Hiddink: "Honestly, I lacked passion for the trip to Korea, but..." The three unreasonable demands he directly accepted and Korea's 'crazy decisiveness' at that time

*This content was translated by AI.

Coach Guus Hiddink (80) revealed the story behind how he came to take charge of the South Korean national football team. It was the momentum of Korea, which accepted all of his radical demands within just ten days, that moved him.

Football specialist 'FourFourTwo' reported on the 4th (local time), citing an interview with Coach Hiddink, detailing the process by which he accepted the position as South Korean national team coach.

Hiddink's first encounter with Korea was during the group stage of the 1998 France World Cup. At the time, Coach Hiddink, who led the Dutch national team, used training time for more than 15 minutes before the match against Korea. He recalled, "Instead of protesting, I glimpsed a unique Korean culture in the sight of the South Korean national team quietly waiting on the sidelines."

The formal connection began two years after the France World Cup, in November 2000. At that time, former Executive Director Ka Sam-hyun visited a hotel directly opposite Hiddink's home in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to request a meeting. Following this, Executive Director Ka proposed the coaching position with the goal of reaching the Round of 16 at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

In response, Coach Hiddink counter-proposed three conditions to a South Korea that had never won a match in the World Cup finals. First, he demanded a guarantee of long-term training camps lasting over a year to operate the national team like a club team. Second, he required a massive budget for overseas tours to play friendly matches against world-class powerhouses rather than weak teams in Southeast Asia. The reason was that they needed to experience their limits by facing strong teams outside of familiar environments. Third, he insisted on a complete generational shift, replacing the roster dominated by veteran players in their mid-30s.

Coach Hiddink stated, "Honestly, at first I wasn't passionate about Korea's proposal. I didn't even expect my demands to be accepted. But ten days later, Executive Director Ka visited Hiddink again and presented a contract stating that all requirements, including long-term call-ups and the overseas tour budget, had been accepted."

Recalling those times, Coach Hiddink said, "I was surprised at what was happening," adding, "Korea's immense desire and decisiveness to achieve something no matter what stimulated me, and I ultimately decided to take the risk of heading to Seoul."

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*This content was translated by AI.