The ups and downs of Park Hang Seo's career in Korea

The spectacular comeback

On April 9, a series of the most famous sports newspapers in Korea published about the remarkable restructuring of the national football federation. President Jeong Mong Kyu of the Korean Football Federation announced 27 members for the new Executive Committee. Two of the most notable names to sit in the Vice President's chair are Park Hang Seo and Shin Tae Yong.

Through different paths, both have said goodbye to their positions as head coaches of the Vietnam and Indonesia national teams, to return to Korean football as “big officials”. A source from Chosun emphasized: “Mr. Park Hang Seo and Shin Tae Yong will have the task of supporting the national team, as well as participating deeply in the foreign affairs activities of the Korean Football Federation”.

Not to mention the new job in the near future, sitting in the position of Vice President of the Korean Football Federation also gives Mr. Park Hang Seo a position that his career has never had. President of VFF - Tran Quoc Tuan, the person with the highest responsibility in hiring and signing contracts with Mr. Park Hang Seo 3 times, in the period of 2018 to early 2023, sent his congratulations to the Korean Football Federation and the 67-year-old coach himself. And from the working relationship between the hirer and the hired, both have now become strategic partners, between the two football backgrounds of Korea and Vietnam.

Mr. Park made a spectacular comeback when he was appointed Vice President of the Korean Football Federation.

But that is not all the pride that Coach Park Hang Seo has, after receiving the decision to appoint the position of Vice President of the Korean Football Federation. The spectacular and glorious way of returning to Korean football is what this coach is proud of and proud of. Few people know that, more than 20 years ago, Mr. Park was hurt after the unprofessional treatment of a part of the Korean Football Federation's leaders at that time. This led to the consecutive failures that this coach had to go through in his coaching career. It was only when he came to work in Vietnam that that pain was somewhat healed for Mr. Park Hang Seo.

Wounds of the past

After a not-so-stellar football career, Coach Park Hang Seo was only really mentioned as an assistant to Mr. Guus Hiddink at the 2002 World Cup. In the role of an effective assistant to the Dutch "wizard", Mr. Park became an extension of the players and the coaching staff. Korea created a journey that shocked the world , becoming the first and only Asian team to reach the semi-finals.

Everything went smoothly for Mr. Park Hang Seo. But as soon as coach Guus Hiddink said goodbye to the Korean national team, criticism began to appear about Mr. Park. “When the Korean Football Federation appointed me as the head coach of the U23 team for the ASIAD, some people at the federation did not recognize my ability. They wanted Mr. Chung Hae Seong to be my co-head coach. But I did not want that,” Mr. Park said. The jealousy of some members of the Korean Football Federation continued to disrespect and make things difficult for Mr. Park Hang Seo.

“I was often criticized for my education, even though I graduated from university. The day I was appointed as the head coach of the Korean U23 team, they (the Korean Football Federation - PV) gave me a neat A4 paper. I told them to write a proper contract because foreign coaches get a proper contract while I only have a piece of A4 paper. They replied that there was no need to be so complicated. Seeing their attitude, I realized how much of an eyesore I was,” Coach Park tearfully recounted his difficult past.

The story did not end there. On the day Coach Hiddink returned as a guest, the Korean Football Federation arranged for Mr. Hiddink to sit on the coaching bench right next to Mr. Park Hang Seo, who was the head coach of the Korean Olympic team. “A person in the federation sarcastically said to me: Your pride must have been hurt. Then they made up stories and spread the word that I was dissatisfied with Coach Hiddink.”

When the team only won the Bronze Medal despite the Asian Games being held on home soil, Mr. Park became the focus of criticism. “After the failure at the Asian Games, I was criticized by public opinion. It was a really dark time. From the pride of the World Cup, I had nothing left but hatred. Everything happened within a few months. At that time, I thought I should quit football and do other jobs,” Coach Park bitterly confessed.

Leaving the scandal, Coach Park sought motivation again at the club level. But after more than 12 years from K.League 1 to K.League 2 and even K.League 3, Mr. Park failed. Korean media scorned this coach as Mr. Sleeping, after a video of this military leader pensive in the training cabin.

At the age of nearly 60, Mr. Park really thought about retiring. But with the advice of his wife and also introduced by his agent Lee Dong Jun, Mr. Park decided to try his luck in Vietnam. Right at the time when there was nothing left to lose, Mr. Park Hang Seo had great success with Vietnamese football. The achievement of reaching the final of the 2018 U23 Asian Cup with U23 Vietnam opened a new, unprecedented brilliant chapter in the football career of this coach. Consecutive historical achievements at the 2018 AFF Cup, 2019 Asian Cup, SEA Games and 2021 and the peak of reaching the third qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup made Mr. Park Hang Seo the greatest and most successful coach in the history of the "Golden Star Warriors".

Vietnamese football has really pulled Mr. Park out of the depths of despair and into success. And it is Vietnamese football that has become the lever for the Korean media and football to look at Mr. Park with admiration.

The eternal battery

Mr. Park came to professional football quite late. It was not until he moved from the countryside to the city to study high school that Mr. Park truly determined that football was the profession of his life. Mr. Park is likened to a wild buffalo on the field. That nickname started when this coach was in high school until he retired from football. The media called him by a more beautiful name. That is the eternal battery, as a way to describe the perseverance that Coach Park showed on the field.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/thang-tram-su-nghiep-cua-ong-park-hang-seo-tai-han-quoc-i764778/