Van Tung
Concluding the 2022-2023 season, the Serie A Secretariat announced the awards for the best performing players in each position (MVPs of Serie A 2022/2023). Accordingly, Kim Min-jae, a South Korean player, was honored as the best defender in Serie A for the 2022-2023 season. He was also named in the Serie A Team of the Season for 2022-2023.
With his outstanding performance, Kim Min-jae has been honored by Italian football. Image source: Allfootball, Besteleven.
The MVPs of Serie A award was established in the 2018-2019 season. Instead of voting, the award is determined through a Stats Perform scoring system based on match statistics to ensure objectivity. This year's award was given to six players in six categories: Player of the Season - Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Best Under-23 Player - Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Best Forward - Victor Osimhen (Napoli), Best Midfielder - Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Best Defender - Kim Min-jae (Napoli), and Best Goalkeeper - Ivan Provedel (Lazio).
The 26-year-old South Korean center-back was honored for his significant contributions to Napoli's first Serie A title in 33 years.
Kim Min-jae joined Napoli in August 2022 on a €18.05 million contract, replacing Kalidou Koulibaly (who moved to Chelsea). Despite being a newcomer to Serie A, the 1.9m tall center-back quickly adapted and became a formidable defensive shield for Napoli. After 37 rounds, Napoli conceded only 28 goals, the lowest in the league, and secured the Serie A title with five games to spare.
Many experts believe Kim Min-jae performed even better than Kalidou Koulibaly. The South Korean star made almost no major mistakes throughout the season. Besides winning the Serie A title convincingly, Kim Min-jae and his teammates also reached the quarter-finals of Europe's most prestigious tournament, the UEFA Champions League.
Thus, Kim Min-jae became the first Asian player to receive the Best Defender award in Serie A. He also became the first South Korean player to win the Serie A title. To date, only two Asian players have won the Serie A title, the first being Japanese star Hidetoshi Nakata (AS Roma in the 2000-2001 season).
In addition, the South Korean star was also voted into the Serie A Team of the Season 2022-2023 by Italian fans and journalists. The South Korean online newspaper Best Eleven concluded that being Asia's first best defender in Serie A and being included in the Serie A Team of the Season are two "crowns" for a stellar season for Kim Min-jae.
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