Kim Min-jae's 'unsatisfactory' Bundesliga season

The Korean defender called his first season at Bayern Munich "unsatisfactory" in comments to reporters following the club's final home game. Bayern's Saturday loss marked the official end to a disappointing run for the club — and one of its stars.

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, right, checks on Kim Min-jae during the UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg between Lazio and Bayern Munich at the Olympic stadium on Feb. 14 in Rome. [AFP/YONHAP]

The 2023-24 Bundesliga season is now a thing of the past as clubs played their final matches over the weekend and VfB Stuttgart's runner-up finish dealt a final blow to 11-time defending champions Bayern Munich, who settled for third.

It marked the end of a disappointing run for Korean defender Kim Min-jae, who may have started the season on a high but ended it closer to mediocre. Kim himself described his first season at Bayern as “unsatisfactory,” speaking to reporters a couple weekends ago after the club’s final home match of the campaign.

Kim Min-jae: "Personally it was an unsatisfactory season and I have to improve next season. When a season is over, as a player you always think a lot. What did I do right, what was missing and what is needed. When I make mistakes and show weaknesses, it's even more important to… pic.twitter.com/ZXYgyxLNQL

— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) May 20, 2024

“When I make mistakes and show weaknesses, it's even more important to learn from them. It's important to reflect on all of that well in order to be able to compete at a high level as a player. Next season I will be even stronger."

Kim joined Bayern last July on a five-year deal worth a reported $56 million to play under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel plucked Kim from Italian club Napoli, where he helped lift the club to their first championship trophy in 33 years and was named the Serie A’s best defender, hailing Kim as a versatile player.

Tuchel heaped praise on Kim during the first few months of the season and fielded the center-back for a full 90 minutes in 13 straight league games before the defender left to join the Korean national team for the AFC Asian Cup.

Kim got his first goal and first assist in a 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in December, one of the last games before the monthlong break.

But Kim’s playing time got shorter and more inconsistent upon his return.

He played an average of 50 minutes in Bayern’s 13 league matches since Feb. 10, his first match after returning from Qatar, besides the season closer. And while he’d started every game before national duty, he was excluded from the starting XI six times after — staying on the bench for three of those games.

"Tactically speaking, I should have met the coach's demands better, I didn't always do that right. I understand that. As a player, I have to know what I do well and what I don't do well on the pitch, whether I make mistakes or play well,” Kim said.

Bayern Munich's Kim Min-jae, right, fouls Real Madrid's Rodrygo to concede a penalty during the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinal at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany on April 30. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

There were speculations of a rift between Tuchel and Kim when the manager called out Kim’s aggressive defending during the UEFA Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid — who knocked Bayern out of the tournament.

"As a defender, I always played with conviction. But here [at FC Bayern] such qualities were not always needed, which led to a confusion within myself,” Kim said when asked about Tuchel’s comments, according to the iMiaSanMia translation. “There were many moments during the game where I hesitated because I couldn't play with full conviction. I tried very hard to implement what the coach wanted."

Kim’s contract at Bayern runs through June 2028. Tuchel announced in February he would resign after the 2023-24 Bundesliga season, but it is unclear when or if he will depart the club.

Bayern meet Tottenham in two friendlies this summer, once in Seoul on Aug. 3 and in London on Aug. 10.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]