The coach of the team that defeated France at the FIFA U-20 World Cup is Kim Eun-jung, who made a name for himself as an exceptional striker during his playing days. He is now trying to fulfill the dream he had as a player 24 years ago with his students.

Lee Jung-chan is a reporter.

<Journalist

Born in 1979, Kim Eun-jung, a goalie who was part of the same era as fellow star Lee Dong-guk, was nicknamed “Sharp” for his goal-scoring prowess, even after he was struck by a ball in his third year of middle school and virtually lost the sight in his left eye.메이저사이트

At the age of 19, Kim scored four goals to lead South Korea to victory at the 1998 Under-19 Asian Championship and went on to play in the Under-20 World Cup in Nigeria the following year.

The team had high hopes at the time, with Kim Eun-jung, Lee Dong-guk, and Seol Ki-hyun, but they finished last in their group, and the striker was silent for all three games.

It was a regrettable memory for Coach Kim.

[Kim Eun-Joong, U20 National Team striker (1999): I think there’s a lot of difference in terms of physicality and individual skills, and I think our Korean players].

Kim coached the Asian Games and Olympic teams before taking over the U-20 team last year.

[Kim Eun-joong/U-20 coach] : You have to keep your body calm, and your passes have to be fast. Give and take. Give and take.

His fast, dynamic style of soccer led the team to qualify for the tournament, where they upset “favorites” France in their first game.

Twenty-four years ago, he left that stage as a player, and this time, he’s determined to fly as high as he can with his students.