The former coach of Germany and the United States, Jürgen Klinsmann, has been appointed head of South Korea, on the basis of a contract that should lead to the World Cup-2026, announced Monday the South-Korean Federation. Korean football.
The former Mannschaft striker (108 caps, 47 goals), with whom he won the World Cup in 1990, will arrive in Seoul next week and take his place on the bench for the friendly match against Colombia on March 24, said the body in a press release.
A place in the round of 16 for South Korea in Qatar
Aged 58, Klinsmann succeeds the Portuguese Paulo Bento, who led South Korea to the round of 16 of the last World Cup in Qatar (defeat against Brazil).
Jürgen Klinsmann has already led two selections in the past: Germany, with which he lost at home in the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup against Italy, and the United States (2011-16), with a round of 16 to his credit at the 2014 edition in Brazil.
Objective to qualify for the 2026 World Cup
His last experience on a bench came to an end, at Hertha Berlin, which was then struggling to maintain and which he left in early 2020 after only ten weeks, citing a lack of support.
In South Korea, the former striker for Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and AS Monaco, will be required to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the first to 48 nations.