HLV Kim Sang Sik kết nối với cầu thủ Việt bằng nhân sâm và mỹ phẩm

According to Yonhap News Agency, in an online press conference on August 5, coach Kim Sang Sik shared that he knew that Vietnamese players really like Korean ginseng, so he personally brought it from Korea to give to the players.

Mr. Kim revealed that he also gave the players cosmetics and sunscreen.

“I took the initiative to create closeness and they seemed to sense that goodwill. Maybe they also liked the way I built the connection,” Mr. Kim said.

Currently, Coach Kim is leading both the national team and the U-23 Vietnam team.

After leading the Vietnamese team to win the Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024 in January, Mr. Kim continued to help the U-23 Vietnam team win the Southeast Asian U23 Championship at the end of July.

Yonhap commented that coach Kim Sang Sik is considered the "new hero" of Vietnamese football with the miracle named "Kim Sang Sik".

“I try to connect with them in my daily life. I joke around in the treatment room, even imitating Coach Park Hang Seo to create laughter. The word 'jeong' in Korean means 'love' in 'affection' - pronounced similar to the word 'love' in Vietnamese. Korean and Vietnamese cultures are quite similar, so it is easy for us to open up and understand each other,” Mr. Kim shared the secret to creating a connection with Vietnamese players.

Also according to Yonhap, the succession of coach Park Hang Seo - considered a Vietnamese football legend - put great pressure on Mr. Kim in the beginning.

“Coach Park is a hero of Vietnamese football. I am not trying to imitate him, but I just think that I should not harm the achievements he left behind,” Mr. Kim added.

Despite admitting the pressure as fans have high expectations for the U-23 Asian Cup (September), the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers (October-November) and the SEA Games (December), Mr. Kim is still determined to win the championship.

Talking about coach Shin Tae Yong being fired from the Indonesian team in January, Mr. Kim humorously said: “If he had stayed, it would have been harder for us to beat Indonesia. Luckily, he left early.”

At the same time, he wished coach Shin success if he takes on a new role at Ulsan HD club.

Coach Kim led Jeonbuk Hyundai from 2021 but resigned in mid-2023 due to poor performance.