Kim Sang-sik

Kim Sang-sik is one of those football lives that splits cleanly into two acts, and the second is what fascinates me most. As a player he was a towering centre-back and defensive midfielder for South Korea, the unglamorous job of breaking up attacks and reading the game. But it's his coaching that elevates him for me. Taking charge of Vietnam and being spoken of among the greatest managers in that country's football history is no small thing, exporting Korean tactical discipline and earning genuine reverence abroad. I admire when a player's intelligence translates into the dugout. Not everyone makes that leap, and Kim clearly has the mind for it.

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 manager of Vietnam and Vietnam U23, and is considered one of the greatest managers in Vietnamese football history.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Name (English)

Kim Sang-sik

Name (Japanese)

金相植

Reading

きむ・さんしく

Born

December 17, 1976 (age 49)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Sagittarius / Dragon

Origin

Haenam County, South Jeolla, South Korea

Blood type

Private

Height

184 cm

Agency

Private

Occupation

association football player / association football coach

Elementary school

Private

Junior high

Private

High school

Private

University

Private

Spouse

Private

Children

Private

Parents

Private

Siblings

Private

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%87%91%E7%9B%B8%E6%A4%8D

Tags

• South Jeolla
• association football player
• association football coach

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.