Is Kim Min-jae (29) also a victim of racial discrimination in Germany, following Son Heung-min (33)?

Bayern Munich announced on the 5th (Korean time) through the club's website that "Bayern is the champion of the 2024-2025 season! Bayern has become the German champion once again! Bayer Leverkusen can no longer reach the top of the Bundesliga after drawing with Freiburg on Sunday. This is Bayern's 34th German championship and a reward for a wonderful season."

Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 against SC Freiburg in the 32nd round of the 2024-2025 Bundesliga, which was held at Europa-Park Stadium in Freiburg, Germany, on the same day.

With this, the title race for second-place Leverkusen has ended. They only managed to score 68 points (19 wins, 11 draws, 2 losses), failing to significantly narrow the gap with first-place Bayern Munich (76 points). Since Leverkusen failed to add 3 points, Bayern has automatically secured this season's league title, regardless of the results of the remaining two matches.

Thanks to this, Bayern achieved their 34th Bundesliga title, extending the record for the most championships. They succeeded in reclaiming the 'Meisterschale' (Bundesliga championship trophy), which they had lost to Leverkusen, who had achieved an unbeaten title last season, after one year.

The opening goal belonged to Freiburg. In the 44th minute of the first half, Maximilian Eggestein received the ball from a distance and immediately took a powerful shot, which found its way into the corner where the goalkeeper couldn't reach it. It was a moment of celebration for the Bayern players and fans who were watching the match.

With the start of the second half, Freiburg extended their lead to 2-0 through a fortunate own goal. In the 48th minute, Pierro Incapierre attempted to clear the ball but accidentally deflected it off his own foot into the goal. 'Defending champions' Leverkusen's counterattack was fierce as well. In the 82nd minute, Florian Wirtz carried the ball forward and scored a powerful goal with his right foot. Additionally, in stoppage time, Jonatan Tah made a strong header to equalize at 2-2.

Leverkusen needed one more goal to prevent Bayern's early title celebration. However, time was running out. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, with Bayern ascending to the champion's throne. Meanwhile, with this victory, Kim Min-jae became the first Korean player to achieve Bundesliga victory.

Kim Min-jae started as a regular in all 27 league matches he played, contributing significantly to the championship as a key defender for Bayern. This is a record that even the pioneer Cha Bum-kun could not achieve. Cha Bum-kun was a legend who led Frankfurt and Leverkusen to UEFA Cup victories in 1980 and 1988, respectively, but he never won the Bundesliga. Son Heung-min, who played for Hamburg and Leverkusen, also does not have a Bundesliga title.

Especially noteworthy is that Kim Min-jae won the title as a key player for Bayern. He held the team together until the end, despite other players being sidelined for the entire season due to injuries. Unlike others who were out for the season due to injuries, he displayed great performance while playing through injuries.

However, Kim Min-jae's contributions are not being recognized at all in Germany. They instead blame him for mistakes made at the end of the season, labeling him a failed acquisition. Bayern is also considering selling him due to issues with his focus. Nevertheless, he is still quite popular.

This summer, rumors are rampant that Kim Min-jae will transfer to another team. Names like Newcastle and Manchester United in the Premier League are already being mentioned. It wouldn't be surprising if Kim Min-jae, who dominated Italy and Germany, transfers to another major league. Such performance proves that his popularity remains despite the end-of-season mistakes.

However, despite his popularity in other leagues, there has been unpleasant racial discrimination against Kim Min-jae in Germany. In fact, unlike other players, he has consistently been the target of local media. He has faced unjustified belittling compared to other players. Especially, this malign evaluation has now been transmitted.

On the 5th, Bayern uploaded a video celebrating their title confirmation on their YouTube channel. The thumbnail of the video featured mainly the starting players. However, the photo of Kim Min-jae, who has played the most time in the team after Joshua Kimmich, was missing. On the other hand, his partner Upamecano was included, making the thumbnail even more puzzling.

In another poster, Kim Min-jae's face was clearly visible, but he was cut out from the video thumbnail. This thumbnail can be interpreted as reflecting the pervasive racial discrimination in Germany. In fact, several players, including Son Heung-min, have complained about severe racial discrimination while playing in the German league.

Germany has been engulfed in controversy regarding the unreasonable criticism of Kim Min-jae. Even the club is now excluding a title-winning player from the thumbnail, making the absurd atmosphere prevalent locally evident. Attention is drawn to what consequences such unjust evaluations and racial discrimination against Kim Min-jae will lead to.

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