What is Bayern Munich getting in Kim Min-Jae?

Front Foot Defender

With Kim Min-jae playing at a high level in both Serie A and the Champions League, the South Korean center-back has been able to showcase his defensive abilities to Europe. Min-jae is a very aggressive and successful defender as shown by leading Serie A with an 86% success rate in tackling % (according to FBref).

Additionally, he is a strong defender in the air and one that is willing to step aggressively into the midfield to challenge the opposition. The 6′ 3″ central defender also possesses the footwork required to defend the space behind. The South Korean does not possess many physical flaws in his game.

Kim Min-jae’s play is very similar to that of Upamecano in that he plays best when asked to be on the front foot and play aggressively. In comparing his defensive stats (using the Squawka comparison matrix) with that of Upamecano, Min-jae showed to have better Aerial Duel Success %, Duels Contested, Clearances, Interceptions, and Blocks than that of the current Bayern Munich center back.

Moreover, the South Korean defender’s Ground Duel Success % was just .12 off that of Upamecano and .04 better than de Ligt. Another key comparison is that of fouls committed attempting a duel, in which again Min-jae performed better than Upamecano.