Jeju: “We are discussing future roles with koo Ja-cheol”
Jeju United’s Koo Ja-cheol (35), who was the first men’s soccer player to win a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, has decided to retire from active duty.
An official from the Jeju club said in a phone call with News 1 on the 11th, “Koo Ja-cheol has decided not to continue his active career after this season.“It’s official retirement,” he said.
He continued, “Although my active career is coming to an end, I plan to continue my relationship with the Jeju club. “we are talking with koo Ja-cheol about what role he will play in the club in the future,” he added.
According to Jeju club officials, Koo Ja-cheol has now earned his leadership qualification to level B.
Koo Ja-cheol, who joined Jeju as the 3rd pick in the 2007 K-League rookie draft and entered the professional world, has appeared in 16 games since his first season, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists, showing his potential.
Through his performance in Jeju, he made his international debut at the East Asian Football Championship in February 2008.Although he suffered the pain of not being included in the final list for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, he was ranked among the best 11 players in the 2010 K league and the top assister, and participated in the 2011 Asian Cup.
at the Asian cup, Koo Ja-cheol scored five goals and became the top scorer. Koo Ja-cheol, who boasted outstanding performance in the Asian Cup, transferred to Wolfsburg of the German Bundesliga after the tournament and advanced to the European stage.
Koo Ja-cheol finished his career in Europe by transferring to Qatar Al-Gharafa in 2019, and returned to his former team Jeju in March 2022 after playing Al Khor.
After returning to Jeju, Koo Ja-cheol played in only 28 games over three seasons due to frequent injuries and subsequent decline in condition.In particular, it was disappointing that he played in only 3 games last season.
Koo Ja-cheol showed good performance in the national team as well. He first wore the Taegeuk emblem in 2008 and wore the Taegeuk emblem for 11 years until 2019, playing in 76 games and scoring 19 goals. So far, Koo Ja-cheol has participated in two world Cups (2014, 2018) and three Asian Cups (2011, 2015, 2019).
In addition, at the 2012 London Olympics, where he participated as a member of the U23 national team, he served as captain and contributed greatly to winning a bronze medal. The London Olympics is the only time that Korean soccer won a medal at the
The Jeju club plans to hold a retirement ceremony for Koo Ja-cheol in the 2025 season and provide an prospect to say hello for the last time.
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