Kim Nam-il (; Hanja: 金南一; born 14 March 1977) is a South Korean football manager and former player. He played as a defensive midfielder for the South Korea national team at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.
Early life and education 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.
Playing career 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.
Managerial career 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.
Personal life 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.
Career statistics Club +Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational CupLeague CupContinentalTotal Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsJeonnam Dragons2000K League20020101—3212001K League2502000—2702002K League1400010—1502003K League23600——2362004K League1012000—121Total92760111—1098Feyenoord (loan)2002–03Eredivisie—————Excelsior (loan)2002–03Eredivisie8000——80Suwon Samsung Bluewings2005K League203240101022006K League2304030—3002007K League2001080—290Total4508215010692Vissel Kobe2008J1 League3111010—3312009J1 League2301020—260Total5412030—591Tom Tomsk2010Russian Premier League24010——2502011–12Russian Premier League17000——170Total41000——410Incheon United2012K League34000——3402013K League 125000——250Total59000——590Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2014K League 120200——202Kyoto Sanga2015J2 League2710000—271Career total346111622911039214
International +Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSouth Korea19982020003020017120021702003110200412120056020061402007202008120200940201070201310Career total982
Results list South Korea's goal tally first. +List of international goals scored by Kim Nam-il No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1 10 November 2001 Seoul, South Korea 2–0 2–0 Friendly2 31 July 2004 Jinan, China 3–3 3–4 2004 AFC Asian Cup
Honours Player Jeonnam Dragons Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2003 Korean League Cup runner-up: 2000+
Suwon Samsung Bluewings Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2006 Korean League Cup: 2005 Korean Super Cup: 2005 A3 Champions Cup: 2005
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors K League 1: 2014
South Korea U20 AFC Youth Championship: 1996
South Korea EAFF Championship: 2008
Individual K League All-Star: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup Best XI: 2002 K League 1 Best XI: 2003 EAFF Championship Most Valuable Player: 2008 J.League All-Star: 2008
Manager Individual K League Manager of the Month: May 2020
References
External links Kim Nam-il at KFA
Kim Nam-il at Vissel Kobe (archived)