Kim Nam-il

Under manager Guus Hiddink, Kim began to play for the national team in earnest. An unimpressive K League player at the time, he was criticised for his poor basic skills early in his international career. Over time, he became an irreplaceable defensive midfielder skilled at pre-empting opponents' counterattacks in Hiddink's belief. He was nicknamed the "Vacuum cleaner" after showing limitless stamina and relentless tussles. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he played all five matches until the quarter-finals. After he quit the tournament due to an ankle injury, South Korea lost to Germany in the semi-finals. After the tournament, he suddenly gained a huge female fan base, and led to sell out tickets for Jeonnam Dragons' matches. The club were also asked to put him on television shows by several broadcasters. South Korean journalists called this phenomenon "Kim Nam-il Syndrome". In January 2003, Kim joined Eredivisie club Feyenoord on loan, and was subleased to their satellite club Excelsior to be tested for five months. However, he returned to South Korea after failing to make a strong impression at Excelsior. At the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kim contributed to both South Korea's defense and attack. His long-range passes in matches against Togo and France got a good press. He also played for his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but was blamed by his compatriots after conceding a penalty to Nigeria.

Kim started his coaching career at Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning in 2016. He joined South Korea's coaching staff for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. After the World Cup, he joined Jeonnam Dragons as a coach. On 23 December 2019, Kim was appointed as manager of K League 1 club Seongnam FC. On 24 August 2022, he resigned from the club due to poor results.

Kim began playing football when he was in third grade of elementary school. His decision to play football was initially met with opposition from his parents because of his impressive academic performance, but he continued his footballing career during his schooldays. At the 1996 AFC Youth Championship, he played for the South Korea under-20 team, and scored his first international goal against Iran. He was not selected as a participant at the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, but was called up for the senior national team for the 1998 Asian Games by manager Huh Jung-moo. He made his senior international debut at the Asian Games.

Kim is the youngest of three brothers in his family, and is a close friend of Lee Kwan-woo and Lee Dong-gook. During his playing career, Kim was known for being extremely private about his personal life. He had kept his relationship and engagement to KBS anchorwoman Kim Bo-min a secret until intense speculation, which involved the media interviewing his own parents, eventually led to them confirming the rumors and revealing that they had been dating for three years. The couple legally registered their marriage in June 2007 and had a private ceremony at a hotel that December. Their son was born in 2008.