Cha Bum-kun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cha Bum-kun

Cha in 1979
Personal information
Date of birth	(1953-05-22) 22 May 1953 (age 72)
Place of birth	Hwaseong, South Korea
Height	1.79 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1967–1968	Kyungshin Middle School [ko]
1969–1971	Kyungshin High School [ko]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1976	Korea Trust Bank [ko]
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)
National team
1970–1972	South Korea U20
1972–1986	South Korea	130	(56)
Teams managed
1991–1994	Hyundai Horang-i
1997–1998	South Korea
1998–1999	Shenzhen Ping'an
2004–2010	Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Honours Representing  South Korea Men's football Asian Games Gold 1978 Bangkok Team AFC Asian Cup Silver 1972 Thailand Team AFC Youth Championship Silver 1971 Japan Team Silver 1972 Thailand Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Cha Bum-kun (Hangul: 차범근; born 22 May 1953) is a famous South Korean former football player and manager. He played as a forward. In Germany, people called him Tscha Bum or "Cha Boom" because of his name and his super powerful shots. He was known for being very fast and having strong shots. Many people think he is one of the best Asian football players ever.

In 1972, Cha joined the South Korea national team when he was only 18 years old. He was the youngest player at that time. He is also the youngest player in the world to reach 100 international games (at 24 years and 35 days old). He is still the top goal scorer for the South Korean national team with 58 goals. After doing very well in Asian competitions, like the 1978 Asian Games, he moved to West Germany. There, he played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. He scored 121 goals in total for these two Bundesliga clubs. He also won the UEFA Cup with both teams.

After he stopped playing, he started a football academy in South Korea to help young players. He also managed the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

Cha was born in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea. He first joined Yeongdo Middle School to play football. But the school's football club closed down soon after he joined. He then moved to Kyungshin Middle School to continue his football journey. Before that, he played field hockey for about a year and a half.

In high school, he almost left school because of problems with older students. But his manager, Chang Woon-soo, helped him to keep playing. He became a well-known player for Kyungshin High School. In 1970, he was chosen to play for the South Korean under-20 team.

Playing for Clubs

Starting in South Korea

Cha went to Korea University in 1972. In 1974, his team won the Korean National Football Championship, which was like today's Korean FA Cup. After university, he started his professional career with Korea Trust Bank FC in 1976. He helped his team win a championship and was named the best player in the spring season of the Korean Semi-professional League.

In October 1976, he joined Air Force FC for his required military service. Cha had planned to join the Navy FC. But the ROK Air Force convinced him that he could finish his service sooner if he joined them.

Playing in Germany: Darmstadt 98

While playing for the national team in 1978, Cha caught the eye of a coach from Eintracht Frankfurt. This coach invited him to try out in West Germany. In November 1978, the coach sent a letter to the KFA (Korea Football Association) about Cha. Cha was set to finish his military service in January 1979.

After the 1978 Asian Games in December, Cha took time off to go to Frankfurt. He signed a six-month deal with another Bundesliga club, Darmstadt 98. However, he only stayed in Darmstadt for less than a month. The ROK Air Force did not agree with his contract and ordered him to return. After playing just one game for Darmstadt on December 30, he went back to South Korea. He had to finish his military service until May 31, so he could not play for Darmstadt anymore.

Success with Eintracht Frankfurt

After finishing his military service, Cha still wanted to play in the Bundesliga. So, in July 1979, at age 26, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt. He quickly made a big impact, scoring in three games in a row. After his first half-season in Germany, a famous German football magazine called kicker said he was "world class."

He also played a huge part in helping Eintracht win its first-ever UEFA Cup title. Sir Alex Ferguson, who was a manager at the time, called him an "unstoppable player." Lothar Matthäus, another famous player, said Cha was "one of the best attackers in the world." Besides winning the UEFA Cup, Cha was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season by kicker, alongside stars like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Kevin Keegan.

In August 1980, Cha got a serious back injury from a tackle. But he came back to play after only a month. After that, he scored six goals in six matches of the 1980–81 DFB-Pokal, helping Eintracht win that title too. He was Eintracht's top goal scorer for three seasons in a row.

Winning More with Bayer Leverkusen

In 1983, Cha moved to Bayer Leverkusen because Frankfurt was having money problems. In the 1985–86 Bundesliga season, he scored 17 goals, which was his best in a single Bundesliga season. Leverkusen then qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time. The magazine kicker again chose him for their Team of the Season.

In the 1988 UEFA Cup Final, he scored a dramatic goal against Espanyol to tie the game 3–3. Leverkusen then won the game in a penalty shootout, earning their first European title.

Cha stopped playing football in 1989. He played 308 Bundesliga games and was known as a very fair player. During his time in the Bundesliga, he scored 98 goals without any penalties. He only received one yellow card in his entire career there! On October 31, 1987, he scored his 93rd Bundesliga goal, becoming the top foreign goal scorer at that time. This record stood for eleven years. As of 2024, Cha is still one of the top foreign goal scorers in the Bundesliga.

Playing for His Country

Cha (left) with Park Lee-chun and Kim Jae-han playing for South Korea in the early 1970s.

While Cha played as a striker in Germany, he was originally a winger in South Korea. He joined the South Korean under-20 team in 1970. He played in the AFC Youth Championship in 1971 and 1972.

In the 1972 AFC Asian Cup, he played his first senior international game against Iraq. He scored his first international goal against Khmer Republic. He was chosen for the Korean FA Best XI for seven years in a row. In 1973, he was named the Korean FA Player of the Year.

Cha often played for the national team in tournaments like the Korea Cup, Pestabola Merdeka, and King's Cup. These were yearly competitions between Asian countries and invited clubs. He won ten trophies in these events and had many memorable games. In the 1975 Pestabola Merdeka, he scored three goals in one game against Japan. In the 1976 Korea Cup, he scored three goals in just five minutes against Malaysia, helping South Korea get a dramatic 4–4 draw.

In the 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification, he played in all twelve of South Korea's matches. He scored five goals and made two assists, even though he had a knee problem. However, South Korea did not make it to the World Cup that year.

In the 1978 Asian Games, he scored two goals and made two assists, helping his team win a gold medal. After these games, he left for the Bundesliga and did not play for South Korea for a while. His last big international tournament was the 1986 FIFA World Cup. This was South Korea's first World Cup since 1954. He played very well despite being closely marked by opponents. However, South Korea was eliminated in the group stage.

Becoming a Manager

After his playing career, Cha became a manager. He first coached K League team Hyundai Horang-i from 1991 to 1994. In January 1997, he became the coach of the South Korean national team. He led the team to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, after a tough 5–0 loss to the Netherlands in their second group game, Cha left his role. He later had disagreements with the KFA about the team's performance. The association then gave him a five-year ban, and he left the country with his wife.

After coaching Shenzhen Ping'an in China for 18 months, Cha became a football commentator for a TV station in Korea. He returned to coaching in late 2003 when he was offered the manager position at Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Cha quickly found success with Suwon, winning the 2004 K League championship. He said this achievement felt even better than winning the UEFA Cup as a player. He later stepped down as Suwon manager in June 2010.

Personal Life

Cha is a very religious Christian. He has said that his faith is one of the three most important things in his life, along with his family and football.

Cha's second child, Cha Du-ri, also became a football player. He played for the South Korean national team and for Bundesliga clubs, including Eintracht, just like his father.

In November 2019, Cha received the Cross of Merit from the German government. This is a special award for his contributions.

Career Statistics Summary

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Honours and Awards

As a Player

With Korea University

• Korean National Championship: 1974

With Korea Trust Bank

• Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 1976

With ROK Air Force

• Korean National Championship runner-up: 1976

With Eintracht Frankfurt

• UEFA Cup: 1979–80
• DFB-Pokal: 1980–81

With Bayer Leverkusen

• UEFA Cup: 1987–88

With South Korea U20

• AFC Youth Championship runner-up: 1971, 1972

With South Korea National Team

• Asian Games: 1978 (Gold Medal)
• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1972 (Silver Medal)

Individual Awards

• IFFHS World's Player of the 20th Century 60th place: 2000
• IFFHS Asia's Player of the 20th Century: 1999
• IFFHS Asian Men's Team of the 20th Century: 2021
• IFFHS Asian Men's Team of All Time: 2021
• ESPN Best Asian Footballer of All Time: 2015
• Korean FA Best XI: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978
• Korean FA Most Valuable Player: 1973
• Korean FA Hall of Fame: 2005
• kicker Team of the Season: 1979–80, 1985–86
• Eintracht Frankfurt All-time XI: 2013

Records

• Youngest player in the world to reach 100 caps: 24 years, 35 days
• Most caps for South Korea: 136 games
• South Korea all-time top goalscorer: 58 goals

As a Manager

With Hyundai Horang-i

• Korean League Cup runner-up: 1993

With Suwon Samsung Bluewings

• Pan-Pacific Championship: 2009
• A3 Champions Cup: 2005
• K League 1: 2004, 2008
• Korean FA Cup: 2009
• Korean League Cup: 2005, 2008
• Korean Super Cup: 2005

Individual Awards

• AFC Coach of the Month: February 1997, May 1997, September 1997
• AFC Coach of the Year: 1997
• K League 1 Manager of the Year: 2004, 2008
• Korean FA Cup Best Manager: 2009

Images for kids

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  Cha with Park Lee-chun and Kim Jae-han playing for South Korea in the early 1970s.

In Spanish: Cha Bum-kun para niños