Ulsan HD adds Portuguese coach Joao Nuno Fonseca as top assistant.
Published: 19 Jan. 2025, 14:01
![From left: goalkeeper coach Cho Jun-ho, assistant coach Kim Seok-woo, senior assistant coach Joao Nuno Fonseca, head coach Kim Pan-gon, assistant coach Jo Gwang-su, physical trainer Park Ji-hyun and assistant coach Park Chu-young pose in a photo shared on Ulsan HD's official Facebook account on Jan. 17. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/19/573efcbb-22fe-40ec-a411-a1f0f1f2d566.jpg)
From left: goalkeeper coach Cho Jun-ho, assistant coach Kim Seok-woo, senior assistant coach Joao Nuno Fonseca, head coach Kim Pan-gon, assistant coach Jo Gwang-su, physical trainer Park Ji-hyun and assistant coach Park Chu-young pose in a photo shared on Ulsan HD's official Facebook account on Jan. 17. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The three-time defending Korean football champions Ulsan HD announced Friday they have added Portuguese coach Joao Nuno Fonseca as their top assistant.
Fonseca, 35, will be the senior assistant for head coach Kim Pan-gon, who guided Ulsan to their third consecutive K League 1 title last year after taking the reins in July.
Fonseca has the UEFA Pro License, the highest level of coaching certificate in Europe. He has served as assistant coach for Valenciennes FC and Stade de Reims and FC Nantes in France. Earlier in his career, Fonseca did match analysis and offered consultancy services to clubs owned by City Football Group, including Manchester City, and worked as a match analyst for Qatar's under-19 national team.
Ulsan said Fonseca will use his background in analysis to work closely with Kim to devise tactics for the club.
Kim will be reunited with two members of his staff from the Malaysian men's national team from 2022 to 2024: goalkeeper coach Cho Jun-ho and physical trainer Park Ji-hyun.
Former Ulsan forward Park Chu-young, who spent the 2024 season as player-coach, will now be the full-time assistant coach on the staff.
Assistant coach Jo Gwang-su will return for another season beside Kim and will be joined by new assistant Kim Seok-woo, whom Kim Pan-gon coached in high school in 1998.
Ulsan will leave for Dubai on Jan. 26 to set up training camp. They will try to become only the third team in K League history to win at least four titles in a row.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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