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Cha Bum-kun

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Cha Bum-kun
Born (1953-05-22) May 22, 1953 (age 73)
Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Occupation(s)Footballer, football manager
Years active1972–1989 (player), 1991–2010 (manager)
Known forSouth Korea's top scorer with 58 international goals; Bundesliga player; manager of South Korea national team at 1998 FIFA World Cup

Cha Bum-kun

Cha Bum-kun (Template:Korean; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰɐbʌmɡɯn] or [tɕʰɐ] [pʌmɡɯn]; born 22 May 1953) is a retired South Korean footballer and former manager. Playing as a forward, he earned the nicknames Tscha Bum and "Cha Boom" during his time in Germany, reflecting his name and his formidable shooting power.[1] Known for his explosive speed and powerful strikes, supported by his muscular thighs,[2][3] he is widely acknowledged as one of Asia's finest football talents ever.[4][5][6]

At just 18 years old in 1972, Cha debuted for the South Korean national team, becoming the youngest member at that time. He holds the record as the youngest footballer globally to achieve 100 international appearances, reaching this milestone at 24 years and 35 days old,[note 1] and remains South Korea’s top scorer with 58 international goals. After establishing dominance in Asian tournaments such as the 1978 Asian Games, he moved to West Germany where he played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. Over his Bundesliga career, he scored a total of 121 goals for these two clubs and secured UEFA Cup victories with both sides.[9]

Following his playing career, Cha founded a football academy aimed at nurturing young talent in South Korea and took charge as manager of the national team during the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Born in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, Cha initially enrolled at Yeongdo Middle School with the intention of pursuing football. However, shortly after his arrival, the school's football team was disbanded. After spending approximately eighteen months playing field hockey at Yeongdo, he transferred to Kyungshin Middle School to continue his football development. During his high school years, despite facing bullying from senior students that almost led him to quit school, Cha persisted with football thanks to the support of manager Chang Woon-soo. He emerged as a leading figure at Kyungshin High School and earned selection for the South Korean under-20 squad in 1970.

Career in South Korea

In 1972, Cha matriculated at Korea University, where he contributed to winning the Korean National Championship in 1974, an event that preceded the establishment of the Korean FA Cup. Upon completing his studies, he began his professional journey with Korea Trust Bank FC in 1976. During the spring season of the Korean Semi-professional League, he played a pivotal role in securing the league title for his team and earned recognition as the season's most outstanding player. Later that year, in October, Cha joined Air Force FC to fulfill his mandatory military duties. Although he initially intended to enlist with Navy FC, the ROK Air Force convinced him to join their ranks instead by promising an earlier discharge date by six months.

Darmstadt 98

While representing the national squad at the 1978 Korea Cup, Cha caught the eye of Eintracht Frankfurt coach Dieter Schulte, who had been invited to attend the event as a scout and observer. In November 1978, Schulte reached out to the KFA with a recommendation for Cha to trial in West Germany, anticipating his discharge from the ROK Air Force in January 1979. Following the conclusion of the 1978 Asian Games in December, Cha took leave to travel to Frankfurt and secured a six-month contract with another Bundesliga team, Darmstadt 98. Nevertheless, his time at Darmstadt lasted less than a month. The ROK Air Force did not honor the contract arrangement and commanded his return. After making his debut on 30 December against VfL Bochum, Cha was compelled to return to South Korea on 5 January due to unresolved military service obligations. He ultimately fulfilled his service until 31 May, preventing him from continuing with Darmstadt.

Eintracht Frankfurt

Upon completing his military duties, Cha remained determined to compete in the Bundesliga and joined Eintracht Frankfurt at age 26 in July 1979. He made an immediate impression by scoring in three straight matches between the third and fifth rounds of the league. By mid-season, he was recognized as a world-class talent in the kicker-Rangliste [de]. His outstanding contributions were instrumental in Eintracht securing their inaugural UEFA Cup championship. Sir Alex Ferguson, then managing Aberdeen, praised Cha as an "unstoppable player," while Lothar Matthäus, who faced him during the UEFA Cup final and Bundesliga contests, regarded him as "one of the finest forwards worldwide." Alongside earning a UEFA Cup winner's medal, Cha was selected for kicker's Bundesliga Team of the Season, sharing honors with stars like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Kevin Keegan. On 23 August 1980, Cha suffered a cracked spine following a tackle from behind by Jürgen Gelsdorf, but he made a comeback after just one month away from play. Subsequently, he netted six goals in six appearances during the 1980–81 DFB-Pokal, guiding Eintracht to another title. He finished as Eintracht’s leading scorer for three consecutive campaigns.

Bayer Leverkusen

In 1983, Cha moved to Bayer Leverkusen as a result of financial challenges faced by Frankfurt.[10] During the 1985–86 Bundesliga season, he achieved his highest single-season Bundesliga goal tally by netting 17 times, helping Leverkusen secure a UEFA Cup berth for the first time by finishing sixth in the league.[11] The sports publication kicker once again honored him by including him in their Team of the Season,[12] while the Abendpost-Nachtausgabe [de] bestowed upon him the Player of the Season accolade.[13] In the 1988 UEFA Cup final, Cha scored a crucial equalizer against Espanyol, leveling the score at 3–3. Ultimately, Leverkusen triumphed in the penalty shootout, securing their inaugural European trophy.[10]

Cha concluded his professional career in 1989 after participating in 308 Bundesliga matches, earning a reputation as a fair player. Throughout his Bundesliga tenure, he amassed 98 goals without scoring from penalties and was booked only once.[9] On 31 October 1987, he surpassed Willi Lippens by scoring his 93rd Bundesliga goal, becoming the league's leading foreign goalscorer.[14] This record stood for eleven years until Stéphane Chapuisat exceeded it.[15] As of 2024, Cha ranks ninth among foreign scorers in Bundesliga history, tied with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.[15]

International career

File:Corea del Sur 1970.jpg
Cha alongside Park Lee-chun and Kim Jae-han representing South Korea in the early 1970s.

While Cha predominantly operated as a striker during his time in the Bundesliga, he initially played as a winger during his early career in South Korea.[16] He earned selection for the South Korean under-20 squad in 1970 and competed in the AFC Youth Championship tournaments of 1971 and 1972.[17][18] His senior international debut came during the 1972 AFC Asian Cup against Iraq, where he also netted his first international goal facing the Khmer Republic.[19] Over seven consecutive years, he was named to the Korean FA Best XI, and was recognized as Korean FA Player of the Year in 1973.[20]

Cha frequently represented South Korea in annual tournaments such as the Korea Cup, Pestabola Merdeka, and King's Cup, which featured competition among Asian nations and invited clubs. Across these contests, he secured ten trophies and delivered several memorable performances.[19] Notably, during the 1975 Pestabola Merdeka, he recorded his first international hat-trick against Japan.[19] At the 1976 Korea Cup, he scored three goals within five minutes—from the 83rd to the 88th minute—against Malaysia, resulting in a dramatic 4–4 draw for South Korea.[21]

During the qualifiers for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Cha participated in all twelve matches played by South Korea, contributing five goals and two assists,[22][23] despite suffering from a knee boil during this period.[24] Nevertheless, South Korea finished as runners-up and did not qualify for that World Cup.

At the 1978 Asian Games, Cha contributed two goals and two assists, playing a key role in South Korea’s gold medal victory.[25][26] However, his performance was criticized for appearing lackluster as he prepared for tryouts with Bundesliga clubs.[27] Following this tournament, he relocated to Germany to play professionally and ceased representing South Korea internationally. His final international appearance was at the 1986 FIFA World Cup, marking South Korea’s return to the tournament since their debut in 1954. Despite intense defensive attention from opponents,[28][29] South Korea was eliminated during the group stage.

Managerial career

Cha transitioned into a managerial role with the K League club Hyundai Horang-i (now Ulsan Hyundai FC), leading the team from 1991 to 1994. In January 1997, he was appointed head coach of the South Korean national team and guided them to qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, following a heavy 5–0 loss to the Netherlands in South Korea's second group stage match, Cha was dismissed from his position. He later attributed the poor results to the Korea Football Association (KFA), criticizing the absence of performance bonuses and accusing the domestic professional soccer scene of match-fixing. In response, the KFA imposed a five-year ban on him, prompting Cha to depart South Korea with his wife.

After spending approximately eighteen months managing Shenzhen Ping'an in China, Cha returned to South Korea to work as a football commentator for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). He resumed coaching duties in late 2003 when he accepted the managerial role at Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Cha quickly brought success to Suwon by securing the 2004 K League title, an accomplishment he personally regarded as surpassing even his UEFA Cup victory as a player in 1988. He remained with Suwon until his resignation in June 2010.

Personal life

A committed Christian, Cha has stated that his faith ranks among his three core values, alongside family and football.

Cha’s second son, Cha Du-ri, followed in his footsteps by playing for both the South Korean national team and several Bundesliga clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt.

In November 2019, Cha was honored by the German government with the Cross of Merit.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Korea Trust Bank 1976 Semipro League ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
ROK Air Force (military service) 1976 Semipro League ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
1977 Semipro League ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
1978 Semipro League ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
1979 Semipro League ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
Total ? ? ? ? — ? ? ? ?
Darmstadt 98 1978–79 Bundesliga 1 0 — — — 1 0
Eintracht Frankfurt 1979–80 Bundesliga 31 12 4 0 11 3 — 46 15
1980–81 Bundesliga 27 8 6 6 5 2 — 38 16
1981–82 Bundesliga 31 11 1 0 6 (Cup Winners' Cup) 1 38 12
1982–83 Bundesliga 33 15 1 0 — — 34 15
Total !122 !46 !12 !6 !22 !6 !colspan="2"|— !156 !58
Bayer Leverkusen 1983–84 Bundesliga 34 12 1 0 — — 35 12
1984–85 Bundesliga 29 10 3 4 — — 32 14
1985–86 Bundesliga 34 17 4 2 — — 38 19
1986–87 Bundesliga 33 6 2 1 3 (UEFA Cup) 2 38 9
1987–88 Bundesliga 25 4 0 0 10 (UEFA Cup) 2 35 6
1988–89 Bundesliga 30 3 5 0 2 (UEFA Cup) 0 37 3
Total !185 !52 !15 !7 !15 !4 !colspan="2"|— !215 !63
Career total 308 !98 !27 !13 !37 !10 372 !121


International

The official website of the KFA lists Cha's international appearances totaling 136 matches.[19] Similarly, the RSSSF also records 136 caps for Cha's international tenure, although there are some inconsistencies in the details.[8] Meanwhile, FIFA acknowledges 130 international appearances for Cha in its FIFA Century Club, having excluded six fixtures from the Summer Olympics qualification phase.[30]

  • National team appearances and goals by year
    Team Year Appearances Goals
    South Korea 1972 23 6
    1973 17 8
    1974 13 2
    1975 18 9
    1976 14 11
    1977 26 15
    1978 16 5
    1986 3 0
    Total career 130 56
  • Appearances and goals categorized by competition
    Competition Appearances Goals
    Friendlies 10 2
    Minor tournaments 76 44
    Asian Games 12 2
    AFC Asian Cup qualification 4 0
    AFC Asian Cup 5 1
    Summer Olympics qualification 6 2
    FIFA World Cup qualification 20 7
    FIFA World Cup 3 0
    Overall 136 58
    • The scorelines list South Korea's goals first.[19][8]
    No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
    Chronological record of international goals by Cha Bum-kun
    1 10 May 1972 National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand 2 Template:Fb 3–0 4–1 1972 AFC Asian Cup
    2 19 July 1972 Perak Stadium, Ipoh, Malaysia 8 Template:Fb 2–0 4–1 1972 Pestabola Merdeka
    3 23 July 1972 Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 9 Template:Fb 2–0 2–0 1972 Pestabola Merdeka
    4 29 July 1972 Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 11 Template:Fb 2–0 2–1 1972 Pestabola Merdeka
    5 20 September 1972 Dongdaemun Stadium, Seoul, South Korea 13 Template:Fb 3–0 3–0 1972 Korea Cup
    6 22 November 1972 National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand 21 Template:Fb 1–1 1–1 1972 King's Cup

    ... [The table continues with the same structure for all listed goals] ...


    Honours

    Player

    Korea University

    Korea Trust Bank

    ROK Air Force

    Eintracht Frankfurt

    Bayer Leverkusen

    South Korea U20

    South Korea

    Individual

    Records

    • Youngest footballer worldwide to reach 100 international appearances at age 24 years and 35 days
    • Holds record for most international appearances with South Korea: 136 caps
    • Top all-time goal scorer for South Korea with a total of 58 goals

    Manager

    Hyundai Horang-i

    Suwon Samsung Bluewings

    Individual

    See also

    Notes

    1. ↑ FIFA initially recognized him in 2013 as the youngest to reach 100 caps at 24 years and 139 days,[7] but later updates based on his cap records shorten this to 24 years and 35 days,[8] or alternatively considered as 24 years and 65 days excluding Olympic qualifiers per FIFA regulations.

    References

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    3. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    4. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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    6. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    7. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named MBC
    11. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    12. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    13. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 1971Youth
    18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 1972Youth
    19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named KFA
    20. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    21. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    22. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    23. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    24. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    25. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    26. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    27. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    28. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    29. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
    30. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

    External links

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