Kim Ho


Kim Ho is a South Korean former football player and manager. He was born in Tongyeong, a coastal city of South Korea, and started football in his hometown. He joined Dongnae High School of Busan to learn football professionally when he became a high school student, and spent his youth career in there. He was on the South Korea national team from 1966 to 1972, and won the 1970 Asian Games. He originally played as a right back, but he showed his best performance as a centre-back. He was noted for his rapid pace and wild defense, and showed a great harmony with Kim Jung-nam, his partner centre-back.

Managerial career

Kim Ho took his first steps into coaching with an amateur side as well as a national youth team coaching position, before taking over as coach of the Hanil Bank FC team in 1983, leading them into the K League for their two seasons as league members, before departing in 1987 to return to the professional league as manager of struggling Hyundai Horang-i. He rejuvenated the side in his first season, leading them to a second place finish in 1988. However, the club couldn't sustain such form and slipped down to bottom in 1989 and second bottom in 1990, and he left prior to the 1991 season.
Kim Ho was back in management in July 1992 when he took over the reins of the Korean national team and led them to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. His team put up some credible performances, drawing their opener against Spain 2–2, before picking up their second point with a 0–0 draw against Bolivia. Despite giving World Cup holders Germany a huge scare by coming back to 3–2 after being 3–0 down, his side couldn't find the extra goals they would have needed to progress and exited at the group stage.
After stepping down as national team coach, Kim Ho was contacted by Suwon Samsung Bluewings to become the first ever coach of the new side, to lead them into the K League in 1996. He accepted, and embarked on a reign that made him arguably the K League's most successful manager. With the Suwon, Kim Ho lifted 13 trophies including two K Leagues and two Asian Club Championships in the space of eight seasons, before announcing his retirement at the end of 2003. He was also excellent in nurturing young players. The players, nurtured or discovered by him, were called the "Kim Ho's Children", and they almost left Suwon after his resignation, but many of them had successful careers in the K League. Ko Jong-soo, Kim Do-heon and Kwak Hee-ju are his notable pupils.
Kim Ho joined Daejeon Citizen in 2007, but he was removed from the team in 2009 because of the poor performance and a controversy about team's agent's embezzlement.

Honours

Player

Cheil Industries
Commercial Bank of Korea
South Korea
Individual
Hanil Bank
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Individual