12 Facts About Kim Nam-il

Kim Nam-il is a South Korean football manager and former player who played as defensive midfielder.

Kim Nam-il began playing football in third grade of elementary school.

Kim Nam-il made his senior international debut in the tournament.

Under Guus Hiddink, Kim began to play for the national team in earnest.

The term "Kim Nam-il Syndrome" began to be coined by tabloids to describe Kim's superstardom status.

Many TV programs had asked, or pressured at times for, Kim Nam-il to appear, but he rejected their offers, and appeared only on interviews instead.

In January 2003, Kim Nam-il joined an Eredivisie club Feyenoord on loan, and was subleased to the satellite club Excelsior to be tested for five months.

Kim Nam-il played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but he was blamed by some South Korean fans after conceding a penalty kick to Nigeria.

Kim Nam-il started his career as a coach at Jiangsu Suning in 2016.

Kim Nam-il joined the South Korea's coaching staff for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

On 23 December 2019, Kim Nam-il was appointed as the manager of Seongnam FC.

Kim Nam-il is the youngest of the three brothers in his family, and is a close friend of Lee Kwan-woo and Lee Dong-gook.