Choi Kang-hee

Choi played for Hanil Bank and Army FC in the Korean Semi-professional League. After he accomplished his military service in ROK Army, South Korea's professional league (K League) was founded at a similar time, and he started his professional career by joining a K League club POSCO Dolphins. However, he transferred to Hyundai Horang-i after hearing the news of its foundation. He became a founding member of Hyundai Horang-i, and spent the rest of his playing career in there. He retired at the end of the 1992 season after a row with the club's manager Cha Bum-kun over Cha's training methods.

Choi was called up to the South Korean national team for the 1988 Summer Olympics. He played all three games, but South Korea were knocked out of the group stage in the Olympics. He was also included in South Korea's squad that came runners-up to Saudi Arabia in the 1988 AFC Asian Cup. He played three games in the Asian Cup. Choi participated in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, playing three games for South Korea. However, South Korea failed to win a single game in the 1990 World Cup.

The year after Choi retired as a player, he went to Leverkusen and Cologne in Germany to study football management. By 1996, he joined the coaching staff at Suwon Samsung Bluewings and then became an assistant to head coach Kim Ho as the club won the 2000–01 Asian Club Championship. He also became an assistant coach of the South Korean national team under Humberto Coelho. Choi's first stint managing K League 1 side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors lasted from 2005 to 2011. He focused on offensive tactics and transformed the team into one of the best in Asia. He led Jeonbuk to the K League 1 title in 2009 and 2011. He also won the AFC Champions League in 2006. Choi repeatedly turned down offers to become South Korea national football team head coach after former coach Cho Kwang-rae was sacked. After being repeatedly offered the job, he finally accepted it on 21 December 2011. He insisted that his reign would only last until the end of World Cup qualifiers, saying, "I asked that [the contract only runs until June 2013]. What we need to do is qualify for the World Cup finals for the eighth time in a row... My mission is to take the national team to the finals. After that, a foreign coach should take over the team. If the KFA doesn't accept this, I won't sign the contract." However, Choi's team showed poor performances in the final round (fourth round) of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification. While Cho managed the national team, they split into two factions, overseas clubs' players and K…

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