Kim Min-jae celebrates Bundesliga victory, overcoming controversy at Bayern Munich

Kim Min-jae (29, Bayern Munich) lifted the German Bundesliga championship trophy. He enjoyed the ceremony time with his teammates.

Bayern held the championship ceremony after winning 2-0 against Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, on the 11th (Korea time).

Bayern confirmed their early Bundesliga title victory on the 5th, depending on the match results of second-place Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern successfully reclaimed the 'Meisterschale' (Bundesliga trophy), which they had lost to Bayer Leverkusen, who went undefeated to win the league title last season, in their first season under manager Vincent Kompany after two years.

Kim Min-jae has again reached the summit of European leagues. After winning the Italian Serie A title in the 2022-2023 season, Kim Min-jae lifted the Bundesliga trophy after donning the Bayern uniform just before last season.

He became the first Korean player to reach the top in both Serie A and the Bundesliga, two major European leagues.

Kim Min-jae, who received rest due to a foot injury and did not participate in the match that day, shared the joy of victory with his teammates. He enjoyed the ceremony.

As one of the key figures in the victory, he received the spotlight in the center of the stage. He appeared first before his teammate Harry Kane to receive the medal. He then lifted the trophy sixth.

Kim Min-jae vigorously held up the shield-shaped championship trophy 'Meisterschale.'

This season, Kim Min-jae has played 2,289 minutes in the league as a starting center-back. He participated in almost every match for the full time amid injury difficulties in the defense. It is said that he played even while taking painkillers.

Despite suffering from an Achilles injury, back pain, and sore throat since late last year, he continued to participate. He faced criticism for several mistakes.

Bayern faced controversy after excluding Kim Min-jae from the celebratory content posted after confirming their victory last week. There was no appearance of Kim Min-jae in any posters or videos, leading to fans' questions.

In this ceremony, Kim Min-jae was certainly treated as the main character. Bayern quickly quelled the controversy about ignoring Kim Min-jae.

Meanwhile, Kane enjoyed the joy of his first career victory.

He had gone without a trophy for 13 seasons at Tottenham before transferring just before last season. In his second season after transferring to Bayern, he finally embraced the championship trophy.

Kane has scored 24 goals in the league this season. He is five goals ahead of second-place Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen, 19 goals), making him a strong candidate for the top scorer.

Before this season, Bayern appointed Vincent Kompany as manager. The change in coaching staff led to successful results. They maintained their lead from the beginning of the season and remained steady until the end. They quickly washed away the disappointment of being relegated to third place last season after falling behind Bayer Leverkusen and halting their streak of 11 consecutive championships.

Manager Kompany has achieved another milestone as a coach. This is his third league title following victories with Belgian Anderlecht in the Belgian Cup and with Burnley in the English Championship.

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