Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterGuus Hiddinks 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 jobMy 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 Vlodrome 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. You may like I told the players theyd be exempt from military service if we reached the semi-finals. They huddled together and started crying, one by one How Guus Hiddink motivated South Koreas 2002 World Cup heroes Afterwards, the Italians trashed the entire dressing room. Chairs flew through the air. I stood at a distance, arms crossed, watching. They really needed to blow off steam Guus Hiddink on South Koreas 2002 World Cup upset over Italy How to watch South Korea vs Czechia live streams online and for FREE as both sides get their World Cup campaigns underway in Mexico. 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 wouldve stormed the field, but South Koreas 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, Im Ka Sam-hyun, one of the team managers from 1998. Im staying at the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam, across from where you live. Can we meet?Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over."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. What to read next My penalty heroics against Costa Rica were a dream. Louis van Gaals biggest regret was not repeating it in the semis Tim Krul on the Netherlands World Cup 2014 shootout win How to watch South Africa vs South Korea for FREE Roy Keane was the one player every country at the World Cup would have picked from our squad, so I do wonder what we could have achieved had he stayed in 2002 Matt Holland opens up on Irelands Saipan bust-up 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 youll 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 wasnt that I thought, Oh, Im really going to start working for South Korea. In fact, I wasnt particularly enthusiastic about it. We said goodbye, and about 10 days later, my phone rang again. It was him. Yes, Im 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 didnt sign immediately, but I soon decided that I wanted to take that adventure.Off I went to Seoul.TOPICSSouth KoreaWorld CupJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromGuus Hetterscheid
