Kim Min-jae said he received a congratulatory message from Jürgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korean men’s national soccer team, on joining Bayern Munich.
Kim joined one of Europe’s biggest clubs on March 19. It comes two years after the South Korean soccer team made it to Europe in the summer 2021 transfer window. He had a slow start to the season due to completing basic military training, but he has quickly gotten up to speed, starting in preseason friendlies against Kawasaki Frontale and Liverpool.
Bayern, one of Germany’s most prestigious clubs, is no stranger to Klinsmann. As a player, Klinsmann was one of Germany’s leading strikers, playing for the Bavarians from 1995 to 1997. After retiring as a player, he took over as manager. He was appointed in the summer of 2008 and led Bayern until April 2009.
In an interview published by German publication Bild on Friday (June 5), Kim recounted the messages he received from Klinsmann after joining Bayern. “When there were transfer rumors, the coach wasn’t involved. When the transfer was finalized, he sent me a message saying, ‘Congratulations on joining a great club,'” Kim said.
Klinsmann had previously answered questions about Kim Min-jae’s transfer to Bayern in June during a press conference after the two A-match series. At the time, he said, “I don’t know much about the progress,” but added, “I’m getting a lot of inquiries from German reporters.” 메이저사이트
Kim also commented on the Bundesliga’s connection to Korean players. “The Bundesliga has always been on the minds of Koreans because we had players like Cha Bum-geun, Son Heung-min, and Hwang Hee-chan. Even now, there are Korean players in Mainz 05 (Lee Jae-sung) and Stuttgart (Jung Woo-young),” he explained.
After wrapping up their tour of Japan, Bayern will play one preseason friendly against AS Monaco on Aug. 8 before kicking off the season. On Sept. 13, they will host RB Leipzig in the DFL-Supercup at the Allianz Arena at 3:45 a.m. The match could be Kim’s official debut. This match could be the official debut of Kim Min-jae.
