Cha Bum-kun Transfer 1979

Lore & Background

Cha joined Eintracht Frankfurt at age 26 in July 1979 after being discharged from military service. He scored in three consecutive games early in his first season and was classified as world class in the kicker-Rangliste. He helped Eintracht win its first-ever UEFA Cup title and was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season by kicker alongside Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Kevin Keegan. He also led Eintracht to the 1980–81 DFB-Pokal title and was the club's top goalscorer for three consecutive seasons.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Waldstadion was thick with anticipation as the lights hummed over the pitch in late autumn 1979. A small, agile figure in the red and white stripes sprinted down the right flank, his boots kicking up mud against the grey Frankfurt sky. The crowd, initially unsure of this 'Korean Tiger,' fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting as he cut inside with impossible speed, leaving three defenders trailing in his wake. It was not just a goal; it was the sound of history being rewritten on German soil.

Reader's Guide

Cha transferred to Bayer Leverkusen in 1983 due to Eintracht Frankfurt's financial difficulties. He scored 17 goals in the 1985–86 Bundesliga season, his best single-season tally, and was again selected for the kicker Team of the Season. In the 1988 UEFA Cup final, he scored a dramatic equalizer against Espanyol, and Leverkusen won on penalties for its first European title. He retired in 1989 after 308 Bundesliga games, scoring 98 goals without a penalty and receiving only one yellow card.

Did You Know?

• Cha scored 121 goals in total for two Bundesliga clubs and won the UEFA Cup with each.
• He is the all-time leading goalscorer of the South Korean national team with 58 goals.
• Cha received the Cross of Merit from the German government in November 2019.
• His son Cha Du-ri also played for the South Korean national team and Bundesliga clubs including Eintracht Frankfurt.