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| Source=Björn Munich homepage capture |
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| Source=Björn Munich homepage capture |
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| 사진=REUTERS Yonhap News |
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'Monster Defender' Kim Min-jae appeared at his team's Bayern Munich training ground. It's been exactly 10 days since he collapsed from injury.
On the 25th (Korea time), Munich released photos of its first-team training on its official website. Munich coach Bangsang Kongpani formed training members with the rest of the players except for those who left for the national team schedule. It will be the first training session against Sao Paulo on the 29th in preparation for a home game in the 27th round of the German Bundesliga in the 2024-2025 season.
Kim Min-jae also participated in the training along with Thomas Müller, Serge Navri, and Rafael Guerreiro. With a bright expression, I hung out with my colleagues and sweated.
It is a faster-than-expected return. Coach Kongpani said at a pre-press conference against Union Berlin on the 14th, `I hope Kim Min-jae doesn't miss too long, but he will certainly miss the next few weeks.'
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| Photo capture=Bayern SNS |
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| The national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, trained at the auxiliary stadium of Goyang Stadium on the afternoon of the 17th. Director Hong Myung-bo is interviewing before training. Goyang = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.3.17/ |
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In response, the Korea Football Association urgently said on the 15th that `Kim Min-jae made a decision to cancel the call-up of the national team as he was judged to need treatment and recovery during the A-match due to left Achilles tendinitis.' A national team coach Hong Myung-bo included Kim Min-jae in the final list of the 7th and 8th Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Oman (20th) and Jordan (25th). Kim Joo-sung (Seoul) has been selected as a substitute for Kim Min-jae.
At a press conference for the national team's convocation on the 17th, Hong said, `Kim Min-jae is a very important player in Munich and the national team. Unfortunately, Munich did not protect players to prevent players, so as a result, we have to leave the game on an important schedule."
He added, `There have been danger signs of injury since last year. We were fully aware of that. However, in the current situation, it was not appropriate to use the team just because we are important players. I gave him a break by being bold and considerate." The German soccer magazine `Kicker' and others 'Hong attacked Munich' highlighted the interview remarks.
Kim Min-jae, who was expected to miss a few weeks, returned to the training ground in 10 days and is preparing for the weekend game.
From Munich's point of view, it is a big hit. Munich is aiming for the Bundesliga and the European Champions League double this season. Munich leads the league with 62 points in 26 league games, but missed the last two consecutive games in which Kim Min-jae was absent, allowing a six-point chase to second-place Bayer Leverkusen (56 points). A key defender is needed to win supremacy again in two years.
In the Champions League, they will reach the quarterfinals and compete with Inter Milan at home and away on the 9th and 17th of next month to qualify for the semifinals. Kim Min-jae, who has struggled with Achilles tendon problems throughout the season, will struggle for a double for the remaining two months.
Without Kim Min-jae, the national team drew 1-1 against Oman in Goyang. Kim Min-jae will face Jordan at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 25th, when he appeared at the training site. If he wins on the day, he will virtually confirm his advance to the World Cup finals for the 11th consecutive time. This is because the point gap with the third place in the group widens to six points with two games left. Currently, Hong Myung-bo leads Group B with 15 points. It is three points behind Jordan and Iraq (more than 12 points).
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
