I wonder if this is true. Bayern Munich, which has already confirmed its advance to the round of 16 teams in the Champions League by winning all four matches, is expected to send its starting center back Kim Min-jae (26) to start again. Kim Min-jae has already played for the longest period of time among field players except for goalkeepers in this season, making him the king of the state. However, it is even more absurd as it is known that the reason is to earn 2.8 million U.S. dollars in winning allowance. 파워볼게임
German media Kicker predicted the starting lineup for the fifth Group A match between Bayern Munich and Copenhagen in the 2023-2024 UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 30th (Korea time).
Munich, which has secured victories in all four previous group matches, has secured advance to the round of 16 strongest teams regardless of the results of the two remaining matches. There is also no chance for the team to become the runner-up. Even if the three teams win the match with four wins and no losses (12 points), Copenhagen and Galatasaray with one win, one draw and two losses (4 points), and Manchester United with one win and three losses (three points), they will have only 10 points.
As the opponent team is Copenhagen and it is a home game, the team does not feel pressured to gain experience of backup players. However, Kicker expects most of the starting pitchers including Kim Min-jae to start again. Kicker’s lineup for starters in the match against Copenhagen is Manuel Neuer, Alfonso Davis-Kim Min-jae, Dayo Upamecano-Nusair Mazraoui, Yoju Kimi-Konrat Reimer, Matisse Tel-Thomas Müller-Serge Gnabry and Harry Kane. Among them, Gnabry, Müller and Telle are the only three players that are hardly called the starting pitchers.
This is due to 2.8 million euros in Champions League victory allowance. “Every time we win the Champions League, 2.8 million euros in allowance is at stake. Therefore, even when the first place in the group stage is guaranteed, Munich will give some of its key players a break in the match against Copenhagen. However, it is unlikely that many rotation players will be deployed,” the kicker said.
Of course, 2.8 million euros is definitely not a small amount of money. It is equivalent to a player’s annual salary. However, the amount can be considered as small as possible. Kim Min-jae’s last year when he was in Guoan, Beijing, was paid 3.5 million euros. The prize money for this season’s Champions League is 20 million euros, and the higher the ranking goes, the more easily he earns from broadcasting rights.
Munich is also targeting the Treble (Champions League, League, FA Cup). It paid Tottenham Hotspur 120 million euros for the 30-year-old Harry Kane, the largest-ever transfer fee in the Bundesliga. For the team, it is essential to manage the physical strength of its key players, and the season is still less than a third of the season. If the team gets 2.8 million euros and the players lose their physical strength, it will do more harm than good.
Moreover, signs of abnormalities in the physical conditions of the main players have already been detected. Among them, there is a serious concern over Kim Min-jae, who is currently playing full-time in 15 official matches as a member of Munich,’s physical deterioration. Given the nature of center defender, many of Kim’s appearances were expected. However, he played in all 18 matches, including 12 league matches, four Champions League matches, one Pokal match and one Super Cup match, excluding the first round of DFB Pokal. Fifteen of the 18 matches are full-time, the second-highest number in his team following Leroy Sane (1,564 minutes) as of Friday. To make matters worse, under coach Jürgen Klinsmann, he played full-time in all six matches, and had no time to rest.
The aftermath was clearly revealed in the Bundesliga’s 12th round league match against FC Cologne on the 25th. Kim Min-jae arrived in Munich a day before the match, playing both the second consecutive games of the 2026 North-China World Cup Asian qualifiers (Singapore-China). “I came back from a faraway place today with Kim Min-jae,” Munich coach Thomas Tuchel told an official press conference. “I played a lot of time for the national team. After checking the condition, the medical staff will judge individual opinions of the players and decide on the selection list,” he seemed to be considerate.
However, the result was another 90-minute full-time start. He played full-time despite dizzying circumstances in which his waist was pushed down by rival striker Davy Zelke in the 14th minute of the first half. At the time, Kim Min-jae screamed and suffered pain, and even Zelke asked him to stop the game while looking at Kim Min-jae who collapsed, but Tuchel did not care.
Kim Min-jae was not even a center back with weak physical strength. When he was playing for 3,054 minutes in 35 games, he was called the “steel king.” However, after playing 1,543 minutes, or more than half of the games, in just 12 games in Munich, he started to take a negative effect on their performance. Matthias de Ligt, another center back, left due to a ruptured ligament in his right knee, leaving only Kim Min-jae and Upamecano, adding to the burden on them.
As the drop in physical strength was noticeable, Munich fans also began to speak out. When the expected lineup of kickers, including Kim Min-jae, was reported on the official SNS of Bayern & Money, which reported Munich’s news, fans complained, “Rest Kim.”