Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to the Italian football podcast. So Kim Minjae. Right. He's been one of the standout new signings in Serie A so far this season. He joined Napoli this summer. So as what we do with every single week, we do a profile of a Serie A player. So Nima, do you want to tell us all about Kim Minjae?
Speaker: Well, yes, he's an interesting player. He was born in Tongyeong in South Korea. Both parents are former athletes. His brother was also a footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for Myeongji University.
Speaker: He played in China for a few years. He started in South University of Yonsei as a youth player. And after a few seasons, he went to China where he played for two years, Beijing won, before he moved over to Fenurbacha. And obviously, he went to Fenurbacha for about 4 million euros and then they sold into
Speaker: to Napoli for 19, which all you Plusvalenza fans can be able to count out how much of an incredible Plusvalenza that is. He's nicknamed the monster.
Speaker: because he has a very imposing physique. He's 190 centimeters tall. He weighs about 86 kilograms. And as you stated, I mean, that's the part of his game that I find have been so much been the most interesting. This is a monopoly, as those statistics that you showed as well, you know, for winning
Speaker: recoveries and sorry, yeah, ball recoveries and things like that. He's a physical player. He's not, his weaknesses, you know, he's not the best, maybe the best passer of the ball. And especially if you compare it to someone like Ali Dukouli -Bali, who was probably one of the best central defenders in the world for that. That's something that he's not been able to fully
Speaker: replace Koulibaly as, but physically in the air, winning the ball, his physical presence, imposing himself on attackers. There he's completely replaced Koulibaly. He does charity as well. In 2021, he donated 50 million won
Speaker: which is it's about 37 000 euros to a foundation to which which helps with children with disabilities and in all of south of korea that's great that's that's beautiful that is that is somebody that is fantastic on the pitch and fantastic off it and yeah the way that he's replaced kulibali this this summer has been i mean
Speaker: He couldn't have been a better replacement, could he? I mean, there are a lot of question marks this, this, this, this beginning of this season about Napoli because they'd lost so many leaders and stars of their team. Kouli Bali being the leader of the defense, then Lorenzo Insinia, the hometown boy and the star man.
Speaker: Mertens, the all -time top scorer, Fabian Ruiz, their classy midfielder, Ospina as well, their first -choice goalkeeper. I mean, they lost four and a half first -team players and there was a lot of question marks. The players that have come in have done amazingly well and Kim Minjye has been, I mean, Napoli haven't missed Cudi Bali yet, have they? Let's be honest.
Speaker: No, they haven't. That's the thing. Him and Rahmani, I think that's so interesting because given that they play a 4 -3 -3 now, and given how Lobotka and Anguissa and Zielinski, the three of them have really dominated the midfield whenever they've played.
Speaker: It's made up for Kulibali, not having a central defender that makes that all -important first pass, because they play differently. They don't need that. Obviously, that's something that if he could develop that aspect of his game as well, Kim Min -ji, we're talking about a complete central defender. But he's not there yet, and I wonder if he ever will be.
Speaker: But I don't think he's, I mean, at this Napoli side, I don't think he's really needed to. I understand why Man United are looking at him, because I think next to Varane, who is a good ball -playing defender, he would be, he would do really well. And another thing as well, I think, I've read somewhere that his idol is also Sergio Ramos, so that's interesting as well.
Speaker: Yeah, the concern for Napoli is that I believe that he does have a release clause in his Napoli contract that comes into effect at the end of the season. Obviously, you never know 100 % what the release clauses are, but I think it is around about 45, 50 million euros, which obviously for a team like Man United or Premier League team, it's
Speaker: easily, easy money, peanuts for these kind of clubs. So, you know, there is that concern. But I mean, right now, I don't think Napoli will worry about it too much. And if then the new year things are going well, maybe they can get him to get him on a new contract and maybe increase that, then that release clause. But right now he's been he's been absolutely monster. And he seems to have
Speaker: Yeah, settled in also as well within the dressing room. You know, you don't get too many players from South Korea coming to Europe and really excelling. And, you know, he's he definitely is. I think he had his initiation. I remember he really set off the whole dressing room, didn't he? Yeah, when he was doing Gangnam Style. Yeah, that was the Gangnam Style rap that he did. Yeah, he was really good into it, weren't he?
Speaker: Yeah, so he seems like a really good guy as well. He seems like a really good person. And we saw, like you mentioned there, his work that he's done, charity work and everything with disabled. I mean, that giving something back to those less fortunate. I mean, he obviously, yeah, that says a lot, doesn't it, about who he is? Listen to the full show and all other episodes by going to patreon .com slash TIFP and become a member for only $2 .99 per month.
