Juergen Klinsmann: Former USMNT coach is 'honored' to be named South Korea coach
- by Daniel Wighton , Feb 27, 2023
Jurgen Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player and led Germany to the semifinals as coach, has been appointed head coach of South Korea,
The 58-year-old will arrive in Seoul next week and be in charge for a friendly against Colombia on March 24, the Korean FA said, adding he had a contract until 2026.
The former Germany, Bayern Munich and United States coach succeeds Paulo Bento, who took the Koreans to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten 4-1 by Brazil.
"I am very happy and honored to be the head coach of South Korea's national football team," Klinsmann said, according to a Korea Football Association statement. "I am well aware that the Korean national team has been constantly improving and producing results over a long period of time," he said.
He added that he was "honored to be following in the footsteps" of former South Korea coaches, including Guus Hiddink and Bento.
"We will do our best to achieve successful results in the upcoming Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup," Klinsmann said.
South Korea are led on the pitch by skipper and forward Son Heung-min.
Klinsmann had a long and decorated career as a striker, playing for VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco, Tottenham Hotspur, and Bayern Munich. He scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for Germany and won the World Cup with them in 1990.
In 2004, Klinsmann succeeded former strike partner Rudi Voeller as coach of the German national team, his first position in management. He led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup on home soil, before taking over at Bayern and then the United States.
Klinsmann led the USA to the 2014 World Cup, where it lost 1-0 to eventual winner Germany, which included several players he had coached in 2006, in the group stage and to Belgium, 2-1, in overtime in the round of 16.
After being fired as U.S. coach in 2016, he largely avoided top coaching positions, other than a brief, ten-week stint in charge of Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin in the 2019-20 season.
Klinsmann has remained popular in Germany. He appeared frequently in the German soccer media and is often touted as a potential replacement for high-profile coaching vacancies.
Klinsmann caused rare controversy at the 2022 World Cup, where he was a member of the FIFA technical committee and BBC analyst. He suggested Iran's "dirty" tactics were "just part of their culture."
Klinsmann later apologized and promised to contact then-Iran coach Carlos Queiroz directly.
dwi-sh/ceb/pst
© Agence France-Presse
6 comments about "Juergen Klinsmann: Former USMNT coach is 'honored' to be named South Korea coach".
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Cluster Fa,,, U.K. Coming Up for S.Korea
He is just a cry baby. When I refd him when he played for OC blues he took off his boots and left at hallftime because he did like the offsides calls go his way.. I refd him here many times.
that's pretty sad to hear about being such a baby at OC Blues.
I found him always to be a quality person -His attitude on the field as a player gave you a clue to his charactor -as a coach he carried that thru -The man did a good job
Klinsmann has strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else. I was disappointed at the appointment of a German coach for the USMNT, but I respect him. (I referred to the USMNT as a poor man's imitation of Germany, and I thought a German coach was the opposite direction from where the program should be heading, but that's not on Klinsmann.)
Well said. He can help South Koreans, ROK, in many ways - for sure - the obvious one - they will place more players in Germany. Another - he will give them the German perspective on their full set-up, youth to men. This is good for them. Wish him and them, all the best.