Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti drew attention by comparing Kim Min-jae (27, SSC Napoli) with his predecessor Kalidou Koulibala (32, Chelsea).
Kim Min-jae started as a central defender in the 26th round home game of ‘2022-2023 Serie A’ against Atalanta held at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy on the 12th (Korean time).
With Kim Min-jae at the center and a solid defense, Napoli won the match 2-0 with young goals from Hvita Kvarachhelia and Amir Rahmani. With this victory, Napoli, which accumulated 68 points (22 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses), took the lead with an 18-point gap with Inter Milan (50 points) in second place.
Kim Min-jae complained of pain in his right calf in the 31st minute of the second half, and was replaced by Joao Jejus and retired to the bench, raising concerns. During the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it was Kim Min-jae who was unable to participate in the final match against Portugal due to pain in the same area. Kim Min-jae relieved the fans’ worries by walking around after the game.
According to Italy’s ‘Area Napoli’, coach Spalletti commented on Kim Min-jae’s condition after the game, “He will be fine. When he came out, I told Kim Min-jae not to think about anything else because he has to train tomorrow.” emphasized.
Spalletti said, “Kim Min-jae has done 20 amazing things in the game. He is the strongest center back in the world.” He praised it highly, saying, “I can run with the ball into the opponent’s box in 5 seconds.”
In particular, coach Spalletti, who was asked to compare Kim Min-jae and Koulibaly, said, “Both are excellent players,” and emphasized, “They are both very fast and can get the ball back from the opponent even in an open situation.” 오락실 토토
He continued, “Kim Min-jae has the power to steal the ball in a situation where he is determined and accelerated. Koulibaly has a clear advantage in the competition with the opponent, making the opponent unable to do anything. On the other hand, Kim Min-jae senses danger. It doubles your strength,” he said.
Spalletti’s praise of Kim Min-jae did not stop there. He said, “Kim Min-jae looks after all the players even in very crowded situations. So he helps everyone. He seems to multiply with 3 or 4 players,” he said. “In addition, Kim Min-jae is younger than Koulibaly. “I want to see him in two years. I think he has amazing potential.”
