Cha Bum-kun Transfer 1979

Lore & Background

Cha Bum-kun joined Eintracht Frankfurt at age 26 in July 1979 after being discharged from military service. He scored in three consecutive games from the third to fifth matchday of the Bundesliga, making an immediate impact. After the first half of his first season, he was classified as world class. He helped Eintracht win its first-ever UEFA Cup title.

He was evaluated as the 'unstoppable player' by Sir Alex Ferguson and 'one of the best attackers in the world' by Lothar Matthäus. He was named along with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the Bundesliga Team of the Season by kicker. On 23 August 1980, his spine was cracked by Jürgen Gelsdorf, but he returned after a month. He scored six goals in six matches of the 1980–81 DFB-Pokal, leading Eintracht to the title.

He became Eintracht's top goalscorer for three consecutive seasons. He transferred to Bayer Leverkusen due to Frankfurt's financial difficulty in 1983.

Reader's Guide

Cha Bum-kun played for Eintracht Frankfurt from July 1979 until his transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in 1983. During his time at Eintracht, he won the UEFA Cup and the DFB-Pokal. He was named in the kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season alongside Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Kevin Keegan is not as part of that team). He was Eintracht's top goalscorer for three consecutive seasons. He scored 98 Bundesliga goals without a penalty and received only one yellow card in his Bundesliga career.

Did You Know?

• Cha Bum-kun scored a dramatic equalizer in the 1988 UEFA Cup final for Bayer Leverkusen against Espanyol, tying the game 3–3 before Leverkusen won on penalties.
• He is the youngest player to ever reach 100 international caps in the world at 24 years and 35 days.
• Cha Bum-kun 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.