Korea University (KU) consolidated its 100^th victory in the 2016 Annual Ko-Yon Games by winning the soccer game. All the players of the KU soccer team showed amazing performances, but among the many players who shone on the pitch, it was Ahn Eun San(’15, Physical Education) who had more to show. Having scored already in last year’s Ko-Yon Games, Ahn also scored another goal in this year’s Ko-Yon Soccer Game, and contribut tremendously to KU’s win.

GT: Now that the Ko-Yon Game has ended, how do you feel?

Ahn: Although I personally have some regrets, I am glad that we were able to win the game.

GT: You said that you had some regrets. Which part of the game do you think you could have done better?

Ahn: I feel that I should have played full-time. I had a cramp and had to go off the pitch in the middle of the game. If it wasn’t for that I think I would have created several more chances and probably would have scored more goals.

GT: Considering that you were the top-scorer of a major competition when you were in high-school, you seem hungry to score a lot.

Ahn: Well, I feel that those who score the most are the best players. I did play well last year and people had high expectations of me, which put quite some burden on my back.

GT: When and why did you start playing soccer?

Ahn: When I was in elementary school, our family had to go to Japan for business reasons and since I had difficulty making friends, my father felt that playing soccer was a good way to make friends. Then I eventually became the best player in the school. Since then, I stopped thinking about anything else and came to the conclusion that soccer was my life.

GT: Did you play as a midfielder since you were in elementary school?

Ahn: I pretty much played in every position. When the coach felt that we needed more defenders, he would let me play as a defender and if he felt that his team needed to be a little more offensive, then I would take a more offensive role.

GT: Then when did you become a midfielder?

Ahn: I became a midfielder when I was in middle school, and I initially played at the left side. Then I went to high school and started playing at the other side and found a role that suited me more.

GT: Did you ever go through slumps as a player? What was the greatest slump until now?

Ahn: I went through a lot of slumps. I personally felt that this season was the toughest times I have ever had. First of all, the team didn’t perform that well this season, and I failed to live up to the expectations. I also got injured quite a few times. So I think this season was a time for me to overcome adversities. Now that we won the Ko-Yon Games I am wishing that this would become the turning point of our disappointing season.

GT: The KU soccer team has a superior record against Yonsei University (YU). How do you think this was possible?

Ahn: The moment I came to KU, I was brainwashed by the seniors not to lose against a team like that of YU. We were just more desperate to win against them, and I think the winners in a game like this are those who are more desperate. It’s true that YU did prepare for this game, but they kind of underestimated us. I once saw an article with YU’s comment saying that the KU soccer team lacked its own color. That’s when I realized that YU was underestimating us.

GT: And yet they fail to win against us.

Ahn: Well they seemed to have confidence, but the result says otherwise.

GT: You equalized for KU last year and did the same this year. What allows you to save the team in such difficulty?

Ahn: I am not really sure. It might just be luck. I’m just glad that I was able to save the team, and I think it was my strong will to score and continuous training that enabled this.

GT: How was this year’s equalizer different from last year’s equalizer?

Ahn: Honestly speaking, I was more thrilled when I scored the equalizer last year. The score was 0-1 with only few more minutes to play and I was a freshman. I was more nervous because it was my first time playing in the Annual Ko-Yon Games. I literally felt my tears of joy dripping down when I was in the shower after the game. It also reminded me of all the pain I had to go through to come to that very stage. So although I was happy to score this year as well, I was even happier when I scored last year.

GT: Despite being a sophomore, you’ve clawed your way up to the starting line-up. Doesn’t this put a lot of pressure on you?

Ahn: It actually boosted my confidence a lot. But when I was a freshmen, there were a lot of good players in our team, so I received a lot of chances from those players, and so I scored a lot last year. Things kind of changed when those players left and I started playing a major role in the team. Opponents would put more pressure on me than before now that they recognize me and I was expected to play the role of providing chances, which is something the previous players did for me. But I guess these are all parts of the process, and it’s something I’ll have to eventually overcome.

GT: One of the best parts of the Ko-Yon Games is cheering. Does this actually affect your performance?

Ahn: Yes, it helps me a lot. The flaw would be that I can’t hear anything which makes me difficult to communicate with other players in the middle of the game, but the immense reaction from the crowd whenever we make chances causes this sudden surge of adrenaline. So there is a huge difference between having a crowd cheering for you and not having anyone.

GT: You still have chances to show yourself in the next few Ko-Yon Games. How do you plan to prepare for the upcoming games?

Ahn: First of all, I am not sure if I will play for the next few Ko-Yon Games. There’s a chance that I will leave for a professional club in the middle of my college career. But if I am going to play for the next Ko-Yon Games, I’m going to prepare just as I did for the first two Ko-Yon Games. I think it’s pretty clear that soccer is a game for KU to win against YU. It’s just the matter of how many goals I’m going to score in that match. I was personally pretty frustrated to only have scored one goal in that match.

GT: What would you be doing now if you quit playing football?

Ahn: I don’t know. It’s something my father told me, but he told that I cried when he suggested me to play soccer only as a hobby. Honestly, I don’t remember this, probably because I was oblivious to anything other than play soccer. Perhaps they were worried because I was pretty good in my academics, too.

GT: So, you have never thought about quitting soccer.

Ahn: Yes, I have never thought about quitting soccer until now. I haven't even thought about what I am going to do after retiring from playing. I love playing soccer at the moment, and if ever get bored, I would consider quitting football then, but I just love playing soccer right now. I can’t imagine what I would be doing now if I quit soccer half-way.

GT: What is your future plan as a player?

Ahn: My goal is to play professional soccer in England and play with those playing in the Premier League in front of that tremendous crowd. I would also like to represent the national team and make the team shine. Playing in the World Cup competition is also one of my dreams.

Also, if I am going to play for a professional team, it will start at the Ulsan Hyundai Football Club (FC) since I used to play for the youth team of that club. I would like to first of all furnish myself in that team and receive a lot of opportunities like playing in the Asian Games, and end up in the English Premier League.

GT: Is there a player who you admire the most?

Ahn: Personally, I really like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. I personally like all left-footed players, and I would like to be as good as all the players in the Premier League. And Messi… Yeah, he’s amazing.

▲ Ahn Eun San interviewing for GT. Photographed by Kim Ji Won.