Seol Ki-hyun, Park Ji-sung, Son Heung-min, and next was Kim Min-jae.
Bayern Munich’s ‘monster’ Kim Min-jae was recently selected as a candidate for the Ballon d’Or by ‘French Football’.토토사이트
Among Korean players, those nominated for the Ballon d’Or are Seol Ki-hyun in 2002, Park Ji-sung in 2005, and Son Heung-min in 2019 and 2022. And in 2023, Kim Min-jae was newly selected and his name was written into history.
What makes Kim Min-jae’s selection as a Ballon d’Or candidate even more surprising is that he is the first Asian defender to be named. In the meantime, many Asian defenders took on the challenge of playing overseas, but they were unable to follow the same path as Kim Min-jae.
It’s natural. Kim Min-jae was selected as the best defender in Serie A in the 2022-23 season. He was the main character who led Naples to the Scudetto 33 years after the late Diego Maradona.
Minjae Kim started all 35 games in the 2022-23 season. And he proudly won the Serie A best defense award, beating his teammates Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Theo Hernández. He also proved that he was the best, being selected in the Serie A Team of the Year.
‘French Football’ said, “Kim Min-jae showed athletic ability and first touch ability to dominate the ground and the air. Last season in Serie A, no player attempted more passes and completed more passes than Minjae Kim. “He made us forget Kalidou Koulibaly,” he said, explaining the reason for being selected as a Ballon d’Or candidate.
Kim Min-jae was selected as a candidate for the 2023 Ballon d’Or among a total of 30 players, including him, Joszko Gvardiol, and Ruben Diasman among the defenders. And he is aiming to become the first defender to win the Ballon d’Or since Fabio Cannavaro, who led Italy to the top of the World Cup in 2006.
Of course, the chances of winning are not very high. This year’s Ballon d’Or will be contested by Lionel Messi, who led Argentina to the top of the world, and Erling Haaland, who achieved the treble with Manchester City.
Messi is already the winner of the most Ballon d’Or awards. He has won the Ballon d’Or seven times, and if he reaches the top again this time, he will increase his record to eight. In Holland’s case, he is aiming for his first award.
Kim Min-jae’s former and current colleagues were also included in the list of 30 Ballon d’Or candidates. Players from Napoli, such as Hvicha Kvarachelia and Victor Osimhen, as well as partners from Munich, such as Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala, were present.
Meanwhile, the highest Ballon d’Or ranking among Korean players is Son Heung-min’s 11th place in 2022. He was the joint top scorer in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and received quite a few votes. This is also the highest ranking ever in Asia. The first Ballon d’Or vote also belongs to Son Heung-min. He ranked 22nd in 2019.