K League-winning coach Kim Sang-sik who was recently named to lead the Vietnamese men's senior and under-23 national football teams emphasized loyalty and teamwork as he vowed to lead Vietnam to victory Monday. Kim, 47, who helped Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the K League 1 title in 2021, after serving as the club's top assistant coach for the previous seven seasons, made the remark in his first press conference as head coach of the Vietnamese teams. "If there is one word that encapsulates my football life, it would be loyalty, and my favorite saying in this field is 'there is no player that can beat the team,'" Kim said in the press conference held at the Vietnamese Football Federation in Hanoi. "If each and every member of the team keeps taking on challenges with a will to win and an attitude of sacrifice, I believe we will get the result we want," Kim said. "I will do my best as head coach to help nurture all players on the Vietnamese national teams to become loyal players through healthy rivalry." Kim, who said he took the offer for head coach as an "honor," without hesitation, expressed respect for South Korea's Park Hang-seo who had been in charge of Vietnam for a little over five years. Vietnam enjoyed unprecedented success under Park, winning their first ASEAN Football Federation Championship in 10 years in 2018 and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup to match their best performance at the top continental event. Vietnam also reached the final Asian qualification round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Park also guided the U-23 national team to gold medals at the 2019 and 2021 Southeast Asian Games after taking them to second place at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup and fourth place at the Asian Games, both in 2018. "I always respect him and want to walk the same path he walked," Kim said, adding that Park congratulated him on the move and encouraged him on leading the teams. "Park was called 'papa' by the Vietnamese players, and I'll strive to be called 'brother,'" Kim said, vowing to communicate well with the players and help regain their confidence through wins. Kim's contract will run through March 31, 2026. He will make his Vietnam debut in June, with matches against the Philippines and Iraq in the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Source: Yonhap News Agency