Koo Ja-cheol (; or ; born 27 February 1989) is a South Korean former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

. Koo is one of the three most successful South Korean players with careers in the German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

, alongside

Cha Bum-kun Cha Bum-kun (; or ; 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 an ...

and

Son Heung-min Son Heung-min (; born 8 July 1992) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both club Tottenham Hotspur and the South Korea national team. Known for his speed, finishing, two-footedness, and ability ...

. He played for

VfL Wolfsburg Verein für Leibesübungen Wolfsburg e. V., commonly known as VfL Wolfsburg (), is a German professional sports club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. The club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg. I ...

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg (), is a Football in Germany, German professional football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. T ...

and

Mainz 05 1. Fußball- und Sport-Verein Mainz 05 e. V., usually shortened to 1. FSV Mainz 05 or simply Mainz 05 (), is a German professional sports club, founded in 1905 and based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Mainz 05 play in the Bundesliga, the top tie ...

with 211 Bundesliga appearances. He also captained the South Korea national team in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

, and won a bronze medal in the Summer Olympics.

Early life

Koo started football at age ten when a nearby elementary school opened its football club. During his early youth career, he mostly played as a defender, often taking sweeper role. However, he wasn't particularly outstanding and the fact he suffered from anemia also hindered him from gaining attention. In 2006, as a member of Boin High School, Koo participated in the Baekrok High School Football Competition that is annually held in

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

. Leading Boin High School to a runner-up place with an outstanding performance, he grabbed the attention of Jung Hae-seong, who was then the manager of Jeju United.

Club career

Jeju United

In 2007, Koo was selected by Jeju United in the

K League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League Elite, AFC Champions ...

draft. He failed to make an impression in his first two years at Jeju due to numerous injuries. However, he slowly broke into the first team, mostly playing as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

. In January 2010, he was reportedly invited by

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

for a trial, but the move didn't happen. He spent a great season in 2010 at Jeju instead, driving his club to an unprecedented runner-up position. His contribution also enabled him to gain personal honors such as the Top Assists Award, the FANtastic Player Award, and the Best XI.

VfL Wolfsburg

On 30 January 2011, Koo successfully moved to

during the winter transfer window, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. On 12 February 2011, Koo made his Wolfsburg debut against

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), or HSV (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its Association football, football department. Though the current HSV was founde ...

, coming on as a substitute in the 64th minute in the 1–0 home defeat. However, he had difficulty competing for places in the starting line-up during a year.

Loan to FC Augsburg

On 31 January 2012, he moved on loan to the league rivals

. On 18 February, he scored the equaliser outside the penalty area, but Augsburg lost 4–1 to

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...

. On 17 March, he scored the equaliser with a lob outside the penalty area, and his goal contributed to a 2–1 victory against

. On 24 March, he assisted the equaliser, leading team's 1–1 draw against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

. On 31 March, he scored the opening goal with a low shot outside the penalty area, contributing to a 2–1 victory against

1. FC Köln 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., better known as simply 1. FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English language, English, is a German professional association football, football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 ...

. On 7 April, he scored the equaliser through

Manuel Neuer Manuel Peter Neuer (; born 27 March 1986) is a German professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for and captain (association football), captains club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munic ...

's legs, but his goal couldn't prevent a 2–1 loss to

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

. On 5 May, he scored the winning goal with a header in a 1–0 victory against Hamburger SV. During his loan period, he scored five goals and provided two assists in 15 appearances, becoming Augsburg's top goalscorer, although he played only half a season for them. He performed a significant part in helping Augsburg to escape relegation in their maiden season in the Bundesliga. In his second season at Augsburg, Koo was plagued by injuries, but he still helped his club survive relegation in the limited games he played in. In a DFB-Pokal match, he was involved in an altercation with Bayern Munich's midfielder

Franck Ribéry Franck Henry Pierre Ribéry (; born 7 April 1983) is a French former professional footballer who primarily played as a winger, preferably on the left side, and was known for his pace, energy, skill, and precise passing. He is regarded as one ...

. After a disputed free kick he confronted Ribéry and touched his face, in response Ribéry slapped Koo. Referee

Thorsten Kinhöfer Thorsten Kinhöfer (born 27 June 1968) is a former German football referee in the Fußball-Bundesliga. Refereeing career Kinhöfer is appointed to matches under the auspices of the German FA since 1994. He was added to the list of 2nd Bundes ...

gave Koo a yellow card and sent off Ribéry. Bayern Munich director

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (; born 25 September 1955) is a German football executive and former professional player. Considered as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest German footballers ever, he was also the longt ...

demanded that the ejection be overturned, while Bayern's coach

Jupp Heynckes Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (; born 9 May 1945) is a German retired professional footballer and manager. For the majority of his playing career he was as a striker for Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and '70s, when they won m ...

blamed both Koo and Ribéry, stating that although Koo had provoked Ribéry the latter should learn to not react under pressure.

Mainz 05

In the 2013–14 season, he returned to Wolfsburg, and played as a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

or winger. However, he wanted more appearances, and preferred playing as an

attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

like when he played for Augsburg. On 18 January 2014, it was announced that Koo penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with Mainz 05. In the 2014–15 season, however, he was used as a winger again to replace Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Nicolai Müller, who left Mainz 05. On 31 July 2014, he contributed to a 1–0 victory by assisting the winning goal against Asteras Tripoli in the third qualifying round of the

2014–15 UEFA Europa League The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the sixth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The 2015 UEFA Eur ...

. On 7 August, he scored his first Europa League goal, but Mainz 05 were eliminated from the tournament after losing the second leg 3–1 to Asteras Tripoli. He recorded five goals and two assists during 23 appearances in the

2014–15 Bundesliga The 2014–15 Bundesliga was the 52nd season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier association football, football competition. The season started on 22 August 2014 and the final matchday took place on 23 May 2015. FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich w ...

Return to FC Augsburg

On 31 August 2015, Koo rejoined Augsburg, and so Augsburg spent a season with three South Korean players, including

Ji Dong-won Ji Dong-won (, or ; born 28 May 1991) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for Suwon FC. Early life Born in Chuja Islands, an archipelago of Jeju City, Ji began his football career at Gwangyang Jecheol High Sch ...

and Hong Jeong-ho. On 12 September, he assisted the opening goal with a backheel pass in the first half, but Augsburg lost 2–1 to Bayern Munich after conceding two goals in the second half. On 23 September, he won a penalty against Granit Xhaka, but it was insufficient to reverse Augsburg's defeat to

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

. On 21 February 2016, he scored a solo goal against

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), is a German professional association football, football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years between 19 ...

and it became the winning goal. On 6 March, he scored Augsburg's first-ever Bundesliga hat-trick, but Augsburg failed to protect their 3–0 lead by drawing 3–3 with Bayer Leverkusen. He recorded eight goals and four assists with 29 appearances in the

2015–16 Bundesliga The 2015–16 Bundesliga was the 53rd season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football competition. The season started on 14 August 2015 and ended on 14 May 2016. Bayern Munich were the defending champions, after winning their 24th Bundeslig ...

. He also participated in the

2015–16 UEFA Europa League The 2015–16 UEFA Europa League was the 45th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the seventh season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played between Liverpoo ...

, the first UEFA competition in Augsburg's history. Augsburg recorded three wins and three losses in the group stage, and succeeded in advancing to the knockout stage. Afterwards, they lost 1–0 on aggregate to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in the round of 32. After the 2015–16 season, he was ranked fifth in the attacking midfielder rankings of the German sports magazine '' kicker''. On 3 February 2020, he achieved his 200th Bundesliga appearance against Mainz 05. He left Augsburg by turning down a contract extension with the club after the 2018–19 season. He wanted to contract with one of the top teams of the Bundesliga, but finally joined

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation wi ...

side

Al-Gharafa Al-Gharafa Sports Club () is a Qatari multi-sports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Ar Rayyan, Al Rayyan municipality. The club is best known for its association football, football team, although it also has teams for other sports. The ...

in August 2019.

International career

Koo played a central role in helping

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

finish third in the

2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the secon ...

, with five goals and three assists over the tournament, finishing as the tournament's top scorer. During the

, Koo played as a central midfielder in the South Korea under-23 team. He appeared in every game in the tournament, and scored the second goal during the second half of the bronze medal match against

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, securing a 2–0 victory for Korea. The South Korean team won the bronze medal in football for the first time in its Olympics history and in doing so, became the second Asian team in the Olympics men's football to reach the semi-finals. He was named captain of the national team ahead of the

, and scored in a 4–2 defeat to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

in the team's second group match. He was selected for the 2015 Asian Cup and played a decisive role in South Korea's opening match, a 1–0 victory over

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

, and was named man of the match. In the match against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, Ja-cheol suffered an injury and missed the remainder of the tournament. On 25 January 2019, Koo announced his retirement from international duty after South Korea lost in the quarter-finals of the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

Style of play

Koo showed his best performance when playing as an

, although he originally deployed as a

. He sometimes played as a

second striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

, or winger if necessary. He was praised for his techniques, especially a talent for getting out of opponents' pressure, while keeping the ball. He also had an ability to find the back of the net, often displaying a knack to charge into the opposition penalty box unsighted. However, he was occasionally criticized that his individual ability slowed down his team's tempo.

Personal life

Koo likes to go shopping in his spare time in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He is currently the honorary ambassador for The

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the Air force, aerial and Space force, space warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of National Defense (South K ...

. Koo is also a close friend with his teammate

Ki Sung-yueng Ki Sung-yueng (; ; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder or a defensive midfielder for the K League 1 club FC Seoul. From 2008 to 2019, Ki was a full internation ...

, and they like to display their friendly, humorous conversations on Twitter. Ki revealed on the Korean talk show '' Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy'' that Koo has a nickname called "Koogle Georim" () because of his sometimes goofy way of talking. On 24 June 2013, Koo married a Jeju woman three years his senior at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list

's goal tally first.''

Honours

South Korea U23 *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

bronze medal:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

bronze medal:

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

South Korea *

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

runner-up:

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

* EAFF Championship:

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Individual * K League All-Star: 2010 * K League 1 Best XI:

* K League 1 top assist provider:

* K League FANtastic Player:

* AFC Asian Cup top goalscorer:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

K League All-Star Game The K League All-Star Game is an annual association football exhibition match organised by the South Korean K League. The inaugural match was held in 1991. Blue vs White 1991 1992 Koreans vs foreigners Blue Dragon team consisted of ...

Most Valuable Player: 2013 *

All-time XI: 2020

References

External links

*
Koo Ja-cheol – National Team Stats
at KFA * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koo, Ja-cheol 1989 births Living people People from Nonsan Men's association football midfielders South Korean men's footballers South Korean expatriate men's footballers South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Germany South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Qatar South Korea men's international footballers 2011 AFC Asian Cup players 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Jeju SK FC players VfL Wolfsburg players FC Augsburg players 1. FSV Mainz 05 players Al-Gharafa SC players Al-Khor SC players K League 1 players Bundesliga players Qatar Stars League players Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for South Korea Olympic bronze medalists for South Korea Olympic medalists in football Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics South Korea men's under-20 international footballers South Korea men's under-23 international footballers Jeonju University alumni Footballers at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games bronze medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Ja-cheol 2018 FIFA World Cup players 2019 AFC Asian Cup players Sportspeople from South Chungcheong Province 21st-century South Korean sportsmen Asian Games bronze medalists in football