Ilsan residents expressed sympathy by sharing Bento sightings
A farewell banner is hung in the apartment where Director Bento lives.
At the news that coach Paulo Bento, who led the 2022 Qatar World Cup miracle in the round of 16, is leaving Korea, the residents of Ilsan, who had been neighbors with him, are expressing their regret by reporting their witnesses.
On the 9th, on multiple online communities, anecdotes and eyewitness accounts of meeting Bento in Ilsan are shared, attracting the attention of netizens.
According to the eyewitness accounts of residents, director Bento often appeared in the shopping mall ‘Bellacitta’. Residents shared comments such as “If you go to Bellacita, you have a 40% chance of seeing Bento” and “The Bento who lived in Ilsan for 3 years seems to enjoy Ilsan better than I who have lived in Ilsan for over 20 years.”
In particular, when Bento was asked by residents to take pictures or sign autographs, there were stories that he responded with a smile without any annoying expression.
A resident told an anecdote about meeting Bento, saying, “Director Bento always responded positively to fans who spoke to him or asked for pictures.”
Coach Bento has led the Korean national team since 2018 and built a nest in Ilsan. He is known to have chosen Ilsan because it is close to the Paju National Football Team Training Center (NFC).
An apartment in Ilsan, where Bento lived for more than four years, also hung banners expressing gratitude and encouragement from residents.
On the banner, ‘Congratulations on advancing to the round of 16! Korean soccer fighting! Director Bento, Coach! Thank you!’, ‘I’m proud to be Bento’s neighbor’, and ‘I hope all the memories with us will be precious memories’ written in Korean and Portuguese.
Meanwhile, coach Bento announced on the 6th that he had decided not to renew the contract after the World Cup round of 16. “I already made a decision in September and informed the association,” he said. “I am proud to be able to coach Korean players who have done their best. The experience I have accumulated in the national team will be remembered until the day I die.”
Reporter Kim Se-rin, Hankyung.com [email protected]