Ahn Jung-hwan

Busan Daewoo Royals

Ahn began his professional career with Busan Daewoo Royals in 1998. He scored a 59th-minute equalizer against Suwon Samsung Bluewings on his professional debut on 21 March, although Busan lost the opening Adidas Cup match in a penalty shoot-out. In his rookie season, Ahn recorded 13 goals and four assists in 33 K League and League Cup appearances. He scored four goals in each of the season's two League Cup competitions and helped Busan win the Philip Morris Korea Cup. Although he finished second to Lee Dong-gook in voting for Rookie of the Year, Ahn was selected to the K League Best XI as a midfielder. His performances and long-haired appearance earned him the nickname "Terius", and he emerged alongside Lee and Ko Jong-soo as one of the young stars associated with the K League's late-1990s attendance revival. Ahn's attacking output increased in 1999, when he scored 21 goals and supplied seven assists in 34 K League and League Cup appearances. He shared the scoring lead in the Daehan Fire Insurance Cup with six goals, but a red card in the semifinal against Ulsan Hyundai suspended him for both matches of the final, which Busan lost to Suwon. During the league's regular season, he recorded 14 goals and five assists, including goals in seven consecutive appearances, before adding two assists in five championship playoff matches as Busan reached the final. In the second championship match, Ahn assisted the opening goal, but Suwon won 2–1 in extra time…

Early appearances

Ahn represented the South Korea under-20 team at the 1994 AFC Youth Championship. He scored both of South Korea's goals in a 2–2 draw with Bahrain, but the team was eliminated in the group stage and failed to qualify for the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship. He also won the silver medal with South Korea at the 1997 Summer Universiade. Ahn made his debut for the senior national team on 23 April 1997, coming on as a substitute in a 2–0 friendly victory over China at the Workers' Stadium in Beijing. In December 1997, manager Cha Bum-kun omitted him from a preliminary squad for the upcoming 1998 FIFA World Cup. Ahn was not selected for the tournament despite his strong start to his professional career the following spring. He was also left out of the squad for the 1998 Asian Games, which was composed largely of players under the age cutoff for the 2000 Olympics. His first senior international goal came on 12 June 1999 in a 1–1 draw with Mexico in the Korea Cup. He subsequently appeared in both of South Korea's matches at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup. However, Ahn missed the 2000 AFC Asian Cup; one contemporary journalist attributed Ahn's omission to manager Huh Jung-moo's concerns about stamina and defensive contribution, as well as a desire to give him time to adapt to Italian football. On 20 December 2000, Ahn scored in a 1–1 draw with Japan at the National Stadium in Tokyo as incoming national-team manager Guus Hiddink watched from the stands. He…

Ahn's technical gifts for passing, dribbling and shooting based on two-footed ability could deploy him in any attacking position, and led him to be called the "fantasista" in South Korea. He looked comfortable when playing as an attacking midfielder, but also could play as a winger or striker. However, he had some drawbacks such as lack of physical strength and defensive contribution.

"Ahn was a rare type of player in our country. His skills were impossible for me, and were not behind European players. He showed Korean players also can play technical football." – Park Ji-sung

Ahn was born on 27 January 1976 in Papyeong-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi Province. He was raised primarily by his maternal grandmother while his mother worked, and grew up in financial hardship. Ahn began playing organised football in the fourth grade at Bondong Elementary School in Seoul. He later recalled that he initially joined the school's football team because its players were given bread and milk, although his grandmother objected because he was already underfed. He transferred to Daerim Elementary School in the fifth grade and subsequently attended Namseoul Middle School and Seoul Technical High School. His performances at Namseoul attracted the attention of high-school coaches, but financial difficulties restricted his educational choices. Financial considerations also influenced Ahn's choice of university, and he entered Ajou University in 1994, where he studied business administration. He played for Ajou's first team from his freshman year. Ajou won both the spring and autumn university football federation tournaments during his first season. That year, he was also selected for the South Korea under-19 team. Lee Young-pyo later recalled being struck by Ahn's ability when he first saw him as a university player, describing him as the leading striker in Korean university football. In August 1997, Ahn represented South Korea's university team at the Summer Universiade in Sicily, where it won the silver medal. His cross set up Kim Dae-eui for the opening goal of South…