The South Korean Football Association have appointed Spaniard Robert Moreno, 48, as the new head coach of the national team. He becomes the first Spanish coach to take charge of South Korea, a fresh international chapter for the Catalan.
Moreno steps in after the departure of Hong Myung-bo, whose exit followed South Korea’s disappointing run at the 2016 World Cup and their elimination in the group stage. The search for a new man to guide the team through the coming phase began soon after.
Friendlies this autumn will give Moreno the chance to get to know his players and put his ideas into practice. His mission starts officially in September, with fixtures against Ecuador and Uruguay.
Two more friendlies follow in October against Venezuela and Uzbekistan, with the possibility of further matches in November. These games serve as an initial evaluation period for the Spanish coach.
Meet the required level during this phase and the South Korean Football Association will consider extending Moreno’s contract, handing him the chance to lead the national team at the Asian Cup, scheduled for early 2027 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The switch to Asian football is a new international challenge for Moreno, who took temporary charge of Spain in 2019 after Luis Enrique stepped away for personal reasons.
Yet his name carries a controversial story from that same year, when he served as Enrique’s number two with Spain.
Enrique was forced to leave the national team in June of that year due to the illness of his daughter Xana, who died in August at the age of nine. Moreno took charge temporarily and led the team to qualification for Euro 2020.
Moreno had initially confirmed he would step aside if Enrique decided to return. The relationship between the pair reached a turning point during a meeting in September 2019.
By Enrique’s account, Moreno told him he wanted to lead Spain through the European Championship, then return to the assistant role after the tournament.
Enrique branded this “disloyalty” and made clear he no longer wanted Moreno in his coaching staff. He described his assistant’s ambition at that stage as having crossed the acceptable limits for a man who had been his colleague and friend for years.
After leaving Spain, Moreno had spells with Monaco, Granada and Russia’s Sochi. Now comes a new opportunity to lead a national team, this time from the Asian continent.