Anyone would feel disheartened.
Bayern confirmed the Bundesliga championship for the 2024-2025 season on the 5th (Korean time). This was thanks to Bayer 04 Leverkusen drawing 2-2 with SC Freiburg in the 32nd round of the Bundesliga held at Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg, Germany.
Thus, Leverkusen's championship competition ended. They finished with 68 points (19 wins, 11 draws, 2 losses), failing to considerably close the gap with Bayern Munich, who finished first with 76 points. With Leverkusen failing to add 3 points, Bayern automatically secured the league championship this season, regardless of the results of the remaining two matches.
Bayern announced through the club's website, "Bayern is the champion of the 2024-2025 season! Bayern has once again become the German champion! After Leverkusen drew with Freiburg on Sunday, they can no longer rise to the top of the Bundesliga. This marks Bayern's 34th championship and is a reward for a great season."
Now Kim Min-jae has also obtained the "Meisterschale" (Bundesliga championship trophy). He has become the first Korean player to win both Serie A and Bundesliga titles among the top five European leagues. Kim Min-jae previously ascended to the top of Serie A wearing the Napoli jersey in the 2022-2023 season.
So far, only two Korean players have won the Bundesliga: Jung Woo-young (Union Berlin) and Kim Min-jae. Jung Woo-young joined Bayern's reserve team in 2018, and after being called up to the first team, he played one match each in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Champions League. As a result, he was part of Bayern's league championship team in the 2018-2019 season.
However, unlike Jung Woo-young, Kim Min-jae has made a difference by contributing as a key member to securing the championship. This season, Kim Min-jae played 43 matches in total across all competitions, logging 3,593 minutes, and participated for 2,289 minutes in the league alone. This makes him the second most used player in Bayern after Joshua Kimmich.
In particular, Kim Min-jae had struggled with an Achilles injury since last October, but due to the numerous injuries of his teammates, he did not have a chance to rest. Nevertheless, he emphasized multiple times in December, "I would rather be on the field and break down than sit on the bench. If I can do something for the team, I will give my best. My teammates and the club know that I am a fighter. I want to play as often as possible," expressing his determination instead of complaints.
However, it seems that Kim Min-jae's dedication is not highly valued locally in Germany. Claims have emerged suggesting that Kim Min-jae is being overlooked in unexpected ways. After the championship was confirmed, Bayern shared a commemorative video titled "We brought the Meisterschale home" on the club's official YouTube channel, reflecting on this season's highlight moments in celebration of the championship.
The thumbnail for the video became controversial. Instead of a championship poster featuring the entire squad, Bayern set the thumbnail to an image featuring only 11 members, including coach Vincent Kompany. Surprisingly, Kim Min-jae was not included. Instead, Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Thomas Müller, and Leon Goretzka were featured.
Naturally, questions arose among fans. They included 10 key players, yet Kim Min-jae's face was missing. Rather, Dayot Upamecano, who has frequently been sidelined due to injuries, and Leon Goretzka, who only played 2,147 minutes, were notably included.
Additionally, Bayern had already posted a championship celebration image featuring the entire squad on social media. They deliberately created a new image and registered it as the thumbnail, removing the faces of Kim Min-jae and other players. Even the Bundesliga sparked a similar controversy. The official Bundesliga YouTube also uploaded a short animation to celebrate Bayern's championship.
However, while a total of 13 players appeared in the animated version of the video, Kim Min-jae, who played a key role in Bayern's championship, was nowhere to be found. Most starting players were included, but, coincidentally, Kim Min-jae was again absent. In contrast, Eric Dier, who only played a total of 1,657 minutes, was featured alongside his close friend Kane.
As the continued lack of acknowledgment for Kim Min-jae is hard to understand, some domestic fans have raised suspicions of possible racial discrimination. Meanwhile, Dier has merely played 1,763 and 1,285 minutes in the league. It is true that when Upamecano was sidelined, he coordinated with Kim Min-jae to fulfill his role.
However, when considering contributions to the championship, Kim Min-jae undoubtedly stands out. But it seems that local opinions differ. In fact, Kim Min-jae has faced mistreatment in Germany for quite some time. Local reputable media such as Bild and Kicker have consistently applied stricter standards to him, awarding him relatively low ratings. Overall, ratings for Bayern players were low, but those for Dier and Upamecano were clearly different.
However, this time, Kim Min-jae has been neglected not only by the Bundesliga but also by Bayern, leaving a lasting shock. The club, which should have been the first to protect the player, has not valued Kim Min-jae, a crucial figure in the championship. While it may be considered a trivial matter, it provides insight into how Kim Min-jae is perceived locally in Germany.
Upon seeing this, domestic fans left numerous comments protesting to the Bayern club. Some pointed out that excluding Kim Min-jae, an indispensable player in the championship, could be seen as racial discrimination. Eventually, Bayern replaced the thumbnail with an image featuring all players, including Kim Min-jae, as the controversy escalated.
Along with this unpleasant response from Germany, Kim Min-jae is likely to transfer in the summer transfer market. European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano noted on the 6th, "Kim Min-jae is highly likely to leave Bayern in the summer transfer market. However, whether he transfers will depend on the offers. He is not completely excluded from Bayern's project."
Romano emphasized, "Kim Min-jae had a complicated season due to injury issues. Consequently, he was unable to always play at his best. Along with clubs in the United Kingdom and Italy, there is also interest from the Saudi league," adding that "since Kim Min-jae is receiving a high salary, there could be problems for English clubs in acquiring him."
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