Coach Kim Sang-sik performs hip-hop dance after leading Vietnam to ASEAN Cup glory

By Xuan Binh   January 5, 2025 | 08:26 pm PT
Coach Kim Sang-sik celebrated by dancing and shaking his hips after Vietnam's dramatic 5-3 aggregate victory over Thailand in the 2024 ASEAN Cup final.

Before the second leg on Sunday, the South Korean coach had promised to perform a hip-hop dance if Vietnam clinched the championship. This dance move, a signature of Kim, was famously showcased when he led Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the K-League title in 2021 and the Korean FA Cup in 2022.

Following Vietnam's thrilling 3-2 win at Rajamangala Stadium, Kim won the third title in his coaching career and fulfilled his promise. Surrounded by players and coaching staff, the 48-year-old coach turned around, shook his hips, and danced briefly before joining the team in jubilant celebrations, clapping and cheering alongside Vietnamese fans in the stands.

Coach Kim Sang-sik's hip-hop dance after Vietnam's 3-2 victory against Thailand in the ASEAN Cup final's second leg, Jan. 5, 2025. Video by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

Kim, who has a love for rap music and hip-hop dancing, joked that he would try to dance carefully to avoid damaging the pitch.

As a player, Kim was a prominent midfielder with 59 appearances and two goals for the South Korea national team. His coaching career began in 2020, and he has since managed only two teams: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and the Vietnam national team.

Kim is now the third coach to win the ASEAN Cup with Vietnam, following Henrique Calisto in 2008 and Park Hang-seo in 2018. Like Park, he achieved this feat in his first ASEAN Cup with the team.

Throughout the 2024 ASEAN Cup, Kim's tactical marks were on full display. He introduced Doan Ngoc Tan as a defensive midfielder, which freed Nguyen Hoang Duc, who can focus more on the offensive side. Additionally, he revitalized players who had previously been overlooked like goalkeeper Nguyen Dinh Trieu, defenders Nguyen Van Vi and Nguyen Thanh Chung, midfielders Chau Ngoc Quang and Bui Vi Hao, and forward Dinh Thanh Binh.

His trust in striker Pham Tuan Hai, who had been on the bench earlier in the tournament, paid off when Hai started the second leg of the final and scored two crucial goals.

Kim also made impactful substitutions, often bringing Nguyen Quang Hai on in the second half to inject creativity and danger into Vietnam's attacks. Impressively, 90% of Vietnam's 20 goals in the tournament were scored in the second half.

 
 
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