Why is Bento there? Everything compares to Klinsmann

FC Online releases ‘Myungjang Road’, a content featuring famous soccer coaches
Former director Bento makes a surprise appearance… Mourinho’s appearance in the next episode ‘Special One’ announced

As Korean soccer has recently been shaken, game-related content featuring former national team coach Paulo Bento (pictured), who led the round of 16 of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, is attracting attention.

According to the industry on the 26th, ‘EA Sports FC Online’, an online soccer game serviced by Nexon, released content ‘Master’s Road’ on the 24th. This content is a series that visits world-class soccer coaches to seek advice on selecting the next coach of the national soccer team and the development of Korean soccer, and in the first episode, former coach Bento made a surprise appearance via video call.

It was planned after the national team, which was evaluated as the strongest member of all time, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), failed to advance to the finals due to a loss to Jordan at the Asian Cup. This is content that seeks the next director after director Jürgen Klinsmann steps down. Coincidentally, on this day (Korean time), they lost to Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the Under-23 Asian Cup and were canceled from participating in the Olympics for the first time in 40 years, so the interest of soccer fans was even more focused.

‘Master Lord’ includes Park Jeong-moo, head of Nexon Group, who is known as ‘Jeongmu-hyung’ among game users and is in charge of FC online services, caster Seong Seung-heon, commentator Lee Joo-heon of soccer entertainment channel ‘Eastar TV’, and soccer creator ‘Dawn Soccer’. ‘Expert’ Peno and others appeared. Former coach Bento appeared in the middle of the video, reminiscing about his time in charge of the Korean national team, and gave his advice.

Former coach Bento, who lived in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do during his time as the national team coach, said, “Because I was the national team coach, it was important to understand the country and culture,” and “I had to go to the Paju training ground (national soccer team training center, NFC) a lot of time.” . “He was the reason I chose Ilsan and I think it was a good choice,” he explained. It was a response that contrasted with his successor, Coach Klinsmann, who created the so-called ‘work from home controversy’.

Regarding the criteria for selecting the national team, “We went to the stadium in person and consulted data to select players who fit well with our team. “My approach was to be a player who could grow with us,” he said. He continued, “In particular, the 11-member starting list had to take into consideration more aspects. “What was really important was whether the players and the prepared tactics were right, whether they were compatible with the opposing team, and what the players’ condition was,” he emphasized.

He also gave an honest answer regarding the criticism he received for not hiring Lee Kang-in during his tenure as director. He said, “No one can refute the fact that Lee Kang-in’s talent is outstanding. “But we needed more analysis than that,” he said. “You shouldn’t judge based on talent alone. “Players like Kang-in Lee mainly thought about offense and did not consider defense,” he pointed out.

He continued, “To be honest, I added Lee Kang-in to the World Cup list just before the World Cup was held. “If I were to say that I was confident in Lee Kang-in’s World Cup selection, that would not be an honest answer,” he added.

Nevertheless, it was said that the reason he was eventually added to the World Cup list was because Lee Kang-in changed. Former coach Bento said, “(Lee Kang-in) proved it with his change of mind and his performance at Mallorca (his team at the time). “He became a completely different player at Mallorca,” he said. “I think he acknowledged that he had to change his style. As a result, he was able to achieve good results on the World Cup stage.”

He said, “I think the position of director must be honest and sincere. He felt proud when he heard the words ‘Ben Burge (Bento + Father)’. “It was because it meant family,” he said, adding, “Family was the type of team we wanted to create.” Former coach Bento said, “I hope that the Korean Football Association (KFA) will quickly resolve the issue (appointment of the national team coach) and I would like to tell the new coach, KFA, and Korean fans that I will always support them. “I also hope that Korea will advance to the 2026 World Cup,” he added.

In the second half of the video, they announced the plan for the ‘Myeongjang Road’ expedition project to listen to the opinions of famous soccer coaches from various angles for the appointment of a national soccer team coach and the development of Korean soccer. Following former coach Bento, the director who will appear in the second episode is Jose Mourinho, a famous general with the nickname ‘Special One’.

The response to the video was enthusiastic, with nearly 600 comments. Netizens were surprised and asked, “Why is Bento here(?)?” or left comments such as “All the answers seem to be compared to Klinsmann,” and “Bento has a clear philosophy and has kept his word without change in the selection of players.” I poured it out. He also said, “I have never had such a long and detailed interview at any official event, but the interview was quite honest.”

Hankyung.com reporter Kim Bong-gu [email protected]