[Official] 'K League 1 No. 1' Coach Kim Ki-dong wins 'Coach of the Month' again... Tied for 3rd all-time with most awards

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ki-dong (55), the coach leading FC Seoul of K League 1 to the top of the standings, has won the 'Coach of the Month' award for April, following his wins in February and March.

On the 4th, the Korea Professional Football League announced that "Seoul, led by Coach Kim Ki-dong, recorded 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in six matches played in April, firmly holding onto the top spot in K League 1."

Seoul drew 1-1 against their 'rival' FC Anyang in their first match of April in Round 6. The following two consecutive wins were crucial. Seoul secured a thrilling 1-0 victory against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Round 7 and a decisive 4-1 win against Ulsan HD in the rescheduled Round 2 match. This helped them firmly maintain the top position. Continuing the momentum, Seoul also defeated Bucheon FC 3-0 and won 2-1 against Gangwon FC in Round 10.

With this, Coach Kim Ki-dong has won his sixth career 'Coach of the Month' award. This places him in a three-way tie for 3rd all-time (along with Coach Hwang Sun-hong) behind Coach Nam Ki-il (8 times) and Coach Choi Kang-hee (7 times).

Additionally, Coach Kim Ki-dong is the fourth person in history to win the 'Coach of the Month' award for two consecutive months, following Coach Choi Kang-hee (Jeonbuk) in 2014, Coach Ko Jong-soo (Daejeon) in 2018, and Coach Gus Poyet (Jeonbuk) in 2025.

The league stated that a commemorative trophy and prize money will be presented to Coach Kim Ki-dong.

The league has changed the selection method for the 'Coach of the Month' award starting this year. Previously, the winner was determined by a 100% vote from 100 members of the K League Technical Study Group (TSG) among all coaches in K League 1 and 2. However, starting this year, the top five coaches based on performance are selected as candidates.

In April, Coach Kim Ki-dong, who achieved the best results, was joined by Sergio Costa (Jeju SK), Kim Do-gyun (Seoul E-Land), and Cho Sung-hwan (Busan IPark) as candidates.

Subsequently, Choi Jong (수상) decided based on a comprehensive evaluation of quantitative assessment based on performance (70%) and qualitative assessment based on on-site evaluation (30%). As a result, Coach Kim Ki-dong won the 'Coach of the Month' award once again.

The league explained that "the quantitative assessment considered fairness by accounting for the number of matches played, reflecting points per game and total points, and factored in match difficulty through the difference between expected and actual points, while comprehensively considering match environments such as home or away status." It further stated that "the qualitative assessment was comprehensively reviewed by K League TSG technical committee members based on organizational strength, tactical completion, and ability to handle match situations."

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*This content was translated by AI.