The national football team defender Kim Min-jae (Napoli)’s official debut in Serie A in Italy is imminent.
Napoli will play the Serie A opening match of the 2022-2023 season against Ellas Verona in Verona, Italy at 1:30 am (Korean time) on the 16th.
Kim Min-jae, the first official new member of Napoli’s new season, who finished third in Serie A last season, is highly likely to make his debut.
Kim Min-jae, who entered Europe last year wearing a Fenerbahce (Turkeye) uniform, succeeded in advancing to Europe’s four major leagues in one season.
After Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo (Suwon FC), he is the third Korean player to step on the Serie A stage.
Kim Min-jae is expected to replace Khalidu Coulibaly, who transferred to Chelsea (England) in the summer transfer window.
Kim Min-jae, who joined on the 27th of last month, is trying to adapt by participating in all three pre-season games. He showed a stable performance with a solid 190cm physical strength.
ESPN, an American sports media, selected 7 Asian players to watch out for in the European league this season, and placed Kim Min-jae alongside Son Heung-min (Tottenham).
Regarding Kim Min-jae, ESPN said, “If Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo (Bordeaux), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) were major Korean players, Kim Min-jae can now appear as a new star. He was nicknamed ‘Monster’ because of his enemy’s appearance. It will not be easy to replace Kuli Bali (who moved to Chelsea), but his rapid development and excellent defensive skills will be an opportunity.”
Former Guangzhou Hengda (China) coach Fabio Cannavaro, a legendary Italian defender who started his career in Naples, also said, “When I was coaching in China, I knew Kim Min-jae well. In some ways, he is similar to me.”
Kim Min-jae revealed Cannavaro as his role model at the press conference for Naples.
After joining the military, Minjae Kim, who left a strong impression on his colleagues by performing a horse dance with singer Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ at the signing ceremony, is concentrating on adapting both on and off the field.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo, captain of the new season, said about Kim Min-jae, “I’m mixing well with my colleagues. (Kim Min-jae) is strong and gentle,” he said.
[서울=뉴시스]