Kim Min-jae (footballer)

Kim Min-jae (Hangul: 김민재; Hanja: 金玟哉; [kim.min.dzɛ]; born 15 November 1996) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the South Korea national team.

Kim Min-jae
Kim in 2021
Personal information
Full name Kim Min-jae
Date of birth (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996
Place of birth Tongyeong, South Korea
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 Fenerbahçe
Number 3
Youth career
Yeoncho Middle School
2012–2015 Suwon Technical High School
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Yonsei University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016 Gyeongju KHNP 17 (0)
2017–2018 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 52 (3)
2019–2021 Beijing Guoan 45 (0)
2021– Fenerbahçe 30 (1)
National team‡
2014 South Korea U20 2 (0)
2016–2018 South Korea U23 8 (0)
2017– South Korea 42 (3)
Honours
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
EAFF Championship
2019 South KoreaTeam
Asian Games
2018 Jakarta-PalembangTeam
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 April 2022
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2022
Kim Min-jae
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGim Minjae
McCune–ReischauerKim Minchae
In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim played youth football with Suwon Technical High School and Yonsei University before starting his professional career with Gyeongju KHNP in 2016. The next year, Kim moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Early life

Kim was born in Tongyeong.[2] Both of his parents are athletes and his brother is also a footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Myongji University.[3][4] He started his youth football career with Tongyeong Elementary School football club.[5] He later transferred to Gaya Elementary School in Haman and graduated from there. He entered Yeoncho Middle School and Suwon Technical High School which has produced many international footballers such as Park Ji-sung and Kim Sun-min.[6] After he graduated from high school in 2015, he went on to Yonsei University. In July 2016, when he was sophomore, he dropped out of school to fulfill his dream of making his professional debut, although Yonsei University tried to dissuade him.[7]

Club career

Gyeongju KHNP

On 1 July 2016, Kim joined Gyeongju KHNP during the first additional registration for new players in the Korea National League.[8] On 8 July 2016, Kim made his debut for Gyeongju KHNP against Busan Transportation Corporation in the Korea National League. In the game, he was included in starting line-up and played as full 90 minutes, being shown a yellow card.[9] For four months from, July to October, Kim played fifteen regular league games as a starter and full-time player, picking up three yellow cards.[10] Gyeongju KHNP advanced to the championship play-off round. On 2 November 2016, when the championship play-off quarter-final game between Gyeongju KNHP and Changwon City took place, Kim was put on the starting line-up and played for 78 minutes.[11] Gyeongju KHNP defeated Changwon 2–0 in the game. On 5 November 2016, in the semi-final, Kim played for full-time, as Gyeongju KHNP failed to advance to final.[12]

2017 season

On 22 December 2016, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors announced that Kim Min-jae joins Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on a free transfer.[13] During the winter pre-season training camps in Dubai Choi Kang-hee expressed his expectancy about him.[14] Kim received back number 3, which Kim Hyung-il had used. On 5 March 2017, Kim made his debut for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Jeolla derby against Jeonnam Dragons in the first round of the 2017 K League 1. Kim played for full-time and Jeonbuk Hyundai defeated Jeonnam Dragons 2–1.[15] On 25 June 2017, Kim made his debut goal for his career against Daegu FC in the 16th round of the K League 1. With 12 minutes remaining and 2–1 down, Kim calmly slotted home, converting a corner from Kim Jin-su.[16] On 19 August 2017, Kim scored his second goal for 2017 season against Gwangju FC in the 27th round of the K League 1. Hooking home a mid-range shot with his left foot, Kim made the headed goal at the 31st minute.[17] On 20 September 2017 in the 27th round match of the K League 1 against Sangju Sangmu, Kim was ousted from the game for warnings accumulated at the 40th minute.[18] On 15 October 2017, it turned out that Kim suffered a semilunar valve injury and for this reason Kim had to have surgery in Japan, being unable to play remaining games of the season.[19] Kim played 29 games, scoring two goals, being shown nine yellow cards and one red card during this season. With his performance, he was awarded the K League Young Player of the Year and nominated for a part of the K League Best XI.[20][21]

2018 season

The first game of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2018 was a group stage match of the 2018 AFC Champions League against Kashiwa Reysol on 13 February 2018. It was Kim's AFC Champions League debut. The first half ended as Kashiwa's two goal leading, but Jeonbuk scored three goals without losing any point at the second half.[22] On 18 March 2018, Kim scored first goal of this season against FC Seoul in the 2018 K League 1 third round. Included starting line-up, Kim showed strong defense and headed opening goal from a corner kick by Lee Jae-sung, which made him awarded MVP of this round.[23] From fifth round to seventh round Kim was named on Best XI of the round in a row. During this period, Jeonbuk's defense line including Kim didn't lose a goal.[24] And this cleen sheet records lasted to 10th round against Suwon Samsung Bluewings on 29 April. On 18 April 2018, Jeonbuk defeated Kitchee SC by 3–0 at the last group game of the Champions League and set the seal on advancing to round of 16, finishing atop Group E. Kim played 5 games of the group matches, playing full-time.[25] It was nine games that Jeonbuk consecutively lost no points and ten games won including Champions League games.[26] On 2 May 2018, the 11th league round against Daegu FC, Kim was injured in the progress of blocking Park Byung-hyun's shot. It was hairline crack in calfbone that Kim suffered.[27]

Beijing Guoan

On 29 January 2019, Kim transferred to Beijing Sinobo Guoan.[28] With his impressive defensive performance, Kim went on to play an integral role in Beijing's runner-up finish in the 2019 CSL Season.

In May 2020, Kim engendered controversy by expressing dissatisfaction about Beijing teammates' method of play in a YouTube channel, which is being operated by a South Korean football commentator, after his wedding in South Korea.[29] At a similar time, he received intensive attention from a wide range of European clubs,[30] and European media predicted €15 million for Kim's transfer.[31][32] Among them, Tottenham Hotspur actively tried to negotiate with Beijing, but they did not finish the deal before the transfer window closed.[33]

Fenerbahçe S.K.

Kim transferred to Fenerbahçe on August 16, 2021 with a transfer fee of 3 million Euros and signed a 4-year contract.[34]

He made his debut for Fenerbahçe in the Antalyaspor game played in the second week of the Süper Lig on 22 August 2021. He was on the field for 87 minutes. In this match, he became the player who won the most unclaimed balls and won the most tackles.[35]

Kim made his European debut in the UEFA Europa League Group D match against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 16, 2021. He was on the field for 90 minutes.

Kim received a yellow card in the 9th week game played against Trabzonspor on October 17, 2021, as a result of his tackle against Gervinho in the midfield in the 14th minute of the match. In the 23rd minute, he dropped Djaniny out of the penalty area and received a red card from the second yellow card, leaving his team with 10 players. This was the red card he received for the first time in 4 years. Fenerbahce lost the game.[36] He made a statement two days after the match: "This was a first for me in my 5-year career playing football at the highest level, I guess we have to have such experiences in Turkey."[37]

He was in the starting 11 in the Intercontinental Derby on 21 November 2021. Kim was the player who made the most passes and blocking in this match.[38] Fenerbahce won the match 2-1. At the end of the match, Fenerbahçe made a "player of the match" survey on its official Twitter account, which included Mesut Özil, Berke Özer, Miguel Crespo and Kim Min-Jae. Kim Min-Jae was chosen as the player of the match by Fenerbahce fans with 76.3 percent of the votes.[39] Kim scored his first goal for Fenerbahçe on March 20, 2022.

International career

On 14 August 2017, Kim Min-jae was named in South Korea's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification against Iran and Uzbekistan.[40] On 31 August 2017, Kim made his international debut against Iran in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification. Being named in starting line-up, Kim showed a great performance until he was substituted with six minutes remaining by Kim Ju-young. During the match, Saeid Ezatolahi was shown a red card when he stepped on Kim's head.[41] On 5 September 2017, Kim played for full-time against Uzbekistan.[42] In the two games that Kim Min-jae took part in, South Korea kept a clean sheet. After these matches, South Korea had qualified for nine consecutive FIFA World Cups.[43] But he was injured on 8 May 2018 and unable to take part in 2018 FIFA World Cup.

On 1 September 2018, South Korea defeated Japan 2–1 in the Gold medal match of the 2018 Asian Games. As a result of this victory, Kim and his teammates received an exemption from military service, reducing the two-year conscription to just a few weeks of basic training.[44]

Style of play

As a central defender, Kim has excellent physical attributes, notably his strength, speed, and flexibility. Kim has a strong predictive ability in defense, and can often start and finish plays when the team advances. His long pass accuracy enables him to immediately hit the ball after the steal to complete a quick counterattack, and his excellent aerial ability and positioning allows him to perform headers to break up opposition attacks and start offensive plays. [45]

Career statistics

Club
As of 16 April 2022[46]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Gyeongju KHNP 2016 Korea National League 17000—170
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2017 K League 1 29210—302
2018 K League 1 231106[lower-alpha 1]0301
Total 5232060603
Beijing Guoan 2019 Chinese Super League 260206[lower-alpha 1]0340
2020 Chinese Super League 170006[lower-alpha 1]0230
2021 Chinese Super League 20000020
Total 45020120590
Fenerbahçe 2021–22 Süper Lig 301108[lower-alpha 2]0391
Career total 1444502601754
  1. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
  2. Six appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International
As of matches played 29 March 2022[1]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
South Korea U20 201420
South Korea U23 201620
201860
Total80
South Korea 201720
2018100
2019183
202180
202240
Total423
Career total523
As of match played on 15 December 2019
Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kim goal.
List of international goals scored by Kim Min-jae
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 January 2019Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates Kyrgyzstan1–01–02019 AFC Asian Cup
2 16 January 2019Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates China PR2–02–02019 AFC Asian Cup
3 15 December 2019Busan Asiad Main Stadium, Busan, South Korea China PR1–01–02019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship

Honours

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

South Korea U23

South Korea

Individual

Ambassador

January 2021, Kim Min-jae was appointed as a ambassador for the Purme Foundation. Mr.Kim decided to contribute to the rehabilitation of children with disabilities and the independence of young people with disabilites, and donated 50 million won.[52]

References
  1. 김민재 KIM Minjae (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. 통영 횟집 아들 김민재, 한국축구 ‘괴물’이 되다 [Kim Min-jae, son of the sushi restaurant in Tongyeong, becomes "Monster" in South Korean football] (in Korean). Kyunghyang. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  3. 홍명보+최진철… 21세 ‘괴물 수비수’ [Hong Myung-bo+Choi Jin-cheul... 21-year-old "Monster Defender] (in Korean). Dong-A Ilbo. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. [인터뷰] 대표팀 데뷔전은 제외한, 김민재 이야기 [[Interview] Story about Kim Min-jae except his debut for national team] (in Korean). Footballist. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. 축구선수 김민재, 그는 누구…‘어릴 적부터 두각을 드러낸 특급 신인’ [Footballer Kim Min=jae, Who is he?..."Super Rookie who has distinguished himself since he was young"] (in Korean). TopStarNews. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  6. 김호곤 기술위원장 특별관리 받는 ‘촌놈’ 김민재 [Kim Min-jae, hillbilly, who receive special management from technical chief Kim Ho-gon] (in Korean). Goal. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  7. 살아난 베테랑 염기훈 … 미래를 밝힌 신성 김민재 [The veteran Yeom Ki-hun who regains form...New rising star Kim Min-jae who brighten Korean soccer in the future] (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  8. 올림픽 대표 출신 김민재 지언학, 실업 리그로 [Kim Min-jae and Ji Eon-hak in South Korea Olympic football team transferred to Gyeongju KHNP in Korea National League] (in Korean). FootballJournal. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
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  14. "이재성2 나온 것 같다" 최강희, 신인 김민재 극찬 ["It seems that there's the second Lee Jae-sung" Choi Kang-hee praised highly Kim Min-jae] (in Korean). OSEN. 1 February 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  15. [클래식 1R] ‘김진수-김신욱 골’ 전북, 전남에 2–1승… 호남더비 7경기 무패 ["Kim Jin-su – Kim Shin-wook scored" Jeonbuk Hyundai defeated Jeonnam 2–1] (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
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  17. '김민재·이승기 연속골' 전북, 광주에 역전승 ["Kim Min-jae and Lee Seung-ki scored" Jeonbuk came from behind to win against Gwangju] (in Korean). JoyNews24. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  18. 프로 첫 퇴장, 아프지만 배운 게 많았을 김민재 [First banned, Kim may develop] (in Korean). Best Eleven. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  19. 김민재, 반월판 부상으로 시즌 아웃… 수술 위해 日 출국 [Kim suffered a semilunar valve injury and left to Japan due to surgery] (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  20. [K리그 대상] ‘신인상’ 김민재, "전북에 와서 성장할 수 있었다" [[K League Awards] "Young Player Award" Kim Min-jae "I was able to grow because of Jeonbuk Hyundai"] (in Korean). Best Eleven. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  21. ‘조현우-김민재-염기훈-조나탄’ 클래식 베스트11 발표 ["Cho Hyun-woo - Kim Min-jae - Yeom Ki-hun - Jonathan" K League Classic Best XI was announced] (in Korean). Newsen. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  22. "Matchday One – Group E: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 3–2 Kashiwa Reysol". AFC. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  23. ‘괴물 수비수’ 김민재, K리그1 3라운드 MVP 선정 ["Monster Defender" Kim Min-jae was selected as K League 1 3rd round MVP] (in Korean). InterFootball. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  24. 김민재, 7라운드까지 라운드 베스트일레븐에 다섯 번 선정...3회 연속 [Kim Min-jae was selected as K League 1 Best XI of round five times in seven rounds, three in a row] (in Korean). OSEN. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  25. [ACL] '교체의 힘' 전북, 킷치에 3–0 승리…1위로 16강 진출 [[ACL] "Power of Substitution" Jeonbuk beat Kitchee by 3–0...advanced to round of 16 as the 1st in Group E] (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  26. ‘9연승+8G 무실점+홈 전승’ 전북의 기록 도전은 계속된다 ["9 consecutive wins+8 clean sheets+Winning all the home games" Jeonbuk's record challenge keeps going] (in Korean). InterFootball. 1 May 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  27. 전북 국대 수비수 김민재 정강이 실금, 러시아W 출전 비상 [Kim Min-jae, the national team defender, suffers hairline crack in calfbone so he might not be able to go Russia World Cup] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  28. "S. Korean pro football champs announce key defender's move to China". Yonhap News Agency. 29 January 2019.
  29. 김민재, 동료 선수 비하 발언…베이징 궈안서 징계받을 듯. Naver.com (in Korean). Seoul Shinmun. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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  31. 김민재 이적료 203억원 "저렴하게 아시아 최고 재능 가질 기회". Naver.com (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 21 June 2020.
  32. "Análisis: Kim Min-jae, la nueva perla asiática" (in Spanish). Fichajes.net. 20 June 2020.
  33. [단독인터뷰]김민재 이적 협상 토트넘 대리인 "김민재가 가장 힘들어했다" (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  34. https://fenerbahce.org/haberler/futbol/2021-tr/8/min-jae-kim-fenerbahcemizde. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  35. https://twitter.com/OptaCan/status/1429556432676995075. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  36. https://beinsports.com.tr/haber/trabzonspor-fenerbahce-11. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. https://www.cnnturk.com/spor/futbol/kim-min-jaeden-kirmizi-kart-tepkisi. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. https://twitter.com/OptaCan/status/1462495458337644545. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  39. https://twitter.com/Fenerbahce/status/1462727857906634756. Retrieved 23 March 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. '이동국 발탁’ 신태용호, 이란-우즈벡전 소집 명단 발표 ["Lee Dong-gook was selected" Shin Tae-yong announced South Korea national football team roster] (in Korean). KFA. 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  41. ‘거물’의 등장 알린 이란전, 김민재의 놀라운 데뷔 [Kim Min-jae's amazing debut against Iran] (in Korean). No Cut News. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  42. "'무실점' 신태용호 최고수확, DF 김민재 발굴" ["Clean sheet" South Korea's best harvest, DF Kim Min-jae] (in Korean). Sports Today. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  43. 한국축구, 9회 연속 월드컵 본선 진출 [South Korea had qualified for nine consecutive FIFA World Cups] (in Korean). Seoul Daily. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  44. Reuters. "Son Heung-min spared military service as South Korea take Asian Games gold". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  45. 国安官方宣布金玟哉加盟 身披2号球衣战中超亚冠] (in Chinese). Sina Sports. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  46. Kim Min-jae at Soccerway
  47. 2017 K리그 영플레이어상 시상. Naver.com (in Korean). KBS N SPORTS. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  48. 2017 K리그 클래식 베스트 11 시상. Naver.com (in Korean). KBS N SPORTS. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  49. '특급 골잡이' 말컹, 프로축구 사상 첫 1·2부 MVP 석권. Naver.com (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  50. "AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Technical Report and Statistics". AFC. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  51. "EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 Final Korea Republic". EAFF. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  52. "김민재 푸르메재단 홍보대사 위촉…5000만 원 기부". Retrieved 12 January 2021.
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