Coach Vahid Halilhodzic (71, Bosnia), who led the Algerian national team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and presented Korea with a painful defeat, has emerged as a new candidate for the head coach of the Korean national team.
Bosnian journalist ‘Radio Sarajevo’ reported on the 29th that coach Halil Hodzic had been contacted by the Korea Football Association.
“It is true that I called from Korea,” said coach Halil Hodzic. “I need a break right now,” he continued, “but we will see what happens.”
Coach Halil Hodzic has a deep relationship with Korean soccer. During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he was in charge of the Algerian national team and defeated the Korean national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo 4-2. At that time, Algeria advanced to the round of 16 based on the victory against Korea.
From 2015 to 2018 he captained the Japanese national team. He has also played against South Korea in the 2015 and 2017 East Asian Cup. They drew 1-1 in 2015 and lost 1-4 in 2017.
Most recently, he served as the head coach of the Moroccan national team from 2019 to last year. He also has a career in coaching world-class prestigious teams at the club. He has managed teams such as LOSC Lille, Stade Rennes, Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb, Trabzonspor and Nantes. In 2006, he also took the helm of Saudi Arabia League Al Ittihad. 스포츠토토
Coach Halilhodzic, who has strong charisma, plays fast and sharp counterattack soccer based on solid defense organization. However, since he has a stubborn and self-righteous personality, there are many cases where he has conflicts with his team or association and strains relationships.
Looking at coach Halil Hodzic’s career and achievements, it is evaluated that he is a candidate for the Korean national team coach. However, his power, which has always been in trouble, is burdensome for the Korea Football Association.
Moreover, coach Halil Hodzic’s style of football that emphasizes counterattacking is the exact opposite of the build-up football of his former coach Paulo Bento. Age over 70 is also a negative factor. Therefore, football officials think that the possibility that coach Halil Hodzic will actually take charge of the Korean national team is slim.
The Korea Football Association is in the process of finding a successor for Bento, who stepped down as head coach of the Korean national team after last year’s World Cup in Qatar. While the association thoroughly kept quiet about who they were in contact with, it was revealed through overseas media that they were in contact with former Getafe coach Jose Bordalas and former Brazilian national team coach Chichi. The name of Torsten Fink (Germany), former Hamburg coach, who was Son Heung-min’s mentor during his German Bundesliga days, is also on the rise.