AFC Asian Cup: South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann aims to ‘play the final’, cites debt to ‘father figure’ Beckenbauer
- Klinsmann trying to emulate his former boss Franz Beckenbauer by winning international trophies as both player and manager
- Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan pledges to give everything to ‘deliver result everyone wants in Korea’ as he spearheads attack alongside Spurs’ Son Heung-min
Jurgen Klinsmann paid tribute to “father figure” Franz Beckenbauer ahead of leading South Korea’s bid for a first AFC Asian Cup crown since 1960.
Head coach Klinsmann, whose team begin their campaign against Bahrain in Doha on Monday, is anticipating a tournament packed with “beautiful drama”, and insists his star-studded side boast the potential to end their country’s title drought.
The 59-year-old was a striker for West Germany’s 1990 Fifa World Cup-winning team, managed by Beckenbauer, who died last week.
“For me personally and for German football, it is a very sad moment losing Franz Beckenbauer,” Klinsmann said.
“He was my coach for many years, I won the World Cup with him. He was like a father figure, and I could ask him for advice my entire life. This moment is difficult for all of us, but I will be thankful to him forever. He will always be a very special person in my life.”
Klinsmann’s attempt to emulate 1970 World Cup-winning defender Beckenbauer by claiming major international trophies as both a player and a manager, begins against the world’s 86th-ranked team, in Bahrain.