Together, they helped Korea win 3rd place in Asia in 2000 after many difficult years (did not attend the 1992 finals, lost in the 1996 quarterfinals).
Kim Sang Sik at the 2000 Asian Cup
Since 2001, Guus Hiddink has been chosen to be the head coach of Korea and Park Hang Seo has been retained in the assistant team.
At that time, Kim was injured and missed a number of matches. Although he recovered and attended a number of practice matches, he was still left out of the 2002 World Cup squad by Hiddink.
Absence from the World Cup squad that South Korea and Japan co-host is a big disappointment for Kim. Hiddink explained that he found Sang Sik lacking motivation.
After the Hiddink dynasty, Kim became one of the main factors of Korea, attending the 2006 World Cup as well as winning 3rd place at the 2007 Asian Cup – the tournament that Vietnam team is the only host among the four host countries to pass the group stage (with Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia).
Training imprint
Kim Sang Sik’s football career ended in 2013. At that time, he was called the “card king” by the media and fans because of many unnecessary fouls.
Kim went to France to study for a coaching degree for a short time. He returned to Jeonbuk to act as an assistant. In his new position (only leading a few matches when the head coach was banned from directing), he won the K-League championship 6 other times.
Kim’s contribution in the 2020 season was truly important. He supported coach Jose Morais in many aspects, especially the psychological aspect, helping Jeonbuk win the K-League championship for 4 consecutive seasons.
Because of that influence, when the contract with Morais expired in December 2020, Kim Sang Sik was chosen as captain of Jeonbuk.
In the 2021 season, Kim helped Jeonbuk win the K-League championship. He brings balance in defensive play and, when needed, will dominate the attack with 71 goals after 38 rounds.
This achievement helped Kim receive the best coach awards of the 2021 season, from the K-League as well as the Korean Football Federation.
Kim Sang Sik created many milestones in his first season as a coach in the K-League
Besides, Kim Sang Sik became the first person in Jeonbuk history to win the K-League championship as a player, assistant and coach. The entire Korean tournament only had 3 people lifting the trophy as players and coaches.
Kim is the 6th coach in history, and the first Korean since 1987, to win the K-League championship in his first coaching season.
Jeonbuk missed the K-League title in 2022, but won the FA Cup. In 2023, he proactively resigned when the club was in crisis for many reasons.
Kim Sang Sik loves the 4-2-3-1 playing style. When attacking, his Jeonbuk is flexible between 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1, favoring ball control and controlling the middle.
However, he can also build a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 style of play when needing to defend with 3 central defenders, in the style that Park Hang Seo is very successful with in Vietnamese football.
From K-League to Vietnamese football is a big difference. But Kim Sang Sik’s career is truly admirable.
