When national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann (58) was appointed as the Korean national team, Japan also showed great interest.
On the 27th, the Korea Football Association (KFA) 스포츠토토officially announced the appointment of head coach Klinsman as the head coach of the Korean national soccer team. His contract period is about 3 years and 5 months until the 2026 World Cup finals in North and Central America.
Japan’s reaction was also hot. Multiple media such as sports media ‘Sponich Annex’, ‘Daily Sports’, and ‘Soccer King’ rushed to report the news as soon as the appointment was announced. German soccer legend Klinsmann covered in detail his career as a player and manager. He also shared Klinsman’s interview with KFA and his impressions of the appointment.
After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Japan decided to retain head coach Hajime Moriyasu after contemplating the appointment of a new coach. We considered hiring foreign coaches such as Joachim Löw and Marcelo Bielsa, but decided to give strength to coach Morillas, who defeated strong teams such as Germany and Spain.
What is interesting is that Japan also considered the appointment of Klinsmann four years ago. After the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Japan contacted coach Klinsmann and went back and forth in detail about the terms of the contract, but in the end it was not concluded.
When director Klinsman came to Korea, some Japanese netizens reacted with envy. One netizen said, “It’s surprising to bring in a manager who was a star player, even though his tactical capabilities are questionable. To be honest, I’m envious.”
Another netizen also said, “Klinsman didn’t have much tactics as a coach and he didn’t have a good reputation, but he was just ‘Klinsman’.”