In my first season at the helm of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, I have been named K League 1 Coach of the Year 2025 — a remarkable achievement that caps a spectacular return to the top for the historic South Korean club. Against all odds, Jeonbuk has won its tenth league title in its history, after accumulating a record of 22 wins, 10 draws and only 5 defeats in 38 matches.
At the awards ceremony, I received overwhelming support from my colleagues — 9 votes from other managers, 8 from captains and 111 from journalists — making me worthy of this award.
When it was announced just a year ago that I was taking over as head coach of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, few — or at least very few outside South Korea — were betting on such rapid and resounding success. The club, a historic one in the K League, was in a bad way: after a disappointing 2024 campaign that almost saw it relegated. I arrived with a difficult task: to restore the club’s identity, morale… and above all, results.
But what many saw as a medium-term rebuilding project has turned into an almost immediate resurrection. With a clear philosophy — possession football, compact tactics and attacking ambition — we have achieved the unthinkable in our first season.
The team finished the league with an outstanding record: 22 wins, 10 draws and only 5 defeats — a dominant performance that allowed the club to be crowned champions with five games to spare.
The comeback has been historic. From fighting to avoid relegation to reigning supreme once again: in 2024, Jeonbuk narrowly escaped relegation in the promotion play-offs; in 2025, they were crowned champions.
For many fans — and rivals alike — what happened this season feels like an epic: an almost spectacular fall in 2024, followed by a glorious rise in 2025. In fan forums, the tone ranges from admiration to amazement:
“Holy bounceback. Wasn’t he the one who took 8 goals from Koeman’s Southampton as the Sunderland gaffer?”
‘Gus Poyet, what a legend. Glad to see him doing well.’
It is true that there will always be those who question the intensity of the schedule, the overall quality of the league or overemphasise collective merit over that of the coach. But what no one can deny is that, for a year now, Jeonbuk has shown consistency, ambition and character.
All that remains is for me to thank the team (players and coaching staff) for their work, as well as the fans for their unconditional support. Without them, these results and this award would not have been possible.