ⓒ JoongAng Ilbo / JoongAng Ilbo Japanese version2022.12.15 07:06
“If a European team comes up with a proposal for a Korean player, (the team) should happily send it out.”
Kim Min-jae (26), a “monstrous defender” of the Korean national soccer team, expressed his opinion on the advancement of Korean players to Europe when returning to his team Napoli. Kim Min-jae left for Italy from Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 14th. Prior to this, he met with reporters and revealed his feelings about his first World Cup experience, saying, “I felt a lot during the World Cup.” He recalled, “I felt that not only Korean teams but also Asian teams are competitive on the world stage.
Kim Min-jae, who participated in the World Cup Qatar tournament, helped Korea advance to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years. Kim Min-jae was asked about the possibility of bringing in Korean players after Bento (Portugal), who left Korea at the end of this tournament, said, “It would be nice if we could bring more players, but it’s not easy. It’s tough to get out,” he said. On top of that, he said, “There are a lot of things that need to be resolved with the team. The transfer fee is also high. K-League players played well in the World Cup. If you receive a proposal from us, you can send it out without hesitation.”
On top of that, Kim Min-jae said, “I envy Japan (in these aspects),” adding, “Japan has many players from European teams and is competitive. In Japan, 19 of the 26 final entries for this tournament were Europeans. There were eight Koreans. He emphasized that he should trust the next national team coach. Kim Min-jae said, “We should let the coach play football for a long period of time. Of course, we have to produce results, but I think that failure in such a situation is part of the process.”