response.”
According to Kicker, Munich captain Manuel Neuer (38) said, “It’s part of the game. It’s a mistake that Munich rarely makes. It’s never happened before in the previous game,” adding, “It was a mistake out of caution. Munich figured out how it happened.” Munich won 3-2 at Wolfsburg.
Mateus is still keeping his sharp eye on Kim Min-jae. Last season, Mateus once claimed that Kim Min-jae is a destabilizing factor for Munich. Notably, Mateus has been called a sniper for former coach Thomas Tuchel (51) and has had several nerve fights. In a live interview after the match, Tuchel said to Mateus next to him, “It was an amazing game for a team where there are cracks between the coach and the players and there is no progress. I don’t know why, but I’m sure Mateus will know,” and responded, “You have a job where you can say whatever you want.”
