Following the resignation of head coach Hong Myung-bo, calls for the return of former coach Paulo Bento have been growing among South Korean football fans.

With Bento currently not managing any football team, attention is focused on whether he will take the helm of the national team once again.

The South Korean national football team, led by Hong, finished the group stage of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup with one win and two losses against Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Africa, failing to advance to the Round of 32.

Despite having a so-called golden generation including Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae, the team failed to meet expectations. Hong announced his resignation yesterday (June 29) at the team's base camp in Guadalajara, Mexico, stating, "I intend to step down as the head coach of the national football team."

Following Hong's resignation, fans have been calling for the return of Bento, who led South Korea to the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

In fact, a post uploaded by Bento's wife, Teresa Bento, on her Instagram a week ago has been flooded with comments such as "We miss you, 'Ben-buji' (a portmanteau of Bento and father)" and "Please come back," with the number of 'likes' nearing 80,000.

The possibility of Bento's return is also being discussed because he is currently not leading a new team.

The Portuguese media outlet A Bola reported that Bento took charge of the United Arab Emirates national team in July 2023 but left the post after a 2-1 victory against North Korea in March of last year, and has not taken on a new team since.

Bento led South Korea to the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

At the time, South Korea was on the verge of elimination in Group H after a 0-0 draw with Uruguay and a 2-3 loss to Ghana, but they dramatically advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating Portugal 2-1 in the final group match.

However, the team's journey ended in the Round of 16 with a 1-4 loss to Brazil, after which Bento concluded his tenure with the national team.

At the time, discussions regarding a contract renewal with the Korea Football Association took place, but they parted ways after failing to narrow differences over contract terms.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Jung Yong-hee | Graphics by Lee Jung-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News