Will Ahn Leave Germans Ranting Too?

Remember Ahn Jung-hwan? I had largely forgotten about the South Korean striker until I came across a pair of items about him today. Italian fans don’t need to be reminded but Ahn was the one who score the golden goal against the Azzurri in 2002 and he was the one who was subsequently frozen out by his club side Perugia because he ruined Italian football.

Four years later and Ahn is now playing for Bundesliga club MSV Duisburg. Which brings up the interesting question: what will happen if he scores the golden goal against Germany this summer?

Ahn isn’t too worried.

“I can not imagine Duisburg telling me to leave if I score against Germany at the World Cup. What happened in Perugia was a one-off,” he said.

I find it highly unlikely it will happen, but wouldn’t it be interesting to see?

The second mention of Ahn comes from the William Hill betting site. It lists the Top 10 World Cup rants and sure enough Ahn’s former boss at Perugia Luciano Gaucci comes in first with this one directed at the South Korean:

“I am a nationalist and I regard such behaviour not only as an affront to Italian pride but also an offence to a country which two years ago opened its doors to him.”

Ah yes, what a great reminder that the World Cup does bring out the best in some and the worst in others.