Seoul — South Korea's 2002 World Cup hero Ahn Jung Hwan has officially retired from soccer.

The 36-year-old striker became famous around the world for scoring the golden goal that eliminated Italy in the second round of the World Cup hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea.

South Korea went on to the semifinals, the best-ever performance from an Asian team at a World Cup.

After a varied career in the K-League, Italy, Japan, France, Germany and China, Ahn told a news conference Tuesday he had thought long and hard about retirement.

"After 14 years, I decided to quit and I'm looking forward for the challenge of a new life," Ahn said.