'Monster Defender' Kim Min-jae Ranked No.1 Center Back... FIFA Also Gives Thumbs Up

Kim Min-jae, 91.1 out of 100
2nd place is Manchester City defender R?ben Dias

Kim Min-jae (28, Bayern Munich), known as South Korea's representative 'monster defender,' received high praise from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) affiliated research institute for delivering the best performance among center-backs worldwide this season.

The International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES), a FIFA-affiliated international sports research institute, announced on the 12th (Korean time) via its social media account the top 10 center-backs who showed the best performance this season. Kim Min-jae proudly took the top spot with the highest score among the 10 players.

Soccer national team player Kim Min-jae is speaking at an official press conference held on the afternoon of September 9 (local time) at the City Seasons Hotel in Muscat, Oman. Photo by Yonhap News.

In CIES's proprietary metric analysis, Kim Min-jae scored 91.1 out of 100 points. Following him, Ruben Dias (89.7 points) of Manchester City in the English Premier League (EPL) ranked second, with Ibrahima Konat? (89.5 points) and Virgil van Dijk (89.4 points) of Liverpool taking third and fourth places respectively.

?der Milit?o of Real Madrid (Spain) ranked fifth (89.0 points), and Dayot Upamecano, who plays alongside Kim Min-jae at Munich, came in sixth (88.9 points). Manuel Akanji (Manchester City 88.2 points), I?igo Mart?nez (Barcelona 88.2 points), Willi Orban (Leipzig 87.1 points), and Marten de Roon (Atalanta 87.0 points) rounded out the seventh to tenth places.

Kim Min-jae struggled after transferring to Munich last season but made a perfect comeback this season, regaining his form. He is evaluated as one of Europe's top defenders by showcasing defense based on his quick feet and bold decision-making. Not only in defense but also with an excellent pass success rate, he greatly influences the build-up play. Thanks to Kim Min-jae's performance, Bayern Munich is leading the 2024?2025 Bundesliga season undefeated in 10 matches (8 wins, 2 draws).

Meanwhile, Kim Min-jae will join the South Korean national football team led by coach Hong Myung-bo to participate in the two away matches in the Middle East during the third round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers.