Guus Hiddink’s journey to the South Korea job began long before he took on the role in 2001.
A chance encounter at the 1998 World Cup began a chain of events that included unexpected phone calls, bold conversations and an innovative way of working that would ultimately result in the Dutchman making history with the Taegeuk Warriors.
When Hiddink did finally agree to take charge, he would lead the side to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup on home soil.
Hiddink on how he landed the South Korea job
“My first encounter with South Korea was in 1998, during the World Cup in France,” the veteran Dutchman begins to FourFourTwo. “I was head coach of the Netherlands, and they were in our group.
“The day before the match in Marseille, we were allowed to train for an hour on the Stade Vélodrome pitch, and South Korea would train afterwards. My team were training with such enthusiasm that I thought, ‘Let them go on for a bit.’ The South Koreans were lined up neatly on the sideline.
“We were 15 minutes over our allotted time slot when a FIFA official came up. I said: “Ah, give us five more minutes.” That became 10 minutes, then 15. We would’ve stormed the field, but South Korea’s team manager just stood there. Later, I understood – it was a part of their culture.
"More than a year on, I got a phone call. Unknown number. “Yes, hello Mr Hiddink,” came the voice on the other end of the line. “We met in Marseille, I’m Ka Sam-hyun, one of the team managers from 1998. I’m staying at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam, across from where you live. Can we meet?”
"I thought, ‘How does he know where I live? How did he get my number?’ He explained to me that he wanted to meet because of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. It was November 2000 at the time. I was curious about what he wanted to discuss with me, so I walked over to the hotel.
"He turned out to be the right-hand man of the Hyundai CEO. “We need to reach the last 16,” he said. “Otherwise we will lose a lot of face.” I thought, ‘The last 16? Where are you now in the FIFA rankings, 70th?’ South Korea had been to the World Cup before, but had never won a match. The idea of going to a World Cup appealed to me, after experiencing Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup with the Netherlands.
"As the conversation progressed, I came up with two pieces of advice, or proposals. I said: “If you want this, you have to take a completely different route toward the World Cup.” I suggested that the national team should be trained and managed as if it was a club team. All the internationals who were playing in South Korea should be given leave from their clubs in order to work together for a year to 18 months.
“The second piece of advice was that a budget must be made available to fly around the world with those players and staff, to play friendly matches against major football nations. Previously, South Korea had prepared for World Cups by playing against countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
“If they won those games, everybody would be thinking, ‘Oh, the form looks good.’ But at a World Cup, you face completely different opposition. The players needed to travel the world, learn from other cultures and gain new experiences. Sometimes you’ll get a slap in the face, but they needed to be taken out of their comfort zone.
“Another theme was refreshing the squad. In South Korea, they clung rather rigidly to men who were aged around 34 and older. It was time for a fresh wind within the group.
“I was curious whether or not they could actually do something with it. It wasn’t that I thought, ‘Oh, I’m really going to start working for South Korea.’ In fact, I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about it. We said goodbye, and about 10 days later, my phone rang again. It was him. “Yes, I’m back at the hotel, can you come by?” he asked. I walked over and he said: “Point one: the international players can be kept together at all times. Point two: the budget to fly around the world has been arranged. Point three: here is your contract.”
“I thought, ‘What is happening?’ His decisiveness and eagerness to make something of it triggered me. I didn’t sign immediately, but I soon decided that I wanted to take that adventure.
“Off I went to Seoul.”
