"Our goal is to rewrite the history of Napoli and the 12 consecutive victories tell us that we are on the right path. I know that the city has been waiting for the title for more than thirty years and I am sure that at the end of the championship we will win the scudetto, if we are able to always play like this".
Kim Min-jae, the Korean defender who is making Spalletti's fortune, does not seem to have many doubts. Called to collect Koulibaly's legacy (“I feel a huge weight on my shoulders, because Koulibaly was a legend of the Napoli and replacing him is a big responsibility for me: towards the fans and also towards my teammates, who welcomed me really well"), It didn't take Kim long to settle in.
“It was my big chance and I jumped at it, after a stop in Türkiye – he tells in an interview with 'Repubblica' – The offer that came to me in the summer from the blue club was the best and I didn't hesitate for a moment to accept it, but I didn't expect to experience such a dizzying and exciting escalation: we are first in Serie A and in our group Champions, in three months the reality has far exceeded my wildest expectations”.
About Europe, “In the Champions League, however, you have to live day by day, with the minimum goal of losing as late as possible, if it really becomes inevitable you have to raise the white flag,” adds Kim, who grew up with Sergio Ramos as an idol and is ready to drag his Korea to the next World Cup (“playing here at the highest levels, in Serie A and in the Champions League, will certainly be useful to me in Qatar too”).
But for now he's only thinking about Naples. “Are we the team to beat? You have to ask our opponents, I don’t know how to answer. But I speak for myself and I have no doubts: Juve is the team I want to beat. I know that Neapolitan fans don’t like them that much.
My Italian adventure has just begun and I am convinced that there will be more difficult moments to come. But winning a title here would be really fantastic”.
Article published on 28 October 2022 - 11:41
Video Chronicles
