The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, returned home through Incheon International Airport at 9 p.m. on the 8th. On the same day, 13 players, including manager Klinsmann, coaches, and employees of the Korea Football Association (KFA), Cho Hyun-woo, Song Bum-keun, Kim Young-kwon, Kim Joo-sung, Seol Young-woo, Kim Tae-hwan, Lee Ki-je, Kim Jin-soo, Hwang In-beom, Park Jin-seop, Lee Soon-min, Moon Seon-min, and Kim Joon-hong, returned home.
"Klinsmanho" was eliminated at midnight on the 7th, losing 0-2 in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup against Jordan at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Alayan, Qatar.
As a result, Klinsmann failed to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years. Since taking office in March last year, Klinsmann has boasted that his goal is to win the Asian Cup.
Coach Klinsmann, who stepped on Korean soil again through Incheon International Airport, passed the gate with a smile as usual.
With Korea's elimination, Son Heung-min's achievement as the first major championship went up in smoke.
Son Heung-min, who has received numerous individual awards as a world-class striker, does not have a major competition trophy. He won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, but it is an age-specific competition. Son Heung-min did not win the top prize either in his team Tottenham Hotspur or the South Korean national team.
This was a golden opportunity. This is because the national team is armed enough to be considered the best ever.
The attack includes "Tottenham Hotspur captain" Son Heung-min and "Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) main player" Lee Kang-in, and world-class defender Kim Min-jae is holding out in the defense. In addition to these players, there were many players who played key roles in European teams, including Hwang Hee-chan, the Wolverhampton Wanderers' most goalscorer this season, Jung Woo-young, the 10th of VfB Stuttgart, and Lee Jae-sung, the FSV Mainz 05.
In an interview with ESPN before the competition, Klinsmann said, "I'm so sorry, but someone has to win the Asian Cup. Unfortunately, the competition will take place in January, and Son has to join the national team from Jan. 2. If Korea goes to the final, it will be until Feb. 10. Son will be away from Tottenham for about five weeks." He talked ambitiously until the final.
Son's determination was also different in the evaluation that it was the right time to win. In March last year, when he held his first official press conference since Klinsmann's first appointment, Son said, "Everyone dreams of winning a championship. The trophy is not free of charge. The coach also has his homework, and it is important to prepare well for less than a year and bring back the Asian Cup, a trophy that Korea has not been able to bring for a long time."
At the time, he said, "I also experienced the final, semifinal, and failed in the quarterfinals. I want to bring the Asian Cup back to Korea as a good experience," adding that his goal is to win the championship.
However, the Klinsmann was shaky from the first match of the tournament. The team won 3-1 in the first group match against Bahrain, but it exposed its weaknesses and showed a near-failure performance in all of its subsequent matches.
In response, the British 'The Athletic' criticized, "We showed an uncertain performance throughout the tournament."
Klinsmann was asked a related question in a standing interview when he returned to Korea on the 8th. "Although Korea unfortunately missed the trophy, I hope that you can lift it if you have a good chance at Tottenham or any other professional career," he said. He didn't look sorry at all.
Immediately after the defeat against Jordan, Son said, "I need to think about whether I can continue as a member of the national team until the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America," adding, "The coach may not think about me anymore. I don't know what the future holds." It could have been thought of as a retirement statement.
In response, Klinsmann said, "I am constantly texting with him. I would like to tell you that Son is still the captain of our team and the leader of our team. Before he is the captain and the leader, he is a world-class soccer player. I would like to tell you that he is a good player with so many things."
He then said, "Such a leader, a world-class player, unfortunately failed to advance to the finals. Like Son Heung-min, we would have dreamed of bringing the Asian Cup trophy to Korea, but I think it will be a more emotionally difficult moment for us to not do so."
Klinsmann said, "Of course, I will join the national team in March as my captain. I need to set other goals clearly. There are World Cups coming up, but I hope we can prepare well and share our new goals during that time."