’11th in the first half of the 23-24 season’→’Not on the list for the second half’
Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich) is no more.
The German “Kicker” announced the “Rangiste” on Tuesday (Feb. 20). The Rangiste is Kicker’s annual ranking of Germany’s best soccer players with the most credibility, published by Kicker every season.
Players in the Bundesliga and German internationals abroad are eligible for the rating, which is known for its rigorous criteria. The players are divided into three categories, in descending order: Weltklasse (WK), Internationale Klasse (IK), and Nationale Klasse (NK).
According to Kicker’s ratings, there are no WK center backs in the 2023-2024 season. We start with the IK class players, and the top of the list is Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund defense.
In second place was Jonatan Ta, who led Bayer 04 Leverkusen to the first unbeaten league title in their history, and in third place was Hiroki Ito, who joined Bayern Munich from VfB Stuttgart in the transfer window. In fourth place was Hummels’ partner Nico Schlatterbeck. Valdemar Anton and Edmond Topsova, who joined Dortmund, rounded out the top five.
In the next ranked NK, Eric Dier and Matthijs de Lichte were ranked highly. However, Kim Min-jae’s name was nowhere to be seen. Kim made the NK in January with an 11th-place finish in the first half of the Lancelot, but was excluded from this year’s ranking.
Kicker commented on his absence from the rankings, “After the Asian Cup, Kim lost his place at Bayern Munich and his performance dropped dramatically. The two-goal deficit in the first leg of the semifinal against Real Madrid is a prime example of this.”
In fact, it was Kim Min-jae who had perhaps the most tumultuous time in Munich in the 2023-2024 season. Kim left SSC Napoli for Bayern Munich before the 토토사이트 start of last season. He was dubbed a “monster” by fans both in Korea and abroad.
Kim made his debut in the DFL-Super Cup shortly after joining the club, coming off the bench to showcase his skills. Despite the team’s 0-3 defeat, Kim kicked off the season with his trademark bold defense.
He quickly earned a spot in the starting lineup. While Dayo Upamecano and Matthijs de Lichte were sidelined early in the season due to various injuries, Kim was a stalwart in goal.
His ascension to the first team was good news, but it was not without controversy. He started the league’s first 16 games in a row. The constant appearances caused some distractions, but he was still Munich’s number one center back.
As Kicker explains, it was after the Asian Cup that things changed for him. With Kim unavailable for a while, Munich brought in Eric Dier in the winter transfer window and the ‘stone that rolled in’ took over the starting role. Dyer was derided as a “hole” at Tottenham Hotspur, but he’s made an impact every time he’s played for Munich.
Kicker, meanwhile, said of Dyer: “When he joined, he was planned as a substitute. But with Dayo Upamecano’s injury and Kim Min-jae’s Asian Cup appearance, he got his chance and showed solid defense alongside Mateusz Der Licht.”
“He was recognized as a ‘hard tackler’ alongside Dyer. The experienced defender returned to his preferred position of right center back. His absence against Real Madrid was a major liability.”