Coulibaly, Napoli centre-back for 8 years
Nominated for the 2019 Ballon d’Or
Moved to EPL Chelsea in the summer transfer window
“I want to make an impact in Italy.”
Kim Min-jae (26), a national center back who joined Naples, a prestigious club in Italian professional soccer Serie A, said this at a press conference held in the country. He also expressed confidence that he would show another level of growth in Italy.
Kim Min-jae held a press conference at Castel di Sangro, Naples’ pre-season training site, on the 30th of last month (local time) and said, “We have grown rapidly and have shown good form in Europe, so we came to a good team.” He said, “I have no intention of stopping here.” . Minjae Kim, who dropped out of Yonsei University, made his professional debut in Jeonbuk in 2017 after working for the business team Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. Since then, he has played for Beijing Guoan (China) and Fener Bahce (Turkeye) and officially joined Napoli on the 27th of last month. Five years after his professional debut, he succeeded in advancing to the European big leagues.
Kim Min-jae also explained why he chose Naples. He said, “I felt that the Napoli club and the manager actively wanted me,” he said. At the press conference, when related questions continued, Kim Min-jae said, “I chose Naples because it was Naples.” In this year’s European soccer summer transfer window, there were several teams that showed interest in Kim Min-jae. In particular, Stade Ren in French Ligue 1 was active.
Napoli recruited Kim Min-jae as a replacement for the starting centre-back Khalidu Kulibali (31), who moved to Chelsea (England). Senegal’s national team captain, Coulibaly, played for Napoli for eight years starting from the 2014-2015 season. Although he is a defender, he is considered one of the best centre-backs of his time, as he was nominated for the 2019 Ballon d’Or Award, which is given to the best player in the world.
Kim Min-jae said, “I would be lying if I said it wouldn’t be a burden to be mentioned as a replacement for Coulibaly, one of the world’s top players.” As for his strengths, he said, “I hear a lot of people say that he has strong hair and doesn’t break easily.”
After the press conference, Kim Min-jae received applause by shouting “Forza Naples Sempre” in Italian in front of reporters after the press conference.
Reporter Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com