As many as nine coaches have won the ASEAN Championship since its inception in 1996 and a 10th man will get his hands on the trophy when its 15th edition culminates on 5 January 2025.
Radojko Avramovic is the most successful coach the tournament has witnessed with the Serbian winning three titles with Singapore in 2004, 2007 and 2012, while Peter Withe (2000, 2002), Kiatisuk Senamuang (2014, 2016) and Alexandre Polking (2020, 2022) all won it twice each.
With the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024 almost upon us, we look at the five tacticians in charge of the sides in Group B of the tournament.
Kim Sang-sik (Vietnam)
Age: 47
Nationality: Korea Republic
Current Role Record: 5 Matches (1 Win, 1 Draw, 3 Losses)
During his playing days, Kim Sang-sik was a centre-back who played for Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, Gwangju Sangmu and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, while also winning over 50 caps for Korea Republic, whom he represented at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
After hanging up his boots in 2013, Kim immediately joined the coaching set-up at Jeonbuk to collaborate with Choi Kang-hee and Jose Morais, among others, before moving up the ranks to become their head coach in 2020. He guided the Jeonju side to the K League 1 title in 2021 and the Korean FA Cup the following year.
His first foray into international football came with Vietnam when he became the successor to Philippe Troussier earlier this year and ended their eight-match losing streak with a 3-2 win against the Philippines on his debut. He will now set his sights on a first silverware with the Golden Star Warriors at the ASEAN Championship.
Shin Tae-yong (Indonesia)
Age: 54
Nationality: Korea Republic
Current Role Record: 53 Matches (25 Wins, 13 Draws, 15 Losses)
Shin Tae-yong played for Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma for almost the entirety of his career between 1992 and 2004 before signing for A-League side Queensland Roar in 2005. However, the former Korea Republic midfielder's stay in Australia ended after just one match because of an injury. But it was at the Roar that he secured his first coaching job.
In 2008, he returned to his homeland to take over at Seongnam and etched his name into the history books as he guided the club to an AFC Champions League triumph in 2010, becoming the first to win the top-tier Asian continental competition as both a player and a manager.
In 2017, he became the Korea Republic head coach and took them to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia before accepting the role in Indonesia two years later. The Korean has since overseen the Garuda's resurgence, taking them to the knockout stages of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Albert Capellas (Philippines)
Age: 57
Nationality: Spain
Current Role Record: 3 Matches (1 Win, 2 Losses)
Albert Capellas' footballing career did not take off as a player, but in 1991 he started as a coaching staff at Gava, a team based in Catalonia. After a long spell with the club, he became the assistant coach of Barcelona B in 1999 before taking up a youth coordinator role at the famed La Masia academy.
During more than a decade at the Catalonian giants, Capellas helped bring through numerous talents at the club, including one Andres Iniesta. Leaving Barca in 2010, he served as an assistant at Vitesse, Brondby, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Borussia Dortmund and Chongqing Dangdai Lifan between 2010 and 2019.
Returning to Barcelona to take charge of their reserve team in 2021, Capellas' first head coach role would come at Denmark's FC Midtjylland in 2022 before joining the Philippines as an assistant earlier this year. Capellas was then named their head coach in September and made his debut in a 3-1 defeat to Thailand in October.
Myo Hlaing Win (Myanmar)
Nationality: Myanmar
Age: 51
Current Role Record: 4 Matches (1 Win, 1 Draw, 2 Losses)
In a playing career spanning 17 years with Finance and Revenue, Myo Hlaing Win won nine league titles in Myanmar while also excelling as a prolific scorer for the national team. Netting 36 goals in 63 matches, Myo remains the only player from his country to win the top scorer award at an ASEAN Championship – after scoring four times in the 1998 edition.
Following his stellar career, Myo helmed Nay Pyi Taw to a runner-up finish in the Myanmar National League in 2013 and the final of the MFF Cup the following year. He also guided his next club Ayeyawady United to a second-placed finish in the league in 2019 before signing for Myanmar champions Shan United for the 2024 season.
But the legendary striker’s stay with Shan was short as the national team came calling in September. Almost two decades after winning the Golden Boot at the regional showpiece, Myo will now hope to make a similar impact in the ASEAN Championship as the Myanmar head coach.
Ha Hyeok-jun (Laos)
Nationality: Korea Republic
Age: 54
Current Role Record: 2 Matches (1 Draw, 1 Loss)
Ha Hyeok-jun is the man in charge of a Laos side who are yet to progress to the knockout stages of the ASEAN Championship despite appearing in the group stages in 13 of the 14 editions of the tournament so far.
Ha began his coaching career with the Korea Football Association in 2009. The Korean tactician has prior experience in Southeast Asian football, having served as the assistant coach of Myanmar in 2012, before joining the coaching staff at Chinese side Beijing Bekong in 2015. He went on to become their head coach a year later.
The 54-year-old then went back to his homeland to join the coaching staff at K League 1 side Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2017 before taking charge of Daegu National University. He then became the head coach of Hong Kong Premier League side Resources Capital in 2023 before making the move to Laos.
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