Cha Bum-kun, South Korea footballer: Profile, Career, News & Videos

Cha Bum-kun 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. Known for his explosive pace and finishing, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time.

In 1972, Cha was capped for the South Korea national team as the youngest player of the time at the age of 18. He is the youngest player to ever reach 100 international caps in the world at 24 years and 35 days, and the all-time leading goalscorer of the South Korean national team with 58 goals. After dominating Asian competitions including the 1978 Asian Games, he left for West Germany and played for Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. He scored a total of 121 goals in two Bundesliga clubs, and won the UEFA Cup with each team.

After his retirement, he opened a football academy to develop youth players in South Korea, and managed the national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.