SSC Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti bet his 30-year coaching career on Kim Min-jae’s world-class skills.
At an official press conference after the game against Torino on the 20th (Korean time), coach Spalletti praised, “In my life and career, I have rarely seen a player with skills and quality like Kim Min-jae. This is the first time.”
Previously, Napoli won Turin 4-0 in the 27th round of Italian Serie A in the 2022-2023 season held at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in Turin, Italy. Napoli, who scored 71 points with 23 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, widened the gap with second place Lazio (15 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses, 52 points) to 19 points, solidifying their lead.
On this day, Kim Min-jae, who played full-time, showed a stable defense that was as good as that of a striker. In the 33rd minute of the first half, the scene where he made a cross from the center circle into the inside of the penalty box by breaking through the side was the highlight.
For this performance, Whoscored.com, a global statistics outlet, gave Kim Min-jae a high rating of 7.4. Another media, Tutto Mercadoweb, said, “Kim Min-jae was literally a wall. He owns every ball that passes around him. Torino’s attack attempts were thwarted in every way by his effective and splendid interception. Also, the home fans applauded naturally. A few aggressive attempts to make it come out also stood out,” he praised and gave it a rating of 7.
This is Kim Min-jae, who went all the way to the opponent’s penalty box at once with a stormy dribble in the last game. It is rare for a centre-back to display such an attacking talent outside of set-pieces.
It’s a phenomenal sight for Spalletti, who started his coaching career as an assistant manager at Empoli in 1994. Coach Spalletti said, “Kim Min-jae has an unbelievable performance but always has an aggressive side. He shows the reason why he has to play every game.” 스포츠토토