“I saw a monster at every race” (Joshua Kimmich)
Kim Min-jae showed humility to his teammate’s praise.
German media Bild reported on the 8th (Korea Standard Time) that Kim Min-jae showed humility to Joshua Kimmich’s praise after the match against Benfica.
Kim Min-jae started in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League phase of the 2024-2025 season against Benfica at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 7th and led the team to a 1-0 victory.
Munich struggled greatly with Benfica’s customization of the back five, but Jamal Musiala’s winning goal in the 22nd minute of the second half won 1-0. Munich escaped its second consecutive away game and rose to 17th place (2 wins, 2 losses, 6 points).
Kim Min-jae took the defense line high to cover Munich’s overwhelmingly high strikers. He built a fairly aggressive defense line with Upamecano, rising high to Manuel Neuer to support strikers.
Kim Min-jae showed off an iron wall defense that blocked Benfica’s counterattack. Munich’s defense team, including Kim Min-jae, tied Benfica tightly with one shot. As many as five shots were blocked by the defense, Kim blocked Benfica’s attack, and won the perfect victory.
According to the soccer statistics company “Port Mob,” Kim Min-jae played full-time and showed great influence in defense, including 100% pass success rate (113/113), 14 offensive area passes, 100% long pass success rate (4/4), 67% (4/6), one final tackle, three clearing, two header clear, one intercept, 10 defensive actions, four recoveries, seven competitions, and 33% (1/3).
In particular, Potmob gave Kim Min-jae the highest rating along with Harry Kane and was selected as the man of the match on the day, drawing attention.
Team mate Joshua Kim Mi-hi praised Kim Min-jae in an interview.
Kim Mi-hee said in a post-match interview, “I always identified Kim Min-jae, the monster in the contest. With a positive feeling. You can see how much he is improving. He understands the coach’s idea and tries to implement it.”
“Monster? That’s a great compliment to Kim. This is a nickname he already acquired from Naples (Italy) and Fenerbahce (Turkiye), implying Kim’s monstrous toughness and uncompromising tackle,” the media said, praising Kim for his excellent performance.
Kim Min-jae was very happy when the media delivered Kim Mi-hi’s “monster” praise.
Kim said, “Josh is a good friend who always gives me courage. I’m happy when he calls me a defensive monster.”
The media said, “Until recent weeks, Kim Min-jae had not been seen like this. In his first year of transfer, he fell short of expectations of a monstrous level. He repeatedly collapsed and seemed more unstable,” evaluating that Kim’s fatal error in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid (Spain) in April was his lowest point.
He said, “It was Kim Min-jae, who couldn’t recover for a long time. Even at the beginning of the season, he was still shaky in matches and showed problems with his high defense line. However, Kompany gave him tremendous confidence and he is showing better performance.”
However, Kim was not satisfied with the current level. “I am confident and feel like home to Munich,” he said. “I need to do more. I have not reached the level that I showed at Napoli yet,” he said, vowing to make progress.
Kim Min-jae was highly praised by German media, which had been criticized. In particular, he solidified his position by receiving MVP-level evaluations from sports media Bild and soccer magazine Kicker.
Bild gave Kim the highest rating of one in both teams. German media rated her in the order of one to six points, and the lower the rating, the better. Bild said she was “very strong at a critical moment and full of stability.”
Bild effectively gave Kim Min-jae the MVP on the day, giving two points to Musiala, the main character of the winning goal, and three points to Upamecano, who combined center backs with Kim Min-jae.
“Kicker” gave him the MVP. 토토사이트
The kicker gave Kim Min-jae two points, the highest in his team. Despite his outstanding performance, the kicker gave Kim the highest rating along with goalkeeper Truvin, who showed good performance, and picked Kim as MVP of the day.
Kicker said, “In defense, Kim was always awake and three times stronger when trying to stop Benfica’s counterattack. Despite Munich’s possession, he enjoyed good pass play.”
Another German media outlet, “TZ,” gave Kim the highest score of two points in his team. “He stood out positively as he started and threw strong balls against the strikers. He also displayed perfect defense capability to Munich’s defense, ensuring calmness and stability.” Musiala and Neuer, who scored goals, and Leroy Sane, who was substituted, received the same ratings as Kim, drawing attention.
Kim Min-jae, who has begun to find stability under the coach Bang Sang Kompany, is turning criticism from the German media into praise as he plays a key center back against Upamecano.
German broadcaster RAN said, “The Munich defense is becoming Kompany’s signature work,” adding, “The positive point is that Munich’s defense was excellent against Benfica.”
The broadcaster said, “The two players had difficulties in the high defense line system. It seems that it is more important for them to have a powerful sweeper named João Palinha in front of them. Palinha tackled Benfica in front of the defense or blocked the ball before it reached the defense.”
“At the beginning of the Kompany regime, there was something unfortunate. It is always the case that not every process is smooth. However, Munich’s development process does not happen overnight. It is amazing how quickly Kompany brought about positive changes,” he said.
Furthermore, “In recent matches, Kompany has silenced all critics who criticized his obstinacy. Munich does not have to go deep and defend itself. But it is playing with greater caution and control. This is what stabilizes the defense. Four scoreless matches do not necessarily mean that Munich’s defense is the best in the world. We must not forget the harsh criticisms that were inflicted on Kim Min-jae and Upamecano.”
