When Mr. Kim reminisced about his student days playing soccer

Come to the field to remember the time when I was a student playing soccer

On the afternoon of March 1, despite being busy preparing for the Vietnam national team's training camp in March, Coach Kim Sang-sik still took the time to attend the opening ceremony of the 3rd Vietnam Youth Student Football Tournament - 2025. The Korean coach took the trouble to go from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, arrived at the stadium early to sign footballs and take photos with fans, then hurriedly returned to his busy work schedule.

Khi thầy Kim bồi hồi nhớ thời sinh viên đá bóng- Ảnh 1. — Coach Kim Sang-sik arrives at the opening ceremony of TNSV THACO cup 2025

The motivation that urged Coach Kim Sang-sik to come to the stadium to watch student football was because he himself grew up in a school football environment, and was once a student playing football with simple and rustic ambitions. The dream of being involved in a football career was nurtured by Mr. Kim Sang-sik since his time in school. In Korea, school football is very developed, with teams from high school to university organized in a systematic and methodical manner, just like professional football teams. Young man Kim Sang-sik both went to school and carried his shoes to the stadium to nurture his dream of becoming a football player. Then, when he was admitted to Daegu University, young midfielder Kim Sang-sik entered the school team and played in the Korean university championship for 4 years. Thanks to the matches in the student tournament, Mr. Kim caught the eye of the Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma scouting team, before having his first professional contract.

It was the college football environment that made Kim Sang-sik one of the best midfielders in Korean football from 2000 to 2012. This is also a common path for many Korean players, as the college playground is a bridge for clubs to find talent. Mr. Kim played nearly 200 matches for Seongnam, then moved to Sangmu, before joining Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and becoming the captain of the strongest team in Korea.

HOPE THE PLAYERS WILL GIVE THEIR BEST

Coach Kim Sang-sik affirmed that although Vietnamese and Korean student football have differences in organization, the two playgrounds are similar in the following points: the fiery spirit of youth, the desire to express oneself and the effort to fight for the national flag.

Khi thầy Kim bồi hồi nhớ thời sinh viên đá bóng- Ảnh 2. — Coach Kim Sang-sik and journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan introduced the TNSV THACO Cup 2025 shirt, which will be autographed by the Vietnamese team and auctioned in the *Thanh Nien* Newspaper's Charity Fair to raise funds for meaningful social programs.

Mr. Kim gave advice to the Vietnamese-born players: "You must strive for the flag and colors, go out on the field and fight with all your heart and pride to bring joy to the school you are studying at." Coach Kim Sang-sik expects the players to try their best, play with all their hearts, but "still have to follow the rules of the game, show the spirit of noble sportsmanship." That is also the criterion of the Vietnamese Youth Student Football playground: play fair - win fair - cheer beautifully, bring a civilized and exciting image, showing the true nature and spirit of youth.

The strategist of the Vietnamese team also hopes that Thanh Nien Newspaper help Vietnamese and Korean school football to connect, through inviting university teams from the land of kimchi to Vietnam to compete. "It will be an interesting match. Through the matches, players from both teams will interact and receive many useful lessons," affirmed coach Kim Sang-sik.

Former champion wins opening match

The interesting match on the opening day of the THACO Cup 2025 finals was the match between former champion Hue University (crowned in the first season, 2023) and newcomer Quy Nhon University. The two teams were evenly matched, but the representative of the ancient capital, with the ability to take advantage of opportunities better, won with a score of 1-0. In the opening match of the tournament that took place earlier, the home team Ton Duc Thang University drew 0-0 with Tra Vinh University.

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