World Cup: Outgoing South Korea coach Paulo Bento bids emotional farewell
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South Korea's Portuguese coach Paulo Bento says he will never forget his time with the Koreans.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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SEOUL - Paulo Bento has bid an emotional farewell to South Korea, calling his four years as coach of the national football team a “beautiful experience which I will never forget”.
The former Portuguese international midfielder took the Koreans to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten 4-1 by Brazil last week.
The 53-year-old said in the immediate aftermath that he would not be staying on as coach.
“I am especially thankful to all the players, due to their professionalism, work ethic and their behaviour,” Bento said in a statement late on Tuesday, bringing the curtain down on his reign.
“They gave me the opportunity to have one of the most beautiful experiences of my life, which I will never forget.
“Personally I have no words to thank you all for the respect, affection and support you showed during this amazing experience.”
Bento had no regrets during his time with South Korea. Following the loss to Brazil, he said: “Although we were eliminated in the round of 16, we still stuck to our style of play against a powerful team.
“And I will always be connected with South Korea, both in terms of my career and my personal life.”
Speaking of the South Korean style, the Portuguese had earlier faced criticism for his tactical inflexibility. His signature brand of build-up play, predicated on winning the possession battle and patiently creating offensive chances from the back, had worked well against inferior competition in friendlies and World Cup qualifiers.
His detractors, however, doubted it would have the same effects against stronger teams, such as Uruguay and Portugal, two of South Korea’s group stage opponents in Qatar.
But Bento stuck to his guns and proved his system could work by coaching the team to the knockout stage. He complimented his players for buying into his philosophy and trusting in it from day one.
“Both in life and football, having trust in what you do is really important. From the beginning, I explained to the team that this was the style that would best help us achieve our objective,” he said.
“And even more importantly, the players trusted that it would work. With all due respect to South Korean football, this was a style that hadn’t been used here before. But the players still believed this would work and stayed on the right path. I’d like to congratulate them for their professionalism at the World Cup.”
South Korea will name Bento’s replacement by February, Yonhap news agency said.
AFP, THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
