Traces Of Park Hang Seo In Vietnamese Football: Used To Learn From Guus Hiddink, Now Entrepreneured Like A Celebrity

Vietnam's national team coach Park Hang Seo's style is always excited and exploding on the pitch. (the-afc.com)

JAKARTA - The world of coaching is not new to Park Hang Seo. He once served as one of South Korean assistant coaches who helped Guus Hiddink. He also learned a lot from a seasoned coach who turned South Korea into a 'black horse' at the 2002 World Cup.

This science was adopted by Park Hang Seo when he headed Vietnam. The national team nicknamed The Golden Star brought him to achieve flashy achievements. From the fourth rank of the 2018 Asian Games to the 2018 AFF Cup Champion. This achievement made him look like a celebrity.

The figure of Park Hang Seo cannot be separated from the world of football. For him, football is like life itself. He even proved it by being actively listed as a player and coach. His first coaching career began in 1989.

He became the physical coach of the club he played for in 1984-1988, Lucky Goldstar (now: FC Seoul). Park Hang Seo's move began to skyrocket when he served as assistant coach who helped Guus Hiddink lead South Korea in preparation for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

The opportunity was not wasted by him. He learned a lot from Guus Hiddink to gather the Taegeuk Knight squad. From exploring the character of the players to processing strategies. Even his collaboration with Guus Hiddink resulted in success. South Korean laju in the 2002 World Cup amazed many eyes.

South Korea became the first team in Asia to advance until the semifinals. This success made the entire squad until the coach was hailed like a hero. Park Hang Seo's career soared. Offers to fill the world of coaching in the K League (Korean League) came. He was also listed as the main coach of various clubs. From Gyeongnam (2005-2007) to Changwon FC (2016/2017).

In many ways, the South Korean national team has not been maximal in many ways since the 1998 world trophy. The national team owner has tested various players through training and matches to build a squad. All because of a series of bad results in various competitions.

Hiddink's contract continues until 2002. This means that the South Korean national team will compete in the 2002 World Cup under his leadership. Recently the South Korean technical committee has called on players to train in training camps. Guus Hiddink was assisted by assistant coaches for attacking and defensive training - Pim Verbeek. Park Hang Seo, and Jung Hae Sung - and also goalkeeping coach Kim Hyun Lae, "said Wolfram Manzenreiter and John Horne in the bookJapan, Korea and the 2002 World Cup (2013).

Park Hang Seo feels his coaching career in South Korea is enough. The capital is to train the national team and the South Korean club is considered a valuable provision. That's why when he stepped in agreement when he received an offer to coach from the Vietnam Football Federation, VFF.

It could be that Park Hang Seo was surprised at first. Moreover, the level of Vietnam in the eyes of Asian football is not too flashy. However, Park Hang Seo tried to challenge himself. Moreover, the dream of coaching abroad is no longer restrained. Park Hang Seo took that opportunity in 2017.

In fact, Park Hang Seo was able to bring fresh air to Vietnamese football. His capacity was tested when he was able to bring Vietnam to become the second winner in the U-23 Asian Cup in 2018. This achievement further increased his enthusiasm in training. The pinnacle of being loved by scholars arrived, the Vietnam national team was able to look stunning at the 2018 Asian Games celebration.

Park Hang Seo's concoction national team was able to advance until the semifinals. The Vietnamese people were proud not to play. Even though Vietnam's steps had to run aground in the hands of the United Arab Emirates in the race for a bronze medal.

In the same year, Park Hang Seo also proved that Vietnam was able to become the king of Southeast Asian football by winning the 2018 AFF Cup. One year later, Vietnam again proved its greatness in Southeast Asia by being able to win the gold media at the 2019 SEA Games.

A series of achievements are proof of the genius of Park Hang Seo. He was also amazed by celebrities by the Vietnamese people throughout the country. Even the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, also gave his appreciation by awarding Third-Class Medalas Park Hang Seo's services to advance Vietnamese football.

"I know his name because the Korean coach has become a celebrity with his achievements in Vietnam. He is the head coach of the Vietnam national football team, which has achieved extraordinary results in several Asian football celebrations. Therefore I held an open interview with Vietnamese residents, I was able to ask the interviewers about their media practices related to the Vietnam national football team.

They always do their best to watch national team matches while keeping information about the team by accessing various information channels across borders. They, for example, look for information on Facebook related to Vietnam, especially since they also visit Vietnamese news sites more often than before," explained Tae Sik Kim in the book Digital Peripheries (2020).