Kim Min-jae, a key defender of the Korean national football team, who joined the prestigious Italian club Naples and entered the European 'big league', vowed to become a bigger player on a new stage.
Kim Min-jae attended the press conference held in Castel di Sangro, Italy, where team training was in progress yesterday (30th) and said, "I came to a good team after growing quickly and showing good appearance in Europe." "I have no intention of stopping here. One more step I want to grow up and make an impact in Italy.”
Kim Min-jae, who played a great part in Turkiye Fenerbahce, became a Napoli player on the 27th.
He became a starting player in his first year at Fenerbahce, showing his skills on the European stage, and after constantly being engulfed in transfer rumors in Europe's big leagues, he chose Napoli.
At the press conference that day, when he first appeared in front of local reporters as a Napoli player, questions related to his reason for going to Naples were particularly frequent.
Kim Min-jae said, "I felt that the club and the manager were active," and "I was told to come from Naples, would any other proposals mean much? I thought it was a big club and a good club."
When similar questions were asked again and again, Kim Min-jae emphasized, "I chose Naples because it is Naples."
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Napoli, who finished third in Serie A last season and is scheduled to participate in the UEFA Champions League in the new season, transferred key defender Khalidu Coulibaly to Chelsea in England and then signed Kim Min-jae.
Kim Min-jae said, "Coulibaly is one of the world's top players. When you ask who can replace him, no one can answer right away."
However, he did not hide his confidence, saying, "I want to show the team what I do best, and I will do my best by using all of my abilities."
At the same time, Kim Min-jae introduced his strengths, saying, "I am active in defense and I think I have a good cover ability.
Kim Min-jae became the third Korean player to play in Italian Serie A after Ahn Jung-hwan and Lee Seung-woo.
He said, "It's my first time in Serie A, so I think it's important to adapt well first. I want to do well in this league."
Regarding the Napoli team, he said, "I have a lot to learn from the manager defensively, and I think the quality of the players is good.
On the first day of joining the team, Kim Min-jae, who became a hot topic when he danced to Psy's song 'Gangnam Style' in front of his teammates, said, "I wanted to leave a good impression on my colleagues and the club, but I think I did well." showed satisfaction.
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(Photo = Napoli club Twitter capture, Yonhap News)