Jurgen Klinsmann has been appointed as the coach of South Korea’s national football team. Germany’s 1990 World Cup-winning striker is happy to return to coaching after a long break. Aiming to take Asian powerhouses further, ‘I know the Korean national team has been improving for a long time and getting the desired results.
From Guus Hiddink to my predecessor Paolo Bento, I am honored to follow in the footsteps of the great coaches who have worked for the Korean national team so far. I am looking forward to give my best to help the team succeed in the upcoming Asian Cup and 2026 World Cup.’ He said.
Paulo Bento stepped down as coach after South Korea crashed out of the last sixteen after losing 4-1 to Brazil in the second round of the World Cup in Qatar. In his place, the high profile Klinsmann took over as Son Heung-min’s ‘guru’. After retiring from playing in 1998, he worked as the coach of the German national team from 2004-06. Under him, Germany finished third at home in the 2006 World Cup.
Klinsmann coached the United States national team from 2011-16 after serving at Bayern Munich in the 2008-09 season. He won the CONCACAF Gold Cup for USA in 2013. He was named CONCACAF Coach of the Year that year. However, he was not in the dugout for a while. Klinsmann was the coach of German club Hertha Berlin in the last 2019-20 season.
Klinsmann will serve as the team’s head coach until the 2026 World Cup, the South Korean Football Association said. The 58-year-old coach’s first assignment is on March 24. On this day, South Korea will play a friendly match against Colombia at home.
