Fans beg Paulo Bento to return as manager after Korea's disappointing World Cup results

Korea's group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup 2026 has fans pining for Paulo Bento, the former national team manager who took the team to the Round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Football fans are now going as far as to leave comments about how much they miss him on his wife's Instagram posts.

Supporters have left message after message pleading for "Benbeoji" to come back under photos of him on his wife's Instagram account. The nickname blends his "Bento" with abeoji, the Korean word for father. 

Bento is currently the manager for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team.

In the comments section, fans also expressed their frustration with the Korea Football Association (KFA) and its president, Chung Mong-gyu, who has said that he will step down after the tournament.

"I miss [Bento] so much that it brings me to tears," one fan wrote in Korean.

"Benbeoji, only now do I realize what you endured," another wrote. "How did you put up with the KFA?"

Other users urged him to return if he considers the Korean national team players as "his children." 

Bento took charge of the Korean team in August 2018 and finished his tenure with a record of 35 wins, 13 draws and 9 losses. At the 2022 World Cup, he led the squad into the Round of 16 — the second time in history that the team had advanced that far at a tournament held abroad.

He left after that World Cup and took over the UAE national team in July 2023. The UAE dismissed him in March 2025, a day after his team beat North Korea 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier, and he has not taken another job since.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]