Coach Kim Sang-sik likes MU and Sir Alex Ferguson, describes himself in 3 words

Coach Kim Sang-sik likes MU thanks to... Park Ji-sung

In an interview with Thanh Nien Newspaper on the morning of January 9 at his home, Coach Kim Sang-sik revealed many interesting stories related to his personal interests.

The Korean coach revealed that he is a fan of MU - the most successful football team in England. However, Mr. Kim's relationship with MU was also coincidental. "I like MU because my brother Park Ji-sung, whom I admire very much, used to play for this team," coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed.

Coach Kim Sang-sik

Mr. Kim has a special friendship with Park Ji-sung, as both played in the K-League and the Korean national team. In the 2022 season, Park Ji-sung was appointed as the technical director of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, where Mr. Kim was the head coach. However, both were unable to help Jeonbuk succeed. In the 2023 season, coach Kim Sang-sik left the hot seat, while Park Ji-sung remained to lead the former K-League champion.

The star that coach Kim Sang-sik likes the most is Zinedine Zidane. As for his coaching role model, Mr. Kim chose Sir Alex Ferguson, the legendary coach of the "Red Devils".

Before coming to Vietnam, Coach Kim Sang-sik had a brilliant playing career when he won the K-League and AFC Champions League with Jeonbuk. After retiring, he took on the role of assistant, then became head coach in the 2021 season. Mr. Kim was described by the Korean media as a "winning specialist". After only 7 months of coaching the Vietnamese team, Coach Kim Sang-sik also successfully conquered the AFF Cup 2024.

However, Mr. Kim does not consider this success his own. "First of all, I would like to send my sincere thanks to VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan and the leaders of the departments and agencies who created the conditions for me to be here and supported me a lot to complete my tasks in the Vietnam team.

I also thank the logistics department for helping the team with things like booking air tickets, arranging hotels and accommodation. I am always grateful for what they have done for me and the Vietnam team. The task of the Vietnam team is to play well on the field, and for things outside, there have been silent contributions from the VFF. They have made a lot of efforts to make this championship happen."

Thanh Nien Newspaper reporter gives gift to Mr. Kim

3 words to describe yourself are...

Thanh Nien Newspaper asked coach Kim Sang-sik: "If you could describe yourself in 3 words, what would you choose?".

Mr. Kim replied: "First is 'tiger'. I want to be a scary coach to be strict with the players. Second is 'transformation', always changing myself to be better. Third is 'confidence', after the successful tournament, I have to be more confident to help Vietnamese football become even better."

Coach Kim Sang-sik also admitted that he was under pressure from the resounding success of his predecessor Park Hang-seo. "It's too difficult to be as successful as Mr. Park with Vietnamese football," Mr. Kim emphasized. "But I will try. I hope the fans will love and support me as they did with Mr. Park."

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh encouraged coach Kim Sang-sik

Besides wanting to bring his family to Vietnam to celebrate Tet, Mr. Kim wants to spend the next few days resting and recharging his batteries. "I miss home, sometimes I feel lonely, but luckily I have Korean friends here to accompany me," said coach Kim Sang-sik. "The love of football of Vietnamese people has given me more motivation."

Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that he will work hard to find new players and the AFF Cup 2024 will only be the beginning of the journey he and his students will embark on.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-thich-mu-va-sir-alex-ferguson-tu-mo-ta-ban-than-bang-3-tu-185250109112200729.htm