 Hong in 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1969-02-12)12 February 1969 (age 57) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Sweeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | South Korea (manager) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1981–1983[1] | Kwanghee Middle School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1986[1] | Dongbuk High School [ko] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1990 | Korea University [ko] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | Sangmu FC (draft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1997 | Pohang Steelers | 110 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Bellmare Hiratsuka | 42 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Kashiwa Reysol | 72 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Pohang Steelers | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | LA Galaxy | 38 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 281 | (21) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | South Korea U23 | 1[α] | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | South Korea B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2002 | South Korea | 136 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | South Korea (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | South Korea U20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | South Korea U23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Anzhi Makhachkala (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Hangzhou Greentown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2024 | Ulsan HD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hong Myung-bo | |
| Hangul | 홍명보 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 洪明甫 |
| RR | Hong Myeongbo |
| MR | Hong Myŏngbo |
Hong Myung-bo (Korean:홍명보,Hanja: 洪明甫;Korean pronunciation:[hoŋmjʌŋbo]; born 12 February 1969) is a South Korean football manager and formerfootballer who played as asweeper. He is currently the manager of theSouth Korea national team.
Hong is widely considered one of the greatest Asian defenders of all time.[3] He participated at four consecutiveFIFA World Cups between 1990 and 2002, becoming the first Asian player to do so. He also received theBronze Ball at the2002 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Asian to receive an individual award at the World Cup.[4] He received some votes in elections for theFIFA World Player of the Year, finishing 21st in1996 and 17th in2002.[5][6] In 2004, he was selected for theFIFA 100 byPelé.[7]
Hong was selected for theSouth Korea national team for the1990 FIFA World Cup just four months after his international debut.[8] The youngest player at the team, he was one of the few South Koreans to be acclaimed, whlie they lost all three group stage matches.[9][10]
Hong was selected for theSouth Korea Universiade team for the1991 tournament.[2] He stabilised his team's defense, helping them advance to the final.[11] After a goalless draw with the Netherlands in the final, he scored his team's first penalty in a 5–4 penalty shoot-out win, contributing to winning the tournament.[12]
Hong's talent started to receive attention internationally at the1994 FIFA World Cup. During the last five minutes of South Korea's opener againstSpain, he converted opponents' 2–0 lead into a 2–2 draw by scoring a goal outside the penalty area and providing an assist forSeo Jung-won's equaliser.[13] He once again scored a long-range goal in a 3–2 defeat to defending championsGermany.[14][15]
Hong participated at the1994 Asian Games after the World Cup, but he injured his knee during a quarter-final match againstJapan.[16] South Korea lost toUzbekistan in the semi-finals after he quit the competition.
WhilePark Jong-hwan managed South Korea from 1995 to 1996, Hong was suspected of being in conflict with Park, who had a coercive disposition. The press reported that Hong formed a faction at the national team,[17] and doubted whether Hong did his best at the1996 AFC Asian Cup, where South Korea was eliminated after a 6–2 quarter-final defeat toIran.[18]
UnderCha Bum-kun, the next manager, South Korea had one draw and two defeats including a 5–0 defeat to theNetherlands in the group stage of the1998 FIFA World Cup. Hong and his teammates conceded nine goals in three matches.[19]
Hong was going to be selected as an overage player of theSouth Korea under-23 team for the2000 Summer Olympics, but he was injured just before the tournament.[20]
At the2000 AFC Asian Cup, where South Korea finished third, Hong captained the national team, and was selected for the All-Star Team.
Hong led South Korea to a historic fourth-place finish at the2002 FIFA World Cup. He commanded South Korea's defensive line, which conceded only three goals until the semi-finals, and scored the final penalty to secure a 5–3 shoot-out win in a quarter-final match against Spain. Despite his error in the third place match againstTurkey, which was followed by the fastest goal in World Cup history,[21] the Technical Study Group voted him as the third best player of the tournament, giving the Bronze Ball to him. He became the first-ever Asian player to be named one of the top three players at a World Cup.[4]
That year, Hong ended his international career after a friendly match against World Cup championsBrazil. He was South Korea's all-time leader in appearances with 136 caps at the time,[22] and his record was broken bySon Heung-min in 2025.[23]
Hong didn't have rapid pace, untiring stamina or outstanding ability inman-to-man defense, but he possessed a wide field of vision as well as great leadership skills with which he marshalled his defensive partners.[24][25][26] An offensivesweeper, he was noted for his accurate long-range passing skills which greatly contributed to South Korea's attack.[27] He was nicknamed the "Eternal Libero" by the South Korean media, and became a preeminent icon of South Korean football during his era.[28]
On 26 September 2005, after his retirement as a player, Hong returned to the national team as an assistant coach. He took part in the2006 FIFA World Cup, helping managerDick Advocaat. He also worked with the next managerPim Verbeek at the2007 AFC Asian Cup. After Verbeek's resignation, he was one of the candidates to become the next manager.
On 19 February 2009, theKorea Football Association (KFA) announced that they had appointed Hong as the manager of theSouth Korea under-20 team. At the2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the team reached the quarter-finals under his guidance, but lost 3–2 to eventual championsGhana in the quarter-finals.
In October 2009, he took over duties as a manager of theSouth Korea under-23 team. He won bronze at both the2010 Asian Games and the2012 Summer Olympics. He achieved South Korea's first-ever Olympic medal in football, also known as Asia's second.[29]
After working as assistant coach toGuus Hiddink atRussian Premier League clubAnzhi Makhachkala for half a year, on 24 June 2013, Hong was appointedSouth Korea's manager. His predecessorChoi Kang-hee resigned voluntarily at the end of the2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, and he started to prepare the2014 FIFA World Cup, which was going to be held after a year.[30] After a winless World Cup campaign, on 10 July 2014, he resigned from his post.[31]
On 17 December 2015, Hong was appointed manager ofChinese Super League clubHangzhou Greentown. In his first match on 6 March 2016, he guided the club to a 2–1 win overChangchun Yatai. However, his team was relegated to theChina League One after the2016 season. The next year, he resigned from the club and criticised the club's owner for interfering in tactics and selection of players.[32]
On 24 December 2020, Hong became the manager ofK League 1 clubUlsan Hyundai.[33] He led Ulsan to win two consecutive league titles in2022 and2023.[31]
On 8 July 2024, Hong was reappointed as South Korea's manager by KFA's committeemen in charge of finding a new manager.[31] KFA presidentChung Mong-gyu, who preferred foreign managers to domestic managers, tried to interfere in the procedure, but Hong's appointment was not reversed by the support of executives and committeemen.[34] His team qualified for the2026 FIFA World Cup with six wins and four draws without a defeat despite criticism about three consecutive draws in the middle of thequalifiers.[35]
In 1997, Hong married a woman five years his junior, and has two sons.[36]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sangmu FC (draft) | 1991 | Semipro League | [a] | [b] | — | [c] | ||||||||
| Pohang Steelers | 1992 | K League | 29 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 1 | |||
| 1993 | K League | 11 | 1 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 1994 | K League | 17 | 4 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 4 | ||||
| 1995 | K League | 24 | 1 | — | 7 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||||
| 1996 | K League | 29 | 7 | [d] | 5 | 0 | [e] | — | 34 | 7 | ||||
| 1997 | K League | 0 | 0 | [d] | 6 | 0 | [e] | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 110 | 14 | 27 | 0 | — | 137 | 14 | |||||||
| Bellmare Hiratsuka | 1997 | J1 League | 10 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| 1998 | J1 League | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 47 | 1 | ||||
| Kashiwa Reysol | 1999 | J1 League | 28 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | — | — | 37 | 9 | ||
| 2000 | J1 League | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2001 | J1 League | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 72 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 88 | 11 | ||||
| Pohang Steelers | 2002 | K League | 19 | 0 | [d] | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| LA Galaxy | 2003 | Major League Soccer | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | [f] | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| 2004 | Major League Soccer | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | ||||||
| Career total | 281 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 37 | 2 | 331 | 26 | ||||||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 1990 | 20 | 2 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 18 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 14 | 4 | |
| 1995 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 16 | 1 | |
| 1997 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2001 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 16 | 0 | |
| Total | 136 | 10 | |
| Competition | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Friendlies | 48 | 2 |
| Minor competitions | 26 | 2 |
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | 2 | 0 |
| Asian Games | 9 | 1 |
| AFC Asian Cup qualification | 3 | 1 |
| AFC Asian Cup | 9 | 0 |
| FIFA Confederations Cup | 3 | 0 |
| FIFA World Cup qualification | 20 | 2 |
| FIFA World Cup | 16 | 2 |
| Total | 136 | 10 |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 August 1990 | Beijing, China | 10 |  China | 1–0 | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (6–5p) | 1990 Dynasty Cup |
| 2 | 23 September 1990 | Beijing, China | 13 |  Singapore | 1–0 | 7–0 | 1990 Asian Games |
| 3 | 24 August 1992 | Beijing, China | 23 |  North Korea | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1992 Dynasty Cup |
| 4 | 13 May 1993 | Beirut, Lebanon | 29 |  India | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 19 October 1993 | Doha, Qatar | 39 |  Iraq | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 5 June 1994 | Boston, United States | 46 |  Ecuador | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly |
| 7 | 17 June 1994 | Dallas, United States | 48 |  Spain | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 8 | 27 June 1994 | Dallas, United States | 50 |  Germany | 2–3 | 2–3 | 1994 FIFA World Cup |
| 9 | 11 September 1994 | Gangneung, South Korea | 51 |  Ukraine | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 10 | 8 August 1996 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 69 |  Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| South Korea U20 | 19 February 2009 | 9 October 2009 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 066.67 | [39] |
| South Korea U23 | 20 October 2009 | 27 June 2013 | 32 | 19 | 8 | 5 | 059.38 | [40][41][42][43] |
| South Korea | 27 June 2013 | 10 July 2014 | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 026.32 | [44][45] |
| Hangzhou Greentown | 17 December 2015 | 27 May 2017 | 45 | 15 | 11 | 19 | 033.33 | [46][47][48] |
| Ulsan HD[a] | 24 December 2020 | 11 July 2024 | 175 | 99 | 42 | 34 | 056.57 | [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57] |
| South Korea | 8 July 2024 | Present | 19 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 063.16 | [58][59] |
| Total | 302 | 158 | 72 | 72 | 052.32 | |||
Sangmu FC
Pohang Steelers
Kashiwa Reysol
South Korea B
South Korea
Individual
South Korea U23
Ulsan Hyundai
South Korea
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
