Coach Kim Sang Sik once faced off against a lineup of football legends worldwide.

Prior to his appointment as head coach of Vietnam’s national team, Kim Sang-sik served as a mainstay central defender for South Korea, with many years wearing the national jersey and facing off directly against a series of global football icons.

During his playing career, Kim Sang-sik was regarded as a strong, disciplined, and experienced central defender. In 2000, he was called up to participate in the Sydney Olympics as an overage player. In that tournament, Kim Sang-sik had the chance to compete against the Spanish Olympic team, which included future legends like Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol.

Two years later, Kim Sang-sik was again part of South Korea’s squad competing in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The pinnacle of his international career came at the 2006 World Cup, where he was named in South Korea’s squad for the world’s biggest football event held in Germany.

At that tournament, the Korean team was placed in the same group as France, which boasted a golden generation including Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, and many other top global stars. In the matches, Kim Sang-sik was directly involved in intense duels with Henry and also had moments going head-to-head with Zidane, who was a symbol of French and world football at that time.

Not only at the World Cup, Kim Sang-sik also had the opportunity to face Michael Ballack in an international friendly match in 2004, famously exchanging jerseys with the German star. These encounters with top European players helped shape his modern defensive mindset and game-reading abilities.

In 2007, Kim Sang-sik continued to represent South Korea at the Asian Cup finals, also serving as captain in several matches alongside prominent Korean football figures like Park Ji-sung. Although he was called up less frequently after this period, he still had chances to compete against top stars, notably Zlatan Ibrahimovic in international matches.

At club level, Kim Sang-sik was attached to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors during the final phase of his playing career and retired there in 2013. After hanging up his boots, he transitioned into coaching, serving as assistant coach at Jeonbuk from 2014 to 2020 before officially taking over as head coach. As Jeonbuk’s head coach, Kim Sang-sik won one K-League title and one FA Cup, proving his coaching capabilities in one of South Korea’s most competitive environments.

Notably, in 2022, Coach Kim Sang-sik traveled with Jeonbuk to Vietnam for the AFC Champions League. In the group stage, the Korean team was held to a 1-1 draw by HAGL, leaving a strong impression on Vietnamese fans and also marking a rare opportunity for Kim Sang-sik to directly experience Vietnamese football before becoming the national team’s head coach..

With extensive international playing experience, having faced Xavi, Puyol, Zidane, Henry, Ballack, Ibrahimovic, and many other world-class stars, Coach Kim Sang-sik brings a unique foundation of experience to the Vietnamese national team. This is considered a crucial factor that helps him impart modern football tactics, competitive spirit, and psychological readiness to Vietnamese players when competing regionally and continentally.