The new Vietnam national team goalkeeper coach is Mr. Kim Sang-sik's 'drinking buddy'

A few days ago, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) signed a contract with Lee Won-jae - a legend of Korean football. Mr. Lee took on the role of goalkeeper coach for the Vietnamese team and started his work right from the training trip to Korea on November 23. Coach Lee Won-jae will continue to coach Nguyen Filip and Dang Van Lam in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Mr. Lee received an invitation from Coach Kim Sang-sik to help the Vietnam team. They are famous close friends in Korean football. Besides their great professional contributions, Coach Kim Sang-sik and Lee Won-jae also have "unforgettable" memories from their playing days.

Lee Won-jae is a legend of Korean football.

17 years ago, a group of Korean football players went to a bar frequented by Korean tourists in Indonesia on July 13, 2007. They "drank" until 1:30 a.m. the next morning. Fans harshly criticized the group of players because this was the time when the Korean team had a poor performance, almost being eliminated from the group stage of the 2007 Asian Cup.

Lee Won-jae (Suwon), Woo Sung-yong (Ulsan), Kim Sang-sik (Seongnam) and Lee Dong-guk (Middlesbrough) were named. All four players were subject to disciplinary action. Hani newspaper revealed that Lee Won-jae was banned from playing for the national team for 1 year and was not allowed to participate in tournaments organized by the Korea Football Association (KFA) for 3 years.

Woo Sung-yong, Kim Sang-sik and Lee Dong-guk were also banned from participating in tournaments organized by the KFA for 2 years and were not allowed to join the national team for 1 year.

Ultimately, all of these players were cleared of charges and continued to contribute to the Korean national team. Goalkeeper Lee Won-jae's career is something many people dream of. He participated in 4 World Cups in 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2010. Lee Won-jae was named to the K.League's best team 10 times.

This famous player has won the Asian Cup 1 once, the K.League 4 times, won 3 Korean FA Cup titles, 4 League Cup titles, 2 Korean Super Cups and a number of other titles. As a coach, Mr. Lee has worked for the Korean national team and most recently for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Club.

Mai Phuong

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tan-hlv-thu-mon-tuyen-viet-nam-la-ban-nhau-cua-ong-kim-sang-sik-ar907056.html