As our close neighbor, Korean football not only maintained the first-class level in Asia during the low point of national football, but also sent many players to our league, and South Korean internationals such as Kim Young-kwon, Kwon Kyung-won, Hong Hao-yeol, Kim Shin-woo and other South Korean internationals have left footprints in the Chinese Super League.
Before them, there was also a South Korean national treasure star who also showed his foot in front of Chinese fans, with a handsome actor-level face, skillful and gorgeous technique, flexible dribbling and accurate freehand passing. He is Ahn Jung-hwan, a childhood idol of a generation of football fans and game fans.
Many people may have known An Zhenhuan after he joined Dalian Shide, but he has been in Europe as early as 2000, and in the 2002 World Cup, he scored goals as a main player and reached the semi-finals with the team.
Of course, some young female fans should notice this handsome father from the variety show, in front of the screen, he is a powerful "spoiled wife demon", but also a loving star father, or a charming master of cooking. It is through the multi-faceted Ahn Jung-hwan that female fans come to know this "Korean Beckham" who once swept the Republic of Korea.
<h1>Ahn Jung-hwan's career </h1>
Born in South Korea on January 27, 1976, Ahn Jung-hwan was a technique for his childhood poor family to exchange for free milk and bread that was difficult to eat.
An Zhenhuan's career can be described as colorful, even if he is swept out of the club, he still joins other clubs, even if his results are not very good, but he still strives to prove himself.
His national team debut was against China, a friendly match on April 23, 1997.
At the 1998 Fifa World Cup in France, he was selected as a candidate for the Korean team and did not play with the team. A year later, he finally scored his debut goal for the national team against Mexico.
The 2002 World Cup, co-organized by Ahn Jung-hwan's homeland and Japan, was the first time the World Cup had come to Asia and the only one to date that the two countries had co-hosted the World Cup.
Although the cup was controversial, Ahn Jung-hwan reached the pinnacle of his life in this competition. In this competition, head coach Hiddink, who has a superb conducting art, fully discovered the impact of the striker, but also discovered his physical condition problems, and talked to Ahn Jung-hwan to let him improve, so as not to become a substitute.
As it turned out, Hiddink's words were not wrong, and Ahn Jung-hwan's main position had not been determined until the change, which gave Ahn Jung-hwan constant new motivation, and Ahn Jung-hwan warmed up against the Scottish team in a friendly match before the World Cup, his two goals were unexpected, and it also proved that Hiddink's words were not wrong.
After this competition, the World Cup also set off a boom in South Korea, and then Ahn Jung-hwan also went to success.
<h1>The ups and downs of life</h1>
There may be a smooth life, but it is definitely not An Zhenhuan, who is about to succeed, but such a glorious moment did not stay in this teenager for too long.
South Korea was once behind in the crucial match against the United States in that year's World Cup group stage, but Ahn Jung-hwan seized on the opponent's loophole towards the end of the game to equalize the score.
In the quarter-final match against Italy, Ahn Jung-hwan made his debut, the most notorious "black whistle" in international football, unveiling the ugly side of the football world. As soon as the match began, Ahn Jung-hwan conceded a penalty. Fortunately, this goal did not affect his later play, and if you want to say that the impact should be to make him work harder, in order to make up for it.
At this point, it felt like heaven was watching over the teenager, and his chance came in extra time for this epic match, when he grabbed the point against legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini and used his header to score the golden goal for the team.
I thought that his life should be smooth, but then the "black whistle door" spread. The South Korean won the game but lost the respect of world football. The Italian fans were furious, and Ahn Jung-hwan was also swept out by President Perugia.
At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Ahn Jung-hwan played as the team's main scorer, which was his second appearance as a main player after 2002. Genius and hard work are inseparable, and it also proves that Ahn Jung-hwan is a very hard-working person.
<h1>Years in Dalian Shide</h1>
In 2009, An Zhenhuan chose to join the Chinese Super League club Dalian Shide, before joining Shide, he had fallen into a situation where he had no ball to play, so he especially cherished this opportunity. In March of the same year, he made his debut in the Chinese Football League and scored twice in the fifth round, opening the goal book in the Chinese Super League.
Ahn Jung-hwan, 34, joined Dalian Shide at the time, when fans questioned him. But An Zhenhuan conquered Dalian fans with his outstanding performance and became the core player of Dalian team. In his three seasons with Dalian, An Zhenhuan made 68 appearances and scored 18 goals.
During this time, An Zhenhuan also reached another peak of his life, and he completed his tasks on the pitch brilliantly in Dalian. In the Success team, whether it is training or resting, Ahn Jung-hwan is like a local player. In addition to the language communication is not very smooth, other players and fans do not regard him as a foreigner, which shows that he is very well integrated.
An Zhenhuan's signing with Dalian Shide is a turning point for both sides. After An Zhenhuan joined, Dalian Shide has improved its strength, and An Zhenhuan should also be grateful to dalian team. Joining the top league team in the twilight of his career was an adventure for both sides, but the adventure was successful.
Ahn Jung-hwan has always been strict with himself so that he can still play well regardless of age. But the good times were short-lived, and the injured An Zhenhuan spent his last playing career in Dalian, and perhaps his retirement has no regrets.
Before An Zhenhuan left Dalian, he said in an interview that he was grateful for the support and love of dalian as a city, that he would always remember his time in Dalian, and that he also talked about some of his experiences overseas, saying:
"There are many inconveniences in living overseas, and I sincerely thank those fans and well-meaning media who like me, you have given me endless motivation and courage, and this sincerity will not be forgotten to death."
<h1>The Most Contentious Battle of the World Cup</h1>
The 2002 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, daejeon World Cup Stadium, South Korea men's soccer team vs. Italy men's soccer team, this match is very controversial.
In the case of various collision fouls committed by the Italian team to the South Korean team, the referee did not give a penalty, and in the end, the South Korean team won 2:1 with Ahn Jung-hwan's goal, and the Italian players were scarred after the game. The fans were also furious, Ahn Jung-hwan was playing for Peruggia in Serie A, but because of this match, he was swept out of the club.
Italian players were repeatedly viciously violated by South Korean players in the game, but the referee turned a blind eye. Piero, Zambrotta, maldini are all "seriously injured", and even the "butcher" Gattuso is doomed, but the South Korean player who committed the foul was not punished as he deserved, but Totti was sent a red card for a false fall.
In this way, no matter whose mentality will collapse. So in the 117th minute, Ahn Jung-hwan pressed Maldini's header to break the goal, and used the golden ball of dai sin to help the South Korean team attack Italy 2:1, advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time. They eventually finished fourth in the World Cup, setting the history of asian nations, but the record was not so glorious.
That golden ball was the culmination of Ahn Jung-hwan's career, but it was also the trough of his life. His life experience was like this game, on the surface he won, but in fact he lost.
Many people have become famous with one goal and have since embarked on the peak of their lives, but An Zhenhuan is different, he is forced to leave Perugia after a goal of fame, and he also needs to pay a high fee to the club. So in the three years when Ahn Jeong-hwan was at his best, he had to accept a contract from a Japanese acting company.
After too many ups and downs, but still insist. An Zhenhuan has always insisted on his dreams and completed his rich life experience, as a player An Zhenhuan enjoys the honor brought to him in this World Cup, he is a player, his task is only responsible for scoring goals.
<h1>Variety life after retirement</h1>
An Zhenhuan's career can be described as a rich resume, and he came to China at the end of his career and performed well. But on January 31, 2012, he announced his retirement, ending a 15-year career.
Ahn Jung-hwan's wife, former Miss Korea Lee Hye-won, made a lot of sacrifices and suffered a lot for him. Now he's making up for it, helping his wife take care of things and spending time with his family.
After retiring from the army, Ahn Jung-hwan began to participate in various variety shows, and he appeared in the variety show with his wife, during which he showed love and happiness.
After taking his son to the Korean version of Where to Go, he said on the show that he was very depressed after retiring and did not have the heart to take care of the children, but it can also be seen from the show that he is now a super dad.
Since then, he has also participated in many other variety shows, and it can be seen that after retiring, Ahn Jung-hwan returned to his family wholeheartedly and became a variety star. But Ahn Jung-hwan hasn't forgotten football, and at the 2014 World Cup, he and Song Jong-kook became tv commentators.
Although our handsome star retired, he still attracted a lot of fans with his excellent appearance, and these fans will also pay attention to his previous years on the court. That time must have been the most memorable for Ahn Jeong-hwan!