Korean star praised as the best central defender in the world
Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti said it only took Kim Min-jae 5 seconds to put the ball into the opponent's penalty area.
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| Kim Min-jae is the top center back in Serie A at the moment. |
"From the moment he starts holding the ball at his feet, it only takes Min-jae 5 seconds to get the ball into the opponent's penalty area. Every match, he will create at least 20 extraordinary things. For me, Min-jae is truly the best central defender in the world right now," coach Spalletti praised his student.
The Korean international played impressively in Napoli's win over Atalanta in the early morning of March 12 (Hanoi time). Since the start of the 2022/23 season, Min-jae has shown similar form in most of the matches. He wasWho Scoredaveraged 7.14 points for 25 Serie A appearances. That's the highest score among centre-backs to have played more than 20 games in Europe's top five leagues.
Coach Spalletti has raised Min-jae's level at Napoli. In the summer of 2022, the Diego Armando Maradona team spent 18 million Euros to buy Min-jae from Fenerbahce. To date, the value of the Korean player has doubled.
The 1.9m tall center-back became a phenomenon in European football after the first leg of the 2022/23 season. Up to now, Min-jae has maintained his form, affirming his irreplaceable role in the Napoli squad. Since the beginning of the season, the Serie A leader this season has only conceded 16 goals and Min-jae has contributed greatly to that achievement.
Min-jae impresses with his ability to compete in one-on-one and aerial duels. He is tall but has good speed. The Korean star's passing skills are also highly appreciated. Each match, Min-jae passes 80 times in Serie A, with 3.7 situations being accurate long passes. The Korean international has 3.9 situations of clearing danger per match for Napoli's defense, in addition to 1.6 successful tackles/match.
Min-jae's current real value is estimated to be no less than 50 million Euros. A series of big clubs in the Premier League have put this central defender in their sights in the upcoming summer transfer window./.