German manager Jurgen Klinsmann, who previously served as USMNT’s head coach, is making a surprise return to international soccer. Klinsmann will take over as the new boss of South Korea’s national team, having signed a deal that runs through the 2026 World Cup.
Klinsmann replaces Portuguese manager Paulo Bento, who elected to step down in December. Under Bento, South Korea won the 2019 edition of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship and reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
“I know that the Korean national team has been improving and achieving results over a long period of time,” Klinsmann, who most recently coached Hertha BSC, said in a statement. “I am honored to follow in the footsteps of the great coaches who have led the Korean national team, from Gus Hiddink to my predecessor, Paulo Bento.”
Klinsmann is expected to have his debut in late March when South Korea has a scheduled friendly against Colombia and Uruguay. He will be tasked with qualifying the team for the next World Cup and trying to win the country’s third AFC Asian Cup title.
After concluding a successful playing career, Jurgen Klinsmann started his managerial journey with Germany’s national team in 2004. He stepped away after a third-place finish at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and later took over the Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. Klinsmann lasted less than a year in Bayern due to a series of poor results and failure to meet the club’s high expectations.
Klinsmann was hired as the head coach of the United States men’s national team in 2011. His early time with USMNT was a success as he led the team to CONCACAF Gold Cup win in 2013 and the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. However, USMNT’s performances deteriorated in the following years culminating with two losses at the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers that led the USSF to fire Klinsmann.
