"World-Class Character"… Kim Minjae's Action After Completing Doping Test

Cleaning the doping room after completing a full 120-minute game

Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), a key defender of the South Korean national football team, was revealed to have cleaned the doping room on behalf of the Australian team after a hard-fought victory in extra time.

Kim Min-jae played the full 120 minutes, including extra time, in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinal match against Australia held on the 3rd at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar.

After South Korea's 2-1 comeback win, Kim Min-jae and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) were selected for doping tests. The AFC designates two players per team, totaling four players, for doping tests after each match in this tournament.

Kim Min-jae and national team officials cleaning up the doping test room.
[Photo by Korea Football Association]

The Australian players completed their tests first, followed shortly by Lee Kang-in leaving the doping test room. The team was exhausted on the 3rd, and Kim Min-jae, who had sweated heavily, reportedly took over two hours to complete both urine and blood tests.

When Kim Min-jae finally finished the test, team officials stood up to leave. At that moment, Kim Min-jae began tidying up towels, leftover snacks, and water bottles scattered around the doping test room.

Team manager Lee Jae-cheol, who was present at the scene, said, “I told Kim Min-jae that there are people who clean the locker room, so let’s quickly wash up and go eat, but he kept cleaning.”

He added, “Kim Min-jae could have said that the people here didn’t even clean up after the Korean players, but he said, ‘Let’s just clean up a little and leave. We don’t need to hear that kind of talk when we’re abroad.’”

Forward pass by Kim Min-jae
Photo by Yonhap News

Following Kim Min-jae’s words, the team doctor and officials cleaned the doping test room thoroughly, including snacks left by the Australian players, before leaving the stadium.

Manager Lee said, “Kim Min-jae gave his all until the very end of the Australia match, to the point of collapsing. He must have been extremely tired and hungry, but I thought, ‘World-class players really are different.’ The victory over Australia felt even more rewarding.”

After the story spread, netizens commented, “His character is top-notch as expected,” and “World-class players are different in every way.”

Meanwhile, the Klinsmann-led team will challenge for a spot in the final in a rematch against Jordan, whom they faced once in the group stage, at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan at midnight Korean time on the 7th.

Kim Min-jae, who played most of the last five matches full-time, received his second yellow card of the tournament late in the Australia match and will miss the semifinal against Jordan due to accumulation of cautions.