Jürgen Klinsmann has been announced as Korea’s new head coach after Paulo Bento stepped down following the 2022 World Cup. His contract lasts until the 2026 World Cup.
The former German striker takes on his fifth
coaching role and his first since a chaotic spell at Hertha Berlin. He is set
to lead South Korea at the next World Cup in 2026.
Klinsmann, 58, will arrive in Seoul next week
and be in charge when South Korea faces Colombia on March 24.
Klinsmann’s playing career has been nothing
short of star-studded. He played for Bayern Munich for two seasons, winning a
Bundesliga title and a UEFA Cup (Europa League), and also won the latter with
Inter Milan.
But his real pinnacle as a player came with
the national team, whom he led to victory in the 1990 World Cup. He also
reached two consecutive UEFA Euro finals, winning one, and won the bronze medal
at the 1988 Olympics, held in none other than his current team’s capital,
Seoul.
His managerial career, however, does raise a
few eyebrows. Although he did succeed as the head coach of Germany and the
United States, reaching the World Cup semifinals with the former and winning
the CONCACAF Gold Cup with the latter, he spectacularly failed as Bayern coach
to the point that he was sacked in his first season.
To make matters worse, he lasted only three months at his most recent gig with Hertha BSC, infamously resigning via a Facebook live stream.
It remains to be seen whether Klinsmann can
redeem himself as a manager with South Korea. However, he will have big shoes
to fill.
His predecessor Bento was Korea’s
longest-ever serving coach, and he left behind a legacy to be proud of, winning
the E-1 Football Championship in 2019 and reaching the round of 16 at the 2022
World Cup, beating his home country of Portugal in the process.
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