‘Iron Pillar’ Kim Min-jae made his first appearance in front of his new team’s home fans after joining Germany’s most prestigious club, Bayern Munich.
Kim made his third consecutive start in preseason and signaled that he is likely to be the starting center back for the Bavarians next season. However, he also made a big mistake that led to a goal by Japanese striker Takumi Minamino.
Munich won a 4-2 preseason friendly against AS Monaco (France) at the Alpenbauer Sportpark in Unterhaying, Germany, on Aug. 8 (ET). The Bavarians have now won three games in a row, including two straight after a loss on their last Asian tour.
The Bavarians lost 1-2 to last season’s European treble winners Man City in their first preseason game, but then defeated Kawasaki 1-0 and Liverpool 4-3. They then beat Monaco at home. After all the rehearsals, Munich will play in the Super Cup, which pits last season’s Bundesliga champions against the DFB-Pokal winners, followed by the opening game of the new Bundesliga season.
Thomas Tuchel, who took over the reins at Munich in March and spearheaded the signing of Kim Min-jae, started with a full-strength squad in most positions against Monaco. Sven Ulreich started in goal, while Alfonso Davies, Kim Min-jae, Benjamin Pavard, and Nusair Mazrouei formed the back four.
The midfield featured Leon Goretzka and Konrad Reimer in the back three, with Serge Gnabry, Jamal Moussaouiallah, and Kingsley Coman in the back two to support frontline striker Mathis Tell. Munich, who are pushing to sign Harry Kane as a frontline striker, have yet to finalize the deal, so they started teenager Tell up front.
After Gnabry had a shot saved in the second minute of the first half, the Bavarians seized the initiative and continued to attack down the left flank. In the seventh minute, Gnabry headed a shot straight at the goalkeeper in front of him, and in the 16th minute, Musiala’s shot from a quick counterattack went just wide of the post. In the 23rd minute, a mistake by the goalkeeper allowed Bissam Ben Yedder to get in front with a sharp left-footed shot. The shot ricocheted off the left post to deny the hosts the lead.
Munich then made a huge mistake in the 28th minute, conceding a perfect goal when Kim Min-jae’s pass to a fellow defender was intercepted by Monaco’s Russian striker, Aleksandr Golovin. Ulreich was fortunate to get a hand to the ball and keep it out of the net, but the Bavarians conceded again in the ensuing minutes when Minamino’s left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area found the back of the net in the 29th minute.
However, the Bavarians bounced back and quickly equalized, took the lead, and scored a second goal.
New signing Reimer made it 1-1 in the 31st minute with a precise right-footed strike from the edge of the box, before Moussaoui Allah restored the lead with a left-footed finish in the 42nd minute. In the 45th minute, Gnabry made it 3-1 with a right-footed shot from the edge of the box after a handball foul on an opponent during a free kick.
Munich made a change at the start of the second half, taking off Fabar and Musalla and introducing Matthias Der Licht and Leroy Sane. It was the first time Kim Min-jae played alongside Der Licht, who was a regular in Munich’s defense. The Bavarians took the lead in the fourth minute of the second half when Teller’s shot hit the post. In the 11th minute of the second half, Minamino had a left-footed shot saved by the goalkeeper. Minamino, who was actively attacking on the day, drew a penalty corner in the 16th minute, which Benyeder converted to make it 2-3.
Kim Min-jae wrapped up his first start in front of the home fans in the 18th minute, when position rival Dayo Upamecano was brought on. Munich scored their final goal of the game in the 24th minute when Sane scored with his left foot, assisted by Coman. Sane became the focal point of the Bavarian offense after the midway point of the second half, including a 34th-minute left-footed shot that hit the Monaco post.
After the match, European statistics site Sofascore gave the Bavarians a 6.9 rating, indicating a solid performance. Monaco’s Minamino received a rating of 8.1, indicating a possible turnaround in the new season in Monaco.
With all of their preseason games complete, Munich will next face Leipzig in the German Super Cup on Sept. 13 at 3:45 a.m. at home. It’s a chance for Kim Min-jae to lift his first trophy since joining the club, followed by a league opener away to Bremen on the 19th.
Kim Min-jae’s stock in Europe hit a ceiling when he played a key role in Napoli’s Italian Serie A title in the 2022/23 season. He broke into the European scene in 2021 with a move to Turkkiye Fenerbahçe from Beijing Guoan in China, and a year later, he made his big league debut with Napoli.
The move to Napoli proved to be a godsend for Kim. Not only did he establish himself as a first-choice center back, but his defensive prowess earned him the nickname “Iron Pillar” and helped Napoli win the Serie A title 33 years after the Diego Maradona era. Not only did the team win the title, but Kim was also named Serie A’s Best 11 and then Serie A’s Best Defender.카지노
The big clubs in Europe weren’t about to let him go. Napoli signed him to a €50 million buyout clause in the summer of 2022, and the clubs lined up to sign him this summer. Manchester United were initially linked with a move, but Munich, who sold key defender Luca Hernandez to PSG in France, used the money to add to their bid for Kim to pull off the upset.
Kim joined the Bavarians after completing basic military training early last month, and after missing the first preseason game, he started three consecutive matches, signaling that he will be a regular center back in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League.