Kim Nam Il is a South Korean retired football player and current coach. He played defensive midfielder and graduated from Hanyang University, playing for the school's team from 1996 until 1999.

In 1996, he was also selected as a part of the under-20 national team and debuted in a AFC Youth Championship match against Iran, scoring a goal. He made his international debut for the senior national team in 1998 at the Asian Games.

His professional career saw him debut with Jeonnam Dragons in 2000 where he spent 4 seasons, played in 92 games and scored 7 goals. He was not a well-known player but national team manager Guus Hiddink decided to call him up for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and he immediately established himself as an indispensable part of the team's lineup until he was injured in the quarterfinals. He was also part of the South Korean national team for the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.

After the World Cup, he gained a huge female fanbase and he attracted interest from foreign clubs. He spent time playing on loan in the Netherlands with Excelsior (2003), in Japan with Vissel Kobe (2008-2009) and Kyoto Sanga (2015), in Russia with Tom Tomsk (2010-2011) and a few teams in the Korean league.

He retired in 2015 after spending a season in Kyoto and became the coach of Chinese club Jiangsu Suning. In 2018, he joined the coaching staff of the national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and later, he was named manager of Seongnam FC, spending two years with them.

He married announcer Kim Bo Min in 2007 after years of rumors about them secretly dating. The couple has a son born in 2008.

(Source: MyDramaList) Edit Biography