Kim Min-jae joins Bayern Munich after getting hero treatment in Italy [REWIND 2023]

Kim Min-jae became the first Korean ever to win the Scudetto, the Serie A title, in May this year, bringing the title back to Naples, Italy 33 years after Diego Maradona last led the club to the top.

Kim Min-jae lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Serie A title at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Kim Min-jae became the first Korean ever to win the Scudetto, the Serie A title, in May this year, bringing the title back to Naples, Italy 33 years after Diego Maradona last led the club to the top.

Kim, who spent just one season in Naples, was hailed as one of the heroes of the championship team, having racked up a string of accolades including Player of the Month twice, Serie A best defender for the season, Serie A team of the season and even the European Sports Media’s continental team of the season.

By May there were murals of Kim’s face painted on the historic buildings of Naples and fans screaming in Napoli blue wherever he went — the full hero treatment usually reserved for the top strikers, not defenders like Kim.

That single season made Kim the most successful Korean footballer ever to play in Serie A, and triggered an arms race over the summer as top clubs fought to trigger Kim’s narrow release clause while Napoli looked to shut that door for good.

Bayern Munich won the race, signing Kim on a five-year deal in July that ended months of speculation on where the star center-back would go.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]