Lee Jae-sung: "Coach Bento is a master... Players worry about who will be the next coach of the Korean national team"

"Our Players Ran One Step Further for the Coach We Trusted and Protected"
'Next Coach Appointment'..."Players Need to Speak Up"

On the 30th of last month (local time), Lee Jae-sung of the Korean national team gave a pre-training interview to the media ahead of the third group stage match against Portugal at the Al Egla training ground in Doha, Qatar, for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Lee Jae-sung (30, Mainz), midfielder of the South Korean national football team, revealed that the players are worried about the appointment of the next national team coach.

On the 12th, Lee Jae-sung wrote on his blog under the title "We have shown football without regrets," stating, "From now on, as (Paulo Bento) coach is leaving, it is important," adding, "Many stories are already coming out, and there is a pessimistic atmosphere. The players are also worried." He continued, "We have no knowledge at all and only hear rumors, so we are concerned. There are already many different talks."

He added, "It would be good if someone who can lead us well comes. I think the players need to raise their voices. To create an atmosphere where our coach is not chosen too easily, so that they might think more carefully even once," and said, "We have personally experienced that a team can completely change depending on who the leader is. Coach Bento proved that."

He said, "The most important condition I think is a clear philosophy." About Coach Bento, he said, "He was unwavering in any situation," and although people often say he is stubborn, I also felt that way. That much he had strong faith in his own philosophy."

He continued, "Seeing such a coach, the players also built trust in him," and said, "It is not easy to play for the coach, but we ran one step further for him."

Lee Jae-sung revealed that his trust in Coach Bento grew after securing advancement to the round of 16. He said, "Hee-chan wanted to keep playing. The coach stopped Hee-chan. He only told him to 'prepare for the round of 16,'" adding, "You might think, 'Is the coach not using Hee-chan in such an important match?' Hee-chan might have been upset with the coach. He might have thought, 'Why am I not being used? Why am I being stopped?' But the coach put Hee-chan in at a perfect timing, and with Hee-chan's goal, we advanced to the round of 16."

He said that after the match against Portugal, the players said among themselves, "Our coach is truly a master." He also commented, "The coach had a plan. He was someone who looked one step ahead."

Meanwhile, Coach Bento, who led the South Korean national football team for 4 years and 4 months, along with four Portuguese coaches including head coach S?rgio Costa, departed on the night of the 13th via Incheon International Airport by plane, heading to their homeland Portugal via Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.