“What I remember most is seeing the Korean flag being raised with a medal around my neck at the Olympic awards ceremony.”
Koo Ja-cheol (36, Jeju), who played for the national soccer team, said this at a retirement press conference held at the Soccer Center in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Koo Ja-cheol led Korea’s first-ever bronze medal win at the 2012 London Olympics as captain of the under-23 national team. Koo Ja-cheol scored a key goal in the 11th minute of the second half when Korea was ahead 1-0 in the bronze medal match against Japan (2-0, Korea won). He said, “I was very embarrassed to lose 0-3 in the 2011 Korea-Japan friendly match as a member of the A national team. “Even in the Olympics between Korea and Japan, I played with the thought that I would quit soccer if I lost,” he recalled.
Koo Ja-cheol, who started his professional career in Jeju in the professional soccer K League in 2007, advanced to the German Bundesliga four years later and played for Wolfsburg, Augsburg, and Mainz. Afterwards, he played for Al Gharafa and Al Khor in the Qatar League before returning to his home team Jeju in 2022 and playing for three seasons. Koo Ja-cheol’s total K-League regular season record is 8 goals and 19 assists (95 games). Koo Ja-cheol said, “When I started having pain in my ankles and knees, the recovery rate was slower than before, so I decided to retire.”
Koo Ja-cheol led Korean soccer in the 2010s by playing a key role in the A national team with his ‘best friends’ Ki Sung-yong (36, FC Seoul) and Lee Chung-yong (37, Ulsan). Koo Ja-cheol, who participated in two World Cups (2014 and 2018), played in 76 international matches and scored 19 goals. At the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup, he was the top scorer with 5 goals. ‘Born in early 1989’ Koo Ja-cheol (born in February) and Ki Sung-yong (born in January) are like friends with Lee Cheong-yong (born in July 1988). Koo Ja-cheol, who was the first of the three to take off his soccer shoes, said, “Seongyong and Cheongyong were very disappointed and told me that they had a hard time. “It was an honor to play with them,” he said.
Koo Ja-cheol begins his second soccer career as a ‘youth advisor’ in Jeju. Based on his experience playing in Europe, he will provide advice regarding the club’s youth training program. Koo Ja-cheol said, “I want to discover good players and help them settle into the first-team game.”
Reporter Jeong Yun-cheol [email protected]
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