When Kim moved to Bayern Munich on Tuesday on a five-year contract, it not only saw the defender's remarkable rise, but also marked the latest chapter in South Korea's rich history in the Bundesliga.
Kim is not the first South Korean to play in German football's top league.
Given that there were several prominent names before him, it's easy to think that he is unlikely to be the most successful figure in Korea.
But he has every chance of creating a brilliant legacy with Germany's biggest and most successful team.
Of course, South Korea's most famous player is Son Heung-min, who spent his formative years in the Bundesliga before joining Tottenham Hotspur – first for Hamburg and then for Leverkusen.
Impressively, Son Heung-min scored his first goal in just 24 minutes on his Bundesliga debut and scored double-digit goals in three consecutive seasons between 2012 and 2015, but it wasn't until his move to the Premier League that he reached world-class status.
Back in the early days, South Korea's original German football pioneer was the legendary Cha Beom-geun, who won the DFB-Pokal and the now-cancelled UEFA Cup with Eintracht Frankfurt starting in 1979.
Considering that Cha Beom-geun will continue to be recognized as Asia's best player of the 20th century, and Son Heung-min is currently one of the leading figures in the sport, it seems that Kim Jong-un does have a lot to pursue.
It must also be noted that Cha and Son naturally get more headlines and attention as attackers, while Kim spends most of his time on the not-so-glamorous task of stopping goals.
Still, it's fair to say that neither Cha nor Sun — who came to Germany in relative obscurity before making a splash to their potential — have faced the same pressure and scrutiny as Kim faced in the wake of such a high-profile move.
The 33-time German champion and six-time European champion has reportedly signed him for €50 million as one of their main targets for a summer transfer.
Despite Bayern's presence of players such as Matisse De Ligt and Dayott Upamecano, Bayern are still considered a much-needed defensive reinforcement, but some less convincing performances last season almost cost them eleven consecutive Bundesliga titles.
While Cha, Son Heung-min and other compatriots such as Koo Jae-chul and Lee Jae-sung have accomplished so much for Korean football in the Bundesliga, no one has received as much attention as Kim did at the start of the new season.
However, based on his track record, the 1.9-metre-tall centre-back – affectionately known as 'The Monster' from a young age – has every reason to be confident in his abilities.
In 2019, Kim made his first move abroad for Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan — a move that might have been unfairly seen as more financially motivated at the time — but he eventually signed Turkish giants Fenerbahce at the start of the 2021-22 season to prove he was ready for European football.
He moved to Serie A just one season later, with initial doubts about his ability to replace Napoli's Calidu Koulibaly.
Instead, since Diego Maradona led the team to glory in 1990, he played a key role in Paternope's first Serie A debut, winning the tournament's best defender award and being named in the Team of the Season.
His stellar performances at Napoli's backline have now earned him his third transfer in many summers.
On the one hand, Kim now continues the South Korean star's long history in the Bundesliga, and the 26-year-old also has the opportunity to create his own legacy – unlike what his compatriots before him have achieved.
Article source: 68 Sports