At this point, the ranking was so absurd that it was suspected that it was “racism.”
Recently, Bayern Munich center back Kim Min-jae has been praised. Recently, global sports media Sportskeeda selected and announced the world’s best center back “TOP 5” for 2023, and selected Kim Min-jae as the No. 1 player.
The media outlet said, “Kim Min-jae played a big role in Napoli winning the Serie A title for the first time in 33 years in the 2022-23 season. Beyond pure physical strength, Kim Min-jae showed his calmness and technical characteristics. Such Kim Min-jae is widely known as one of the best center backs in the world.”
“Last summer, Kim Min-jae moved to Bayern Munich, where he displayed his best performance and settled down as a starting player. He is contributing greatly to Bayern Munich. Kim Min-jae is also outstanding at building four-back and has shown outstanding leadership in defense,” he praised.
Looking at the remaining four players in the TOP 5, four were named: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arnal), David Alaba (Real Madrid) in third place, and Hoobeng Dias (Manchester City) in second place.
This ranking was already proven at the Ballon d’Or. Kim Min-jae ranked 22nd at the Ballon d’Or in 2023, the highest among defenders in the world.
However, an absurd ranking came out. Britain’s “Give Me Sports” announced on Monday (Korea Standard Time) the “Top 15 Defenders of the World’s Best Soccer.” It chose 15 of the world’s best defenders, including right-back and left-back as well as center back.
The media outlet reported, “We named 15 of the best defenders in the world right now. They are the 15 best defenders on Earth. A strong defender is needed for a successful soccer team. A four-back’s competitiveness is a surefire way to build a strong team to win. The players on this list, they are the best at what they do. There is no better player than them.”
What’s shocking, however, is that there is no Kim Min-jae’s name among the 15 people. It means a ranking that doesn’t make sense. Everyone around the world recognized the highest authority award called the Ballon d’Or, but Kim Min-jae’s name was missing. Just by looking at the center back, it is not much different from the ranking selected by Sportskeeda earlier. Only Kim Min-jae’s name is missing.
What’s more absurd is that Dayo Upamecano, Kim Min-jae’s colleague at Bayern Munich, was listed among the top 15. Upamecano was ranked 12th.
“He moved to Bayern Munich in 2021 and became one of the best defenders in the world. Now he is at the center of Bayern Munich’s defense and has become an essential player for its success. Without superstars like Upamecano at the back of Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich would not have won the league title last season. With the emergence of Harry Kane, Bayern Munich is one of the candidates to win the UEFA Champions League this season 월카지노.”
If you have watched Bayern Munich’s game even a little and understood the situation, instead of undermining Upamecano, you cannot put Upamecano in front of Kim Min-jae. Local media confirmed that the center of Bayern Munich’s defense is Kim Min-jae, and even coach Thomas Tuchel admitted that Bayern Munich’s “No. 1 defender” is Kim Min-jae. Upamecano, however, was ranked, and Kim Min-jae is not there.
Of the 15 lists, 11 are from Europe, 2 are from South America, 1 is from North and Central America, and 1 is from Africa. African nationality player has dual European nationality. Asia has no one. Asia has been shunned to the extent that there is no room for Kim Min-jae. It is a situation that cannot be explained unless it is racism.
Looking at the list of 15 players, Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid, Germany), Archiraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco, Spain dual citizenship), Kyle Walker (Manchester City, England), Dayo Upamecano (Bayern Munich, France), and Reece James (Chelsea, England) were ranked 15th.
In the top 10, Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, England), Alfonso Davis (Bayern Munich, Canada), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool, the Netherlands), Joschko Gvardiol (Manchester City, Croatia), and Christian Romero (Tottenham, Argentina) were ranked 10th.
In the last TOP 5, fifth-ranked Eder Militang (Real Madrid, Brazil), fourth-ranked John Stones (Manchester City, England), third-ranked William Saliba (Arnal, France), second-ranked David Alaba (Real Madrid, Austria), and first-ranked Huvin Dias (Manchester City, Portugal) ranked high.