Kim Min-jae Bayern Munich was selected as the best 11 in the fifth round of the 2024-2025 German Bundesliga by the German top soccer magazine Kicker.

Kicker, who criticized Kim Min-jae’s performance with Bild and even ordered his team Bayern Munich to exclude him from the starting line-up, is now forced to recognize Kim Min-jae’s performance.

Bayern Munich drew 1-1 at home in the fifth round of the Bundesliga in the 2024-2025 season against Bayer Leverkusen at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on the 29th.

Leverkusen is the team that won the Bundesliga for the first time since its foundation last season. It also blocked Munich from winning its 12th consecutive league title. The showdown between the two teams drew keen attention as it was a “preview final” but drew a tie by exchanging one goal each.

Munich’s winning streak was suspended, but the team continued to remain undefeated, increasing its points to 13 four wins, one draw. Leverkusen, ranked third in the league, had 10 points three wins, one draw and one loss, but failed to narrow the gap with Munich.

After the game ended, Kim was praised. Kim, who started as center back on the day, defended well against Leverkusen’s attack along with his partner Dayo Upamecano. He lost one goal, but his opponent’s amazing mid-range shot made it difficult to hold the center back accountable.

According to the soccer statistics company “Port Mob,” Kim Min-jae played full-time for 90 minutes on the day, playing 92% 84/91, 1 shot, 0 ball taken away, 3 interceptions, 7 defensive actions, 7 recovery, 75% successful ground ball competition 3/4 and 50% successful aerial ball competition 4/8.

Local media in Germany also acclaimed the performance. Sport 1 said, “Kim Min-jae did not have much to blame himself in the first half. He showed concentration and made no big mistakes. He moved forward like a torpedo and stole the opponent’s pass at the halfway line. That’s how Kompany wanted him to perform.” The German-style grading system is between 1 and 6, but the lower the number, the better.

“Firm Kim Min-jae was the best player in Munich. His defense timing was very good. His performance was convincing in general. I gave up a point to Andrich, but he was Munich’s best player tonight,” he said, giving him two points, the best rating in his team.

“Kicker” also gave Kim Min-jae and Jojua Kim Mi-hi the team’s highest rating of 2, evaluating that the two players performed the best against Leverkusen.

Regarding Kim Min-jae, the kicker said, “He played a firm and meticulous defense, and he was strong in tackles and headers,” adding, “With this performance, Kim Min-jae erased questions about his class.”

This is the opposite of the kicker’s evaluation of Kim Min-jae before the game. The kicker pointed out Kim Min-jae’s passing skills when comparing the two teams’ squads ahead of the Munich-Leverkusen match on the 25th.

“Coach Bangsang Kompany chose the Dayo Upamecano and Kim Min-jae duo instead of the solid Eric Dier as he needed fast players for a high defensive line, but the game against Wolfsburg, the season opener, convinced those who suspected it was Munich’s weakest center-back combination last season,” the media said of Munich’s defenders.

“Upamecano should basically have a high-quality and stable leader next to it,” he said, adding, “Kim Min-jae’s ability in terms of pass quality and ball guard is poor.”

“Hiroki Ito, recruited from Stuttgart, could soon be deployed as a substitute after recovering from a metatarsal fracture,” he said, adding that if Hiroki Ito, who was out in July due to a metatarsal fracture, returns from his injury, he may start instead of Kim Min-jae, who is anxious.

However, Kim displayed performance that was overshadowed by kicker’s harsh criticism at Leverkusen. Although Kim pointed out his ability to guard and pass the ball, Kim’s success rate in the match against Leverkusen reached 92 percent, and he lost possession of the ball zero times.

When Kim Min-jae showed an unexpected performance, the kicker also accepted the reality and poured out praise on Kim Min-jae.

And I was named the best 11.

Kim Min-jae’s value shone even more as he was the only Munich player named.

Kim Min-jae was on par with Benjamin Seschko, Gulachi Peder Leifich, Seru Girasi Borussia Dortmund, Elias Saad Jangkt Pauli, Tuta, Omar Marmusch, Rasmus Christensen Eintracht Frankfurt, Jonas Feurenbach Heidenheim, and Jens Stake Verder Bremen.

Kim Min-jae will prepare for the UEFA Champions League Phase 2 away game against Premier League strong team Aston Villa at 4 a.m. on October 3. 토토사이트 추천

He will then play an away match in the Bundesliga against Eintracht Frankfurt at 0:30 a.m. on the 7th and join the Korean national soccer team.