Kim Sang-sik, the "Older Brother" Who Became "King"... "Next Goal Is World Cup Qualification"

[Anchor]

Head Coach Kim Sang-sik, who is rewriting Vietnamese football history with his friendly "older brother leadership," shared behind-the-scenes stories of winning the ASEAN Championship along with his new goals.

Reporter Lee Jeong-Chan met via video call with Coach Kim Sang-sik, who dreams of leading a World Cup team.

[Reporter]

Guiding Vietnam to the top of Southeast Asia for two consecutive tournaments while leading an all-time record of 26 consecutive matches undefeated, Coach Kim Sang-sik introduced himself as follows:

[Kim Sang-sik / Head Coach, Vietnam National Football Team: I am the king's man. I was the king's man for just one day, and now I am preparing from a standpoint where I must not lose my initial mindset and must take on new challenges.]

Overcoming failures back home and achieving success in Vietnam, where both the language and environment were unfamiliar, he pointed to meticulous observation as his secret.

[Kim Sang-sik / Head Coach, Vietnam National Football Team: I think it is important to observe (the players) well in every aspect, and I am always pondering how to (coach) more easily and simply so that the players can follow along.]

Vietnamese fans, who once revered Coach Park Hang-seo as a national hero by calling him "Papa," now call Coach Kim "older brother" as he displays friendly leadership—such as directly carrying and celebrating 22-year-old rising star Nguyen Dinh Bac, who was named tournament MVP.

[Kim Sang-sik / Head Coach, Vietnam National Football Team: They call me "Anh Kim Sang-sik," which means "Older Brother Kim Sang-sik." I think that kind of spontaneous celebration came out of gratitude ( toward Dinh Bac).]

Placed in the same group as South Korea in next year's Asian Cup, Coach Kim joked with his characteristic wit,

[Kim Sang-sik / Head Coach, Vietnam National Football Team: I also have a lot of interest in South Korean football, but like Coach Choi Yong-soo, I'm just going to do nothing for South Korean football.]

Before vowing to pour all his energy into helping Vietnam reach the World Cup for the very first time.

[Kim Sang-sik / Head Coach, Vietnam National Football Team: President Infantino told me he really wants to see Vietnam make it to the World Cup. I have a dream of competing against world-class coaches on the World Cup stage.]

(Camera Reporter: Hwang In-seok, Video Editor: Ha Seong-won, Design: Lee Ga-jin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.