# Kim Sang-sik

Kim Sang-sik (Korean: 김상식; Hanja: 金相植; born 17 December 1976) is a South Korean football manager and former player. During his playing career, he played for the South Korea national team as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder. He is currently head coach of the Vietnam and Vietnam U23.

## Club career

In 1999, Kim joined Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, significantly contributing to Seongnam's consecutive K League championships in 2001 and 2002. He joined the military club Gwangju Sangmu in 2003 to perform his military service, and returned to Seongnam in 2005. He once again contributed to a K League title in 2006.
Because of the team's negative performance in 2008 and the transition from coach Kim Hak-bum to Shin Tae-yong, Kim transferred to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in January 2009 as a part of the team's restructuring. He was appointed the new captain of the team.
On 26 November 2013, Kim announced his retirement. In his final match against FC Seoul, Kim scored on a penalty kick, ending his playing career on a high note.

## International career

On 29 May 2000, Kim debuted for the South Korea national team in a friendly match against Yugoslavia.
Kim was selected for the national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and played two Group G matches as a substitute.
In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, he replaced injured defensive midfielder Kim Nam-il and helped South Korea reach the semi-finals. However, Kim was involved in a drinking scandal with captain Lee Woon-jae and some others during the tournament, resulting in a one-year suspension from the national team and a two-year ban from competitions organized by the Korea Football Association.
After nearly five years, in February 2012, Kim returned to the national team prior to a friendly against Uzbekistan and a World Cup qualifier against Kuwait. He retired from the national team after these matches.

## Managerial career
### Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

After retiring at the end of 2013, he went to France to receive coaching training. He returned to Jeonbuk in 2014, and worked as an assistant coach under managers Choi Kang-hee and José Morais.
On 7 December 2020, he participated in the Pro License course of Asian Football Confederation Coach Education. Subsequently, on 22 December 2020, he was appointed as the manager of Jeonbuk, succeeding Morais. He became the first Jeonbuk player to be appointed as the team's manager.
In the 2021 season, his first season as a manager, he led Jeonbuk to win the K League 1 title. He became the first person to win the league title with Jeonbuk as a player, coach, and manager. In the history of the K League, he is the third person to achieve this feat, following Cho Kwang-rae and Choi Yong-soo. He was awarded the K League Manager of the Year Award after the season.
In 2022, however, Jeonbuk was gradually focus on defense and counter-attack due to Kim's monotonous tactics in contrast with previous managers, and he was criticised for losing Jeonbuk's characteristic. Despite the criticism, he could renew his contract with the club after winning the Korean FA Cup.
Early in the 2023 season, Kim failed to improve his problems, and Jeonbuk ranked tenth among twelve clubs after winning only three out of ten matches. On 4 May 2023, he resigned, ending his 15-year association with Jeonbuk.

### Vietnam

On 3 May 2024, Kim was appointed manager of Vietnam's senior and under-23 national teams, following Philippe Troussier's departure. He hired Choi Won-kwon as his assistant, and started building his team. On 6 June, he made his debut as Vietnam's manager in a World Cup qualifier against the Philippines, ending their eight-match losing streak with a 3–2 victory.
Between December 2024 and January 2025, Kim and Vietnam participated in the 2024 ASEAN Championship. He sent his team to the semi-finals by earning three wins and one draw in the group stage including wins over compatriots Ha Hyeok-jun and Shin Tae-yong, who managed Laos and Indonesia respectively. He became Vietnam's third manager and the second Korean manager to win an ASEAN Championship title after defeating Thailand in both legs of the final.

## Career statistics
### Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | League cup | League cup | Continental | Continental | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 1999 | K League | 26 | 1 | ? | ? | 10 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2000 | K League | 19 | 2 | ? | ? | 8 | 1 | ? | ? | 27 | 3 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2001 | K League | 25 | 0 | ? | ? | 7 | 0 | ? | ? | 32 | 0 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2002 | K League | 25 | 2 | ? | ? | 11 | 2 | — | — | 36 | 4 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2005 | K League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2006 | K League | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2007 | K League | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 38 | 4 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 2008 | K League | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Total | Total | 195 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 266 | 14 |
| Gwangju Sangmu | 2003 | K League | 42 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 44 | 2 |
| Gwangju Sangmu | 2004 | K League | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 2 |
| Gwangju Sangmu | Total | Total | 62 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 75 | 4 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2009 | K League | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2010 | K League | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2011 | K League | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2012 | K League | 27 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2013 | K League 1 | 20 | 1 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Total | Total | 121 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 162 | 1 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 378 | 15 | 9 | 0 | 80 | 4 | 36 | 0 | 503 | 19 |

### International

    Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Kim Sang-sik :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 23 October 2000 | Tripoli, Lebanon | Iran | 1–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | 2000 AFC Asian Cup |
| 2 | 20 March 2005 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Burkina Faso | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |

## Managerial statistics

    As of match played 19 March 2025
Managerial record by team and tenure :
| Team | From | To | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Ref. |
| Team | From | To | Pld | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 22 December 2020 | 4 May 2023 | 109 | 60 | 29 | 20 | 055.05 | |
| Vietnam | 3 May 2024 | Present | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 064.29 | |
| Vietnam U23 | 3 May 2024 | Present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | !— | |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 123 | 69 | 31 | 23 | 056.10 | |

## Honours
### Player

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
* K League 1: 2001, 2002, 2006
* Korean FA Cup: 1999
* Korean League Cup: 2002
* Korean Super Cup: 2002
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
* K League 1: 2009, 2011
* AFC Champions League runner-up: 2011
South Korea
* AFC Asian Cup third place: 2000, 2007
Individual
* K League All-Star: 2002, 2010
* K League 1 Best XI: 2009

### Manager

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
* K League 1: 2021
* Korean FA Cup: 2022
Vietnam
* ASEAN Championship: 2024
Individual
* K League Manager of the Month: March 2021, July 2022
* K League 1 Manager of the Year: 2021
* Korean FA Coach of the Year: 2021
* Korean FA Cup Best Manager: 2022