Cha Bum-kun
Cha Bum-kun (Korean: 차범근; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰɐbʌmɡɯn] or [tɕʰɐ] [pʌmɡɯn]; born 22 May 1953) is a South Korean former football manager and player. A forward, he was nicknamed Tscha Bum or "Cha Boom" in Germany because of his name and thunderous ball striking ability. He showed explosive pace and powerful shots with his thick thighs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.
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Cha in 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 22 May 1953 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hwaseong, South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1967–1968 | Kyungshin Middle School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1969–1971 | Kyungshin High School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1975 | Korea University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976 | Korea Trust Bank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1976–1979 | ROK Air Force (draft) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1978–1979 | Darmstadt 98 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1983 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 122 | (46) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1989 | Bayer Leverkusen | 185 | (52) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 308 | (98) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1970–1972 | South Korea U20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1972–1986 | South Korea | 136 | (58) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Hyundai Horang-i | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | South Korea | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Shenzhen Ping'an | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2010 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 차범근 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Cha Beom-geun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'a Pŏmgŭn |
In 1972, Cha had been capped for the South Korea national team as the youngest player of the time at the age of 18. He is the youngest player to ever reach 100 international caps in the world at 24 years and 35 days, and the all-time leading goalscorer of the South Korean national team with 58 goals. After dominating Asian competitions including the 1978 Asian Games, he left for West Germany and played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. He scored a total of 121 goals in two Bundesliga clubs, and won the UEFA Cup with each team.
After his retirement, he opened a football academy to develop youth players in South Korea, and managed the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.