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Cha Bum-keun, the free-scoring Korea|Korean
forward, is widely regarded as the best footballer
ever to come out of Asia. He was selected as the
"Asia's best player of the century" by the
IFFHS(International Federation of Football History
and Statistics).

== Biography ==

Born on May 22, 1953 in Hwaseong in the Korean
province Gyeonggi, Cha began his soccer|soccer
career with the Korean Air Force club in 1971, the
same year he became a Korean U-19 international.

By 1972 he had been capped by the South Korea
national football team|Korean national team
becoming the youngest player ever called up to the
squad.

== Off to Europe ==

In December of 1978, Cha was transferred to
Germany|German side SV Darmstadt, where he spent
less than a year before being snapped up by
Bundesliga (football)|Bundesliga giants Eintracht
Frankfurt. He made an immediate impact with his
new club, winning the UEFA Cup in the 1979/1980|80
season.

In 1983 he made the switch to Bayer Leverkusen,
with whom he was to win a second UEFA Cup in 1988.

Cha retired in 1989 after a long Bundesliga career
spanning 308 games in which he scored 98 goals,
then the highest total for a foreign player in the
league.

== Into management ==

Cha moved into management with K-League side Ulsan
Hyundai Horang-i, coaching them from 1991-1994.
His next appointment was in January 1997 as Korean
national team coach and led the nation to the
Football World Cup 1998|1998 World Cup; however, a
disastrous 5-0 defeat at the hands of Netherlands
national football team|The Netherlands saw Cha
lose his job.

After an 18-month spell coaching Shenzhen Ping'an
in China, Cha took up a commentating position with
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation|MBC, but was
tempted back into management when offered the
Suwon Samsung Bluewings managerial position at the
end of 2003.

Cha achieved immediate success with Suwon by
lifting the 2004 K-League championship, an
achievement he ranked as even better than lifting
the UEFA Cup as a player in 1988.

== Family ==

Cha's son, Cha Du-Ri, has already started to
follow in his father's footsteps. He currently
plays for Eintracht Frankfurt and is a regular
Korean international player.

==See also==
*List of Korea-related topics
*List of Koreans
*List of football (soccer) players