Ahn Jung-hwan

At 48 years old, Ahn Jung-hwan has this physical status:

Ahn Jung-hwan (born 27 January 1976) is a South Korean former football player and television personality.

A former attacking midfielder, he made world headlines by scoring the winning golden goal for South Korea against Italy in the 2002 FIFA World Cup second round, and earning him dismissal from the Italian club A.C. Perugia.

He also played for clubs in Japan, France, Germany and China, as well as being selected for South Korea in two more World Cups, in 2006 and 2010.

After his retirement as a football player, he became a television show host and a football commentator.

Early life

Ahn was selected for South Korean under-20 team for the 1994 AFC Youth Championship. Three years later, he also played the 1997 Summer Universiade for South Korean Universiade team, winning a silver medal.

Personal life

Ahn is sometimes called "The Lord of the Ring" by Korean fans. He married former Miss Korea Lee Hye-won in 2001 and got this nickname by kissing his wedding ring after every goal he scores.

Other than football, Ahn is noted for his model-like looks and has appeared in numerous make-up ads. The Korean media often states the similar facial appearance between the footballer and actor Cha In-pyo. Both view the statement as a compliment.

Ahn was one of the carriers of the Olympic flame at the opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

On 15 November 2021, Ahn founded the Matched Project (MCP) agency with Kim Young-man, Kim Sung-joo, and Jung Hyung-don.

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Playing career

Ahn began his K League career with Busan Daewoo Royals in 1998. After a year of great success as soon as he arrived, he was selected as one of the top XI in that year. In 1999, he was named the K League Most Valuable Player by leading his team to finish as a runner-up in the K League for the first time.

Ahn joined Perugia on loan in 2000, becoming the first South Korean footballer to play in Italy's Serie A. However, he was ostracized by the team's captain Marco Materazzi and his colleagues. For two Serie A seasons in a racial environment, he had 30 appearances (including 13 starts) and five goals. He was named in the South Korean squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which was hosted by his country.

Ahn imitated a speed skater during his goal celebration after scoring the equalizer in order to challenge Korean short track speed skater Kim Dong-sung's controversial disqualification in the 1500 meters at the 2002 Winter Olympics, which saw American Apolo Ohno win the gold medal. Ahn missed a penalty in the round of 16, but later scored a golden goal in extra time, sending the South Koreans through to the quarterfinals.

Luciano Gaucci, the owner of Perugia, had canceled his employment and was quoted as saying, "I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has destroyed Italian football" following the South Korean side's dramatic and triumphant victory. Gaucci denied that his decision was not motivated by the goal, citing Ahn's words about the Italian country. Gaucci later rebuffed what he had promised and approved the £1.2 million offer to join Ahn on a permanent basis. Despite Perugia's claims to own his registration, Ahn refused a three-year contract and refused to enroll in pre-season training, saying, "I will no longer discuss my transfer to Perugia, who insulted my image rather than congratulating me for a World Cup goal." Busan Daewoo Royals also stated that they were not charged by Perugia and that they were never to be paid by them. A number of European clubs were keen on Ahn but decided against him due to his dispute with Perugia. Finally, FIFA returned Perugia's hand by announcing that Ahn had to pay Perugia $3.5 million to compensate for their losses in the transfer market, and so he contracted with the Professional Management (PM), a Japanese entertainment company, to pay off his debts. He spent three years as a J1 League player and an entertainer.

Ahn returned to Europe to play for a French Ligue 1 team Metz in July 2005 and scored two goals in 16 outings after a fruitful spell in Japan. Ahn was invited to train with Blackburn Rovers in January 2006, but two people turned up, one of the dates being on his birthday. He signed a 17-month contract with MSV Duisburg in February to adapt to Germany's cultural environment, which is the host of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Ahn was relegated from the Bundesliga after scoring two goals in 12 outings. He made a transfer to Midlothian of the Scottish Premier League, but it was unsuccessful.

Ahn was selected for the South Korean team for the 2006 World Cup. He scored the winning goal after being off the bench during the second half of South Korea's first match, where they defeated Togo 2–1. He also became the first Asian all-time scoring leader at the World Cup with three goals. After the World Cup, he was released by Duisburg and returned to South Korea by joining Suwon Samsung Bluewings on a one-year contract in January 2007.

In a game of the 2007 Korean League Cup against Daejeon Citizen, Ahn scored a hat-trick. However, his poor showing continued to grow, and he was dropped from the national team for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

Ahn returned to Busan IPark, formerly Busan Daewoo Royals, in 2008. He steadily improved his game and overall results, and was recalled to the national team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Jordan for the first time in 22 months.

Ahn signed a three-month deal with Chinese Super League side Dalian Shide in March 2009. He was the key player in the club and extended his deal with Dalian Shide in June until December 2010, but Oita Trinita had the intention to sign him. In the 2010 season, he was promoted to Dalian's captain.

On January 30, 2012, Ahn officially announced his resignation.

Career statistics

South Korea's goal came first on the results list, according to the results.

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