[풋볼리스트] Reporter Cho Hyo-jong = Spanish coaches are being discussed as candidates for coaching the Korean men’s national soccer team.
On the 22nd (Korean time), Spanish media ‘AS’ reported, “Korea is looking for the next coach, and one of the candidates is Robert Moreno.”
‘AS’ reported on the 11th that director Moreno is receiving interest from Korea and Ecuador. Although this report did not convey any new news related to the negotiations, “Coach Moreno can coach Napoli defender Kim Min-jae, Mallorca winger Lee Kang-in, and Korea’s top star and captain, Tottenham striker Son Heung-min. Former Korean coach Paulo Bento led the team to the round of 16 at the last World Cup. Korea ranked second in the group tied with Uruguay, Portugal and Ghana,” he added information regarding the Korean national team.
After the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Korea is looking for a new national team coach following finishing his partnership with Bento. Former Korea Football Association (KFA) Technical Development Chairman Michael Müller took over as the new National Team Power Enhancement Chairman and is leading the process of appointing the next coach. One of the tasks is to find a leader who will continue the ‘active football’ established while Bento’s coaching system lasted for more than four years.
With the KFA as a principle of non-disclosure negotiations, the names of candidates are mentioned mainly through foreign media reports. It is noteworthy that there are many leaders of Spanish nationality among the candidates who have been reported by multiple media or whose directors have admitted to contacting them. He was a Spanish national coach who was active on the Spanish stage, leading Elche, Getafe, and Valencia, starting with the first name that appeared, Jose Bordalas.
On the 19th, veteran Spanish coach Rafa Benitez, who boasts a great career, revealed that he had received an offer from Korea. Benítez has been active in other leagues such as Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Napoli, but began to attract international attention while in Valencia, and has experience leading Real Madrid.
Moreno is a leader familiar with Barcelona and Spanish football. He also coached in Barcelona while working as a manager and head coach for a long time with coach Luis Enrique, a former Barcelona player. In the 2014-2015 season, he helped the team win three gold medals. Since 2018 he has also served as head coach of the Spanish national team. When coach Enrique was away for personal reasons, he rose to the national team coach, and following coach Enrique returned, he started to stand alone. Following AS Monaco (France), he coached Granada (Spain) until last year.
Photo = Getty Images Korea
