Ahn Jung-hwan vs Kim Min-jae
South Korea against South Korea. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
Ahn Jung-hwan
South Korea · 1999–2006 · SS
- Almanac rating
- 84
- Rank in South Korea
- #8 of 33
- Caps
- 71 · 17 goals
- Clubs
- Busan IPark, Shimizu S-Pulse, Dalian Shide
In the 117th minute against Italy in Daejeon on 18 June 2002, he met Lee Young-pyo's cross with his head and sent the co-hosts into the quarter-finals, and Perugia terminated his contract the following day. Fourth place at that World Cup and selection in its All-Star team stand alongside the J1 League he won with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2004, the 1999 K League MVP award, and another World Cup goal against Togo in 2006. Career record: 71 caps and 17 goals for South Korea; club career at Busan IPark, Shimizu S-Pulse, Dalian Shide.
Kim Min-jae
South Korea · 2018–22 · CB
- Almanac rating
- 87
- Rank in South Korea
- #5 of 33
Naples called him il Mostro in his first season there, 2022/23, when he replaced Kalidou Koulibaly and played 35 of 38 league games for a side that had not won Italy since Maradona. That Scudetto came with Serie A's best defender award, the first for an Asian player, and he has since won consecutive Bundesliga titles at Bayern Munich, plus two K League crowns at Jeonbuk and Asian Games gold in 2018.
The verdict
The almanac puts Kim Min-jae ahead by 3 rating points, 87 against 84.
Fans have not settled this one yet. Cast the first vote in the duels.