The year he turned 21, in his fourth year at Ajou University, he played at the Summer Universiade and finished as runner-up, and on the day he returned he came on as a substitute in the final of the autumn university football federation tournament and had two goals and one assist.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 22, he graduated from Ajou University and joined Busan Daewoo Royals. OSEN and MHN Sports write that he got the nickname Terius after joining and became a star almost at once.
In 1999, he scored 21 goals in the K League and was named Most Valuable Player. In July 2000, he signed with AC Perugia in Italy. In 2001, he married Lee Hye-won.
In 2002, he scored the equalizer against the U.S. and the golden goal against Italy at the World Cup in Korea and Japan. After the tournament he left Perugia for Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. In 2004, he joined Yokohama F. Marinos and helped the team win the J.League title with 12 goals in 25 matches, and his daughter was born. In 2005, he moved to FC Metz in France.
The year he turned 30, he joined MSV Duisburg in Germany in January, and in June he scored the winning goal against Togo at the World Cup, becoming the first South Korean to score three World Cup goals. In 2007, he joined Suwon Samsung and returned to the K League after seven years. In 2008, he moved to Busan I’Park, and his son was born.
In 2009, he went to Dalian Shide in China. In 2010, he made the final squad for the South Africa World Cup, his third. In 2012, he held a retirement press conference and ended a 14-year playing career.
In 2014, he became an MBC commentator and appeared on Dad! Where Are We Going? In 2016, he became a regular MC of Please Take Care of My Refrigerator. In 2019, JTBC’s The Gentlemen’s League began. In 2022, he commentated on the Qatar World Cup and also hosted Brave Detectives.
In 2025, he became general director of UNIV PRO at the university football federation. In 2026, he commentated on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and became MC of Gyeyak Gyeolhon.
Ahn Jung-hwan (born Jan 27, 1976) debuted as a pro in 1998, the year he turned 22, when he joined Busan Daewoo Royals, and became known as soon as he joined. On Jun 18, 2002, the year he turned 26, he scored the golden goal against Italy in the World Cup round of 16.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Finished as runner-up at the Summer Universiade in Sicily, Italy. On the day he returned, he came on as a second-half substitute in the final of the autumn university football federation tournament and had two goals and one assist as Ajou came back to win 5-2.
Source 06 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Legend photo story: Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabGraduated from Ajou University and joined the pro team. OSEN and MHN Sports write that he got the nickname Terius after joining and became a star almost at once, and he says 500 fan letters came in each day.
Came on at the start of the second half and scored within eight minutes. Daejeon pulled one back, so his goal went down as the winner.
Source 07 · Goal.com (Korean) · The rookies of April 8, 1998 · opens in a new tabScored 21 goals in the K League that year and was named MVP.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Suwon Samsung signs Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabSource 08 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · K League MVP lineage · opens in a new tab The award date was not confirmed.The deal was a one-year loan followed by a full transfer. Xports News writes that the move made him the first Korean player in Serie A.
Source 06 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Legend photo story: Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Sportalkorea (Korean) · Interview from his Perugia days · opens in a new tabSource 09 · Xports News (Korean) · Revisiting the Perugia release rumor · opens in a new tabMarried Lee Hye-won, a former Miss Korea contestant. TV Report said the two first met on a commercial shoot in 1999.
Source 40 · TV Report (Korean) · Wedding date · opens in a new tabSource 11 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · MC of Gyeyak Gyeolhon · opens in a new tabSource 12 · OSEN (Korean) · Preview of Hangout with Yoo · opens in a new tabAt Daegu World Cup Stadium, with South Korea trailing 1-0, he came on as a substitute in the 33rd minute of the second half and headed in Lee Eul-yong’s long pass to make it 1-1.
Source 06 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Legend photo story: Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabIn the match at Daejeon World Cup Stadium he missed a penalty, but in the 13th minute of extra time he headed in Lee Young-pyo’s cross. South Korea won 2-1 and reached the quarterfinals.
Source 06 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Legend photo story: Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabSource 14 · Sports Today (Korean) · Interview with Hiddink · opens in a new tabThe celebration he performed after the goal against the U.S. was first in the interim count with 4,756 votes, 38%.
Source 13 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · FIFA goal celebration poll · opens in a new tabAfter the World Cup, he left Perugia and moved to Japan.
Source 15 · OSEN (Korean) · His path after Perugia · opens in a new tabSource 10 · Sportalkorea (Korean) · Interview from his Perugia days · opens in a new tabScored 10 goals in the regular season in his first year in Japan.
Source 41 · Newsis (Korean) · Double-digit goals in two J.League seasons · opens in a new tabA daughter was born.
Source 12 · OSEN (Korean) · Preview of Hangout with Yoo · opens in a new tab The birth date was not confirmed.In the year he joined, he scored 12 goals in 25 matches and helped the team win the J.League title.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Yokohama invitational event · opens in a new tabAfter four goals in nine matches for Yokohama, he moved to France.
Source 16 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Yokohama invitational event · opens in a new tab The transfer date was not confirmed.The club officially confirmed the signing. His number was 19, the one he wore for the national team and at Metz.
Source 17 · My Daily (Korean) · Duisburg transfer officially announced · opens in a new tabIn the first group match in Frankfurt, he scored with his right foot in the 27th minute of the second half from a ball Park Ji-sung laid off, and South Korea came back to win 2-1. He became the first South Korean to score three World Cup goals and was named FIFA’s Man of the Match.
Source 18 · Kukmin Ilbo (Korean) · FIFA Man of the Match wallpaper · opens in a new tabSource 01 · OSEN (Korean) · Profiles of the 23-man 2006 World Cup squad · opens in a new tab He was on the 23-man final squad as a forward (OSEN profile).Returned to the K League after seven years, on a one-year contract with the number 10.
Source 05 · Yonhap News Agency (Korean) · Suwon Samsung signs Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabA son was born.
Source 12 · OSEN (Korean) · Preview of Hangout with Yoo · opens in a new tab The birth date was not confirmed.Scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win over Incheon in the Samsung Hauzen Cup at Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
Source 19 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · First goal after returning to Busan · opens in a new tabThe deal ran through the end of the 2009 season, with an annual salary of $300,000 (about 400 million won).
Source 20 · My Daily (Korean) · Joining Dalian Shide · opens in a new tabCoach Huh Jung-moo recalled him in the Ivory Coast match that March, and he made the final squad. He did not play in the group matches against Greece and Argentina, and he said this was also his last with the national team.
Source 21 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Ahn Jung-hwan’s World Cup finale · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Sports Hankook (Korean) · The last World Cup for Ahn Jung-hwan and Kim Nam-il · opens in a new tabEnded his time in China in the season’s last home match, against Jiangsu at Dalian Jinzhou Stadium. His contract expired at the end of the year and he left without renewing.
Source 42 · Sportalkorea (Korean) · Farewell match in Dalian · opens in a new tabHeld a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Seoul in Yeoksam-dong and ended a 14-year playing career. He finished with 88 goals in 283 pro matches and 17 goals in 71 international matches, and said he was happy to have played in three World Cups.
Source 23 · Newsen (Korean) · Retirement press conference · opens in a new tabSource 06 · Sports Chosun (Korean) · Legend photo story: Ahn Jung-hwan · opens in a new tabPlayed a football match at high altitude against Noh Woo-jin.
Source 43 · OSEN (Korean) · Law of the Jungle in Himalayas · opens in a new tabAppeared with his son.
Source 24 · Sports Kyunghyang (Korean) · MBC Dad! Where Are We Going? · opens in a new tab The start of his involvement was not confirmed; the year comes from an episode in which he appears.On a one-year contract, he covered the 2014 Brazil World Cup with Huh Jung-moo and Song Chong-gug.
Source 25 · Newsen (Korean) · MBC exclusive commentator contract · opens in a new tabWas named joint manager with Lee Eul-yong, and Lee Woon-jae joined as well.
Source 26 · TV Report (Korean) · Poster for Cheongchun FC Hungry Eleven · opens in a new tab The first broadcast date was not confirmed.Dong-A Ilbo reported that he became a regular MC from the taping of the episode with Choi Ji-woo and Kim Joo-hyuk on Jan. 25.
Source 27 · Dong-A Ilbo (Korean) · Regular MC of Please Take Care of My Refrigerator · opens in a new tabThe broadcast team was formed with Kim Jung-geun and Seo Hyung-wook.
Source 28 · TenAsia (Korean) · MBC broadcast team for the 2018 Russia World Cup · opens in a new tabHe was manager on a show in which former athletes from other sports take on football, and the team Eojjeoda FC was formed.
Source 44 · Star News (Korean) · First anniversary of The Gentlemen’s League · opens in a new tabSource 29 · The Fact (Korean) · Scheduling of The Gentlemen’s League 4 · opens in a new tabThe show, in which he stays on a deserted island with Lee Young-pyo, started at 9:30 p.m.
Source 30 · Sports Donga (Korean) · First broadcast of Buddy into the Wild · opens in a new tabWas manager again, with Lee Dong-gook joining as coach.
Source 31 · MK Sports (Korean) · First broadcast of The Gentlemen’s League 2 · opens in a new tabHosted with Song Eun-yi and Lee Yi-kyung. Former and current detectives appear on the show to talk about investigations.
Source 32 · Newsis (Korean) · MC of Brave Detectives · opens in a new tabWas paired with caster Kim Sung-joo.
Source 33 · Newsis (Korean) · MBC commentary for the 2022 Qatar World Cup · opens in a new tabWas manager again in the third season.
Source 45 · OSEN (Korean) · Scheduling of The Gentlemen’s League 3 · opens in a new tabSource 34 · TV Daily (Korean) · Interview on The Gentlemen’s League 3 · opens in a new tabOn the show, a spin-off of Buddy into the Wild, he and Kim Dae-ho and Boom host viewers on a deserted island.
Source 46 · TV Daily (Korean) · First broadcast of Puk Swimyeon Dahaengiya · opens in a new tabThe inauguration ceremony was held in Taebaek, Gangwon. He said he wants players to be able to take on challenges without regrets.
Source 35 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · Inauguration as director of the university football federation · opens in a new tabHe said FIFA accepted Perugia’s complaint, leaving him $3.8 million (about 3.6 billion won at the time) in debt and without a club for six months. He also talked about the fan letters from his early days.
Source 36 · Xports News (Korean) · Confession on You Quiz on the Block · opens in a new tabSource 03 · OSEN (Korean) · Appearance on You Quiz on the Block · opens in a new tabThe money was for treating children with cancer, and his total donations reached 500 million won.
Source 02 · Munhwa Ilbo (Korean) · Donation to Ajou University Hospital · opens in a new tabAcknowledged the criticism that he had been arrogant in 2002.
Source 38 · Star News (Korean) · Looking back at 2002 on Hangout with Yoo · opens in a new tabCovered the first men’s football match with caster Kim Sung-joo.
Source 37 · Star News (Korean) · MBC broadcast of the 2026 Asian Games · opens in a new tabHosts the dating show produced by Nam Kyu-hong.
Source 11 · Ilgan Sports (Korean) · MC of Gyeyak Gyeolhon · opens in a new tabContinues to host with Kwak Sun-young and Kwon Il-yong, and Dindin joins from this episode.
Source 39 · JTBC (Korean) · MC change on Brave Detectives 5 · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 1997–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
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Sports · South Korea
Jan 27, 1976 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1976: the year of the event minus 1976, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.22 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.