For what he achieved as a player, Hong Myung-Bo will eternally be a legend of South Korean football.
Widely regarded as one of Asia's greatest footballers, the highlight of Hong's illustrious career undeniably came at the 2002 FIFA World Cup when he led South Korea to a remarkable fourth-place finish -- winning the Bronze Ball in the process.
Over a 12-year span, he would win 136 caps for the Taegeuk Warriors -- a record he shares with Cha Bum-Kun, who is arguably the one person held in greater regard by the nation's footballing fraternity -- and appeared in four World Cups, starting in 1990 when he was the youngest player in the squad but featured in every match and gained widespread praise for his assured displays.
But as many players who have gone on to embark on coaching careers will attest to, the managerial game is a far different proposition altogether.
On Monday, Hong was appointed South Korea coach for a second time as the Korea Football Association finally landed on the permanent successor to Jürgen Klinsmann -- who was sacked in February following a disappointing semifinal exit at the AFC Asian Cup, as well as public dissatisfaction of his leadership.
Considering the KFA were reportedly in advanced talks with former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch before the deal fell through, while names such as David Wagner and Gus Poyet were also among the rumoured candidates, the fact that Hong was ultimately handed the job a steady-if-unspectacular appointment.
On paper, perhaps that is what South Korea need right now.
With their past two coaches, the KFA went high-profile.
Paulo Bento's stint will likely be viewed as a successful one. He led the Taegeuk Warriors to the last 16 of the last World Cup -- even notching a memorable last-gasp win over his native Portugal -- and his win record of 61.4% is only bettered by Uli Stielike among all of the nation's permanent coaches.
Hoping for similar success, Bento was succeeded by Klinsmann but it was not long before trouble began to brew.
Klinsmann raised eyebrows when he openly declared he would not be relocating to Asia. That naturally denied him a chance to witness firsthand the talent in the domestic K League, which was subsequently viewed as a disinterest and neglect for the additional personnel potentially at his disposal to complement Europe-based stars such as Son Heung-Min, Lee Kang-In and Hwang Hee-Chan.
That will not be the case with Hong, who is not only overtly familiar with those based domestically -- even more so given he has spent the last three and a half years in charge of K League 1 outfit Ulsan HD -- but will not shy away from handing out call-ups if warranted.
Still, the most pertinent question is: does he even want the job?
Former South Korea international Park Joo-Ho, a member of the KFA technical committee, expressed surprise at the appointment after revealing that Hong initially had repeatedly declined the offer.
Park, who most notably played for Borussia Dortmund and won 40 senior caps, went on to suggest that the KFA had already set their heart out on handing the job to a local even though members of the committee were asked to suggest foreign candidates.
Further reports claim that Wagner, who boasts Premier League and Bundesliga experience with Huddersfield and Schalke respectively, had prepared thoroughly for his meeting with KFA technical director Lee Lim-Saeng and was willing to accept lower-than-expected financial terms.
While Hong is far from a left-field appointment after leading Ulsan to back-to-back K League 1 crowns, he was certainly a name that was hardly mentioned during the months of speculation.
Hong's initial rejections of the job would have primarily stemmed from an unwillingness to leave a job midway through a campaign. That much was made certain when Lee made a public apology to Ulsan supporters for the national team's abrupt poaching of their coach.
But Hong is also likely to have less-than-fond memories of his previous spell in charge, and it is imperative to recall the true nature of the situation he found himself in.
A disappointing qualification campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup saw Choi Kang-Hee resign even though he had led South Korea to Brazil, leading to Hong stepping in to prepare the side for the tournament.
The South Koreans ultimately finished bottom of their group and would admittedly feel they could have done better coming up against Belgium, Algeria and Russia, and they would face the wrath of their supporters when they were cursed at and pelted by candy at the airport on their return.
While Hong was asked to stay on by the KFA, he would make the decision to resign and apologised for his "share of mistakes" that led to "many failures".
Granted, South Korea did show a lack of cohesion at that World Cup and struggled against opposition they should have at least been on par with, yet Hong deserves some leeway given it was not a job he had entirely signed up for.
A decade on, there is an uneasiness that it could be the same scenario all over again.
Of course, now that he has been unveiled, Hong will likely go on record to say that he was happy to accept the offer in the end. At the very least, he might go down the path of it being impossible to refuse when the nation calls.
He will undoubtedly give it his all and will be far better prepared this time around, for all the additional experience he has gained since 2014.
Yet, whether he is really the right person for the job -- and that query should not be aimed at him but the selection process of the KFA that is now being heavily scrutinised -- remains to be seen.