Kim Min-jae was named to the best 11 of Ballon d’Or candidates.

Kim Min-jae was named among the 30 Ballon d’Or candidates announced by France Football on the 7th (Korean time). Kim Min-jae, who played a key role in Naples’ Serie A victory last season, was selected as a Ballon d’Or candidate along with the world’s best players such as Messi (Argentina), Holland (Norway), Kane (England), and Mbappe (France).메이저놀이터

This is the fourth time a Korean player has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or, following Seol Ki-hyun in 2002, Park Ji-sung in 2005, and Son Heung-min in 2019 and 2022. Son Heung-min was nominated for the Ballon d’Or after leading Tottenham to the UEFA Champions League final in 2019, and was nominated again for the Ballon d’Or in 2022 after becoming the top scorer in the Premier League.

Kim Min-jae is the first Asian defender to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or. The highest ever Ballon d’Or ranking among Korean players is Son Heung-min’s 11th place in 2022.

On the 8th, Whoscored.com, a European soccer statistics media, selected and introduced the Best 11, which consists only of Ballon d’Or candidates. Kim Min-jae was named to the Ballon d’Or’s Best 11 Defenders.

Haaland and Mbappe were selected as the Ballon d’Or’s best 11 attackers, and Vinicius and Saka were named as wingers. The midfield line consisted of Musiala, Bellingham, and Rodri, while the defense line consisted of Gvardiol, Dias, and Kim Min-jae. Onana was named as the goalkeeper.

Among the 30 candidates for this year’s Ballon d’Or, only three defenders, including Kim Min-jae, were named. In the past Ballon d’Or, there have only been three times that a defender has won the Ballon d’Or. The last defender to win the Ballon d’Or was Cannavaro, who won the Ballon d’Or after playing a key role in Italy’s victory at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Kim Min-jae has been playing as a key defender for his team even after moving to Bayern Munich at the end of last season. Kim Min-jae started and led the defense in all three Bundesliga games Bayern Munich played early this season. Bayern Munich has won all three games in the first three Bundesliga seasons, conceding only two goals. Kim Min-jae played full-time in the match against Wales held at Cardiff Millennium Stadium in Wales, England on the 8th, and Korea recorded a scoreless draw.