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 (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
1967–1968	Kyungshin Middle School [ko]
1969–1971	Kyungshin High School [ko]
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1972–1975	Korea University [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)
International career
1970–1972	South Korea U20
1972–1986	South Korea	130	(56)
Managerial career
1991–1994	Hyundai Horang-i
1997–1998	South Korea
1998–1999	Shenzhen Ping'an
2004–2010	Suwon Samsung Bluewings
Medal record Representing  South Korea Men's football Asian Games Gold 1978 Bangkok AFC Asian Cup 1972 Thailand AFC Youth Championship 1971 Japan 1972 Thailand
*Club domestic league appearances and 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, which means he was an attacking player who scored goals. In Germany, he was nicknamed Tscha Bum or "Cha Boom." This was because of his name and his super powerful shots. He was known for his amazing speed and strong kicks. Many people think he is one of the best Asian footballers 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 also became the youngest player in the world to play 100 international games. He reached this milestone at just 24 years and 35 days old. He is still the top goal scorer for the South Korean national team with 58 goals. After winning many games in Asia, including the 1978 Asian Games, he moved to West Germany. There, he played for two big clubs: Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. He scored 121 goals in total for these two teams in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league). He also helped both teams win the UEFA Cup, which is a major European competition.

After he stopped playing, he started a football academy in South Korea. This academy helps young players develop their skills. He also managed the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Early Life and First Steps in Football

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

When he was in high school, he almost quit football because of problems with older students. But his manager, Chang Woon-soo, helped him stay. Cha became a well-known player at 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. This was a very important tournament back then. After finishing university, he began his professional career with Korea Trust Bank FC in 1976. He helped his team win a league title and was named the best player in the spring season.

In October 1976, he joined Air Force FC. This was part of his mandatory military service in South Korea. He had planned to join the Navy team, but the Air Force convinced him to join them instead. They promised to let him finish his service six months earlier.

Playing in Germany

Short Time at Darmstadt 98

In 1978, while playing for the national team, Cha caught the eye of a coach from Eintracht Frankfurt. This coach suggested that Cha try out for a team in West Germany. In December 1978, Cha went to Germany and signed a six-month deal with Darmstadt 98, another Bundesliga club.

However, his time there was very short. The South Korean Air Force needed him to return to finish his military service. So, after playing just one game for Darmstadt 98 on December 30, he went back to South Korea in January 1979. He finished his military service until May 31, and could not play for Darmstadt anymore.

Success with Eintracht Frankfurt

After finishing his military service, Cha still wanted to play in Germany. In July 1979, at age 26, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt. He quickly made a big impact, scoring in three games in a row. Experts in Germany soon called him a "world-class" player.

He helped Eintracht Frankfurt win their first-ever UEFA Cup title. Famous manager Sir Alex Ferguson called him an "unstoppable player." Another great player, Lothar Matthäus, said Cha was "one of the best attackers in the world." Besides the UEFA Cup, Cha was also named one of the best players in the Bundesliga that season. In 1980, he got a serious back injury but returned to play after a month. He then helped Eintracht win the 1980–81 DFB-Pokal (German Cup), scoring six goals in six matches. He was the top goal scorer for Eintracht 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. He was again chosen as one of the best players of the season.

In the 1988 UEFA Cup final, Cha scored a dramatic goal against Espanyol, making the score 3–3. Leverkusen then won the game in a penalty shootout, earning their first European title.

Cha retired in 1989. He played 308 Bundesliga games and was known as a very fair player. He scored 98 goals without ever taking a penalty kick, and he only received one yellow card in his entire Bundesliga career. In 1987, he became the top foreign goal scorer in the Bundesliga. This record stood for 11 years. As of 2024, he is still one of the top foreign goal scorers in the Bundesliga.

Playing for His Country

Cha 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 (a player who runs down the sides of the field) 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 1972, he made his first appearance for the senior national team against Iraq. He scored his first international goal against Khmer Republic. He was named in the Korean FA Best XI (a team of the best players) for seven years in a row. In 1973, he was chosen as 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 annual competitions between Asian countries and invited clubs. He won ten trophies in these tournaments. In 1975, he scored three goals in one game against Japan. In 1976, he scored three goals in just five minutes against Malaysia, helping South Korea get a dramatic 4-4 draw.

In the qualifiers for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, he played all 12 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 qualify for the World Cup that year.

In the 1978 Asian Games, he scored two goals and helped with two assists, helping his team win the gold medal. After these games, he left for Germany and did not play for South Korea again until the 1986 FIFA World Cup. This was South Korea's first World Cup since 1954. He played well, but South Korea was eliminated in the group stage.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Cha became a coach. He first managed the 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 them to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. However, after a tough 5-0 loss to the Netherlands in their second group game, Cha was fired.

He later said that the KFA (Korea Football Association) was to blame for the team's poor performance. He mentioned issues like lack of bonuses and suggested that some professional games in Korea were not fair. The KFA then banned him from football for five years, and he left the country with his wife.

After coaching a team in China for 18 months, Cha worked as a football commentator for MBC in Korea. He returned to coaching in late 2003 when he was offered the manager position at Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Cha found immediate 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 resigned as Suwon manager in June 2010.

Personal Life

Cha Bum-kun 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.

His second child, Cha Du-ri, also became a professional footballer. He played for the South Korean national team and for Bundesliga clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt, just like his father.

In November 2019, Cha received the Cross of Merit from the German government. This is a high honor given for special achievements.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

The KFA lists Cha with 136 international appearances. FIFA officially recognizes him with 130 appearances, not counting six matches from the Summer Olympics qualification.

Awards and Achievements

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

Individual Awards

• IFFHS World's Player of the 20th Century: 60th place in 2000
• IFFHS Asia's Player of the 20th Century: 1999
• MasterCard Asian/Oceanian Team of the 20th Century: 1998
• 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
• Korean Sports Hall of Fame: 2017
• 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 caps
• 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

• K League All-Star: 1992, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
• 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

See also

In Spanish: Cha Bum-kun para niños

• List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals