Cha Du-ri facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cha Du-ri
차두리

Cha in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1980-07-25) 25 July 1980 (age 44)
Place of birth	Frankfurt, West Germany
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Right-back, right winger
Youth career
1996–1998	Paichai High School [ko]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Bayer Leverkusen	0	(0)
2002–2003	→ Arminia Bielefeld (loan)	22	(1)
2003–2004	→ Eintracht Frankfurt (loan)	31	(1)
2004–2006	Eintracht Frankfurt	56	(11)
2006–2007	Mainz 05	12	(0)
2007–2009	TuS Koblenz	61	(3)
2009–2010	SC Freiburg	23	(1)
2010–2012	Celtic	31	(2)
2012–2013	Fortuna Düsseldorf	10	(0)
2013–2015	FC Seoul	82	(2)
Total		328	(21)
National team
2001–2015	South Korea	76	(4)
Teams managed
2025–	Hwaseong FC
Honours Men's football Representing  South Korea AFC Asian Cup Silver 2015 Australia Team Bronze 2011 Qatar Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Cha Du-ri (Hangul: 차두리; born 25 July 1980) is a famous South Korean football manager and former player. He was known for playing as a right back, a winger, or a striker. Cha Du-ri was born in Germany. He was the first Korean player born outside of Korea to play in a FIFA World Cup.

His father, Cha Bum-kun, was also a very famous footballer. Cha Du-ri even played for one of his father's old clubs, Eintracht Frankfurt. He once captained the national team in a big match. This was during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup third-place game against Uzbekistan.

Early Life and Family

Cha Du-ri was born in Frankfurt am Main, which was then West Germany. His father, Cha Bum-kun, was playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany at the time. Cha Du-ri grew up in Germany while his dad played for Frankfurt and later for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. He lived there until he was ten years old, then moved to South Korea. His father described him as a very positive and honest person.

Club Football Journey

Cha Du-ri started his football journey at Korea University. He then moved to Germany to begin his professional club career.

Playing for Arminia Bielefeld

Cha Du-ri joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen in July 2002. However, he was loaned out to Arminia Bielefeld for the 2002–03 season. He made his debut for Arminia Bielefeld on 11 September 2002. It was a 1–1 draw against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Cha quickly became a regular player for the team. On 25 January 2003, he scored his first goal for the club. He also helped set up another goal in a 2–2 draw. He played 22 games and scored one goal for the club that season.

Time at Eintracht Frankfurt

Even though Arminia Bielefeld wanted to keep him, Cha Du-ri decided to join Eintracht Frankfurt. He signed a two-year loan deal with them. He made his debut for Eintracht Frankfurt in the first game of the season. This was a 3–1 loss against FC Bayern Munich. Cha started playing as a striker but found it hard to score goals at first.

On 22 February 2004, he scored his first goal for Eintracht Frankfurt. It was in a 2–1 win over Hertha BSC. The club was relegated to a lower league that season. Cha played 33 games and scored one goal. He then joined the club permanently, signing a two-year contract.

In the 2004–05 season, Cha helped Eintracht Frankfurt get promoted back to the top league. He scored nine goals in 32 games that season. In the 2005–06 season, he continued to play for the team. He even started playing as a right-back, a defensive position. He played 30 games and scored three goals. He was also on the bench when Frankfurt lost the 2006 DFB-Pokal Final to Bayern Munich.

Moving to Mainz 05

After his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt ended, Cha Du-ri joined Mainz 05. He signed a two-year contract on 14 May 2006. He made his debut for Mainz on 19 August 2006. He started in a 1–1 draw against Borussia Dortmund.

Cha changed his position from striker to right wingback at Mainz. However, a foot injury kept him from playing much. He only made 13 appearances for the club. After the 2006–07 season, Mainz 05 was relegated. Cha then ended his contract with the club.

Playing for TuS Koblenz

In 2007, Cha Du-ri joined TuS Koblenz in the second German league. He made his debut for the club in the first game of the season. He played in midfield during a 4–1 loss to his old club, Mainz 05. He played in different attacking roles for Koblenz.

On 23 November 2007, Cha scored his first goal for Koblenz. It was in a 2–0 win over SV Wehen Wiesbaden. In the 2008–09 season, he started well by helping set up a goal. He also provided three assists in one game. He scored two more goals that season.

Joining SC Freiburg

After two years, Cha Du-ri left TuS Koblenz and signed a two-year contract with SC Freiburg. He made his Freiburg debut in the first game of the season. This was a 1–1 draw against Hamburger SV. Cha scored his first goal for the club, which was the winning goal. It was in a 1–0 win over FC Schalke 04. He played 25 games and scored once in his first season. An injury kept him out for the rest of that season.

Time at Celtic F.C.

Cha with Celtic in 2010.

Cha Du-ri joined Celtic in Scotland in June 2010. He was excited to play in the famous "Old Firm" derby. He joined his national teammate Ki Sung-yueng at the club.

He made his Celtic debut on 28 July 2010. It was a UEFA Champions League qualifying match. On 14 August, he played his first Scottish Premier League game. Cha scored his first Celtic goal on 26 December 2010. Injuries and international duties limited his playing time. He played 21 games and scored one goal in his first season.

In the 2011–12 season, Cha continued to face challenges. He scored an own goal in a UEFA Europa League match. On 25 March 2012, he was sent off in an Old Firm derby. After a suspension, he returned and scored in a 3–0 win.

Return to Germany with Fortuna Düsseldorf

On 8 June 2012, Cha Du-ri signed a two-year contract with Fortuna Düsseldorf. This club had just been promoted to the Bundesliga. Cha had some personal issues that kept him out of the squad for weeks. He made his debut for Fortuna Düsseldorf on 22 September 2012. It was a 0–0 draw against his former club, SC Freiburg.

Cha preferred to play in a defensive role. He did not want to play as a forward for Düsseldorf. He was released by the club on 13 February 2013, even though his contract had another year left.

Playing in South Korea for FC Seoul

On 25 March 2013, Cha Du-ri signed a two-year contract with FC Seoul in South Korea. This was his first time playing for a club in his home country. He made his debut for FC Seoul on 14 April 2013. It was a 1–1 draw against Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

He played in the 2013 AFC Champions League Final second leg. FC Seoul lost the final on away goals. He played 35 games in his first season. In 2014, Cha continued to be a regular player. He was even named in the K League 1 Best XI team. He signed a new one-year contract with the club.

In 2015, Cha became FC Seoul's new captain. He scored his first goal for Seoul on 11 July 2015. He scored again on 19 September 2015. After playing 35 games and scoring two goals, Cha announced his retirement. He retired on 31 October 2015, after winning the Korean FA Cup final. He was also named in the K League 1 Best XI for the second time.

International Career

Cha Du-ri was first noticed by coach Guus Hiddink in 2001. He was still playing amateur football when he joined the South Korea national football team. He scored his first goal for the national team on 20 April 2002. This was in a friendly match against Costa Rica.

FIFA World Cup Appearances

Cha was chosen for the South Korea team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. South Korea surprised everyone by reaching the semi-finals. They beat strong teams like Spain and Italy. Their journey ended when they lost 1–0 to Germany. Cha played in some games, mostly coming off the bench.

He also played in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup. He scored a goal against Kuwait. However, South Korea lost in the quarterfinals to Iran. Cha was not selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Instead, he worked as a TV commentator for the games with his father.

In 2009, Cha was called back to the national team. He was chosen for the final squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He played as an attacking right-back against Greece. He played his 50th game for South Korea against Uruguay in the World Cup.

AFC Asian Cup and Retirement

Cha was part of the team for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. He started in every game as the team reached the semi-finals. They lost to Japan after a penalty shootout. He was made captain for the third-place match against Uzbekistan. This was because Park Ji-sung had retired from international duty.

Cha was not chosen for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, he was called up for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He played his last international game in the final match against Australia. Australia won the game 2–1. After this match, he announced his retirement from international football. He was also named in the AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament. He played one final friendly match against New Zealand, receiving a standing ovation.

Managerial Career

On 6 December 2024, Cha Du-ri was announced as the manager of Hwaseong FC. He will start this new role in the 2025 season.

Career Statistics

Club

International Goals

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cha goal.

List of international goals scored by Cha Du-ri

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	20 April 2002	Daegu, South Korea	Costa Rica	1–0	2–0	Friendly
2	18 February 2004	Suwon, South Korea	Lebanon	1–0	2–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	14 July 2004	Seoul, South Korea	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	1–1	Friendly
4	27 July 2004	Jinan, China	Kuwait	3–0	4–0	2004 AFC Asian Cup

Managerial Statistics

Football Achievements

Eintracht Frankfurt

• DFB-Pokal runner-up: 2005–06 (Finished second in the German Cup)

Celtic

• Scottish Premier League: 2011–12 (Won the Scottish League title)
• Scottish Cup: 2010–11 (Won the Scottish Cup)
• Scottish League Cup runner-up: 2011–12 (Finished second in the Scottish League Cup)

FC Seoul

• Korean FA Cup: 2015 (Won the Korean FA Cup)
• AFC Champions League runner-up: 2013 (Finished second in the Asian Champions League)

South Korea National Team

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015 (Finished second in the Asian Cup)

Individual Awards

• K League All-Star: 2013, 2014, 2015 (Chosen for the K League All-Star team)
• K League 1 Best XI: 2014, 2015 (Named one of the best players in the K League)
• AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2015 (Named one of the best players in the Asian Cup tournament)