Koo Ja-cheol (; or ; born 27 February 1989) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Koo is considered one of the most successful South Korean players at the Bundesliga. He made 211 Bundesliga appearances, while playing for VfL Wolfsburg, FC Augsburg and Mainz 05. On the international side, he won a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and captained the South Korea national team at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Koo started football at age ten when a nearby elementary school opened its football club. During his early youth career, he mostly played as a defender, often taking the role of sweeper. While playing for Boin High School, he suffered from anemia, but contributed to the school's runner-up finish at the 2016 edition of the Baekrok High School Football Tournament, annually held in Jeju Island. At the competition, he grabbed the attention of Jung Hae-seong, then manager of Jeju United.
In 2007, Koo was selected by Jeju United in the K League draft. He failed to make an impression in his first two years at Jeju due to numerous injuries. However, he slowly broke into the first team as a defensive midfielder.
In January 2010, Koo was reportedly invited by Blackburn Rovers for a trial, but the move did not happen. That year, he spent a great season at Jeju instead, driving his club to an unprecedented runner-up finish. After the contribution, he received some individual awards from the league's federation, namely the Top Assist Provider Award and the FANtastic Player Award, as well as being selected for the Best XI.
On 30 January 2011, Koo moved to Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract for an undisclosed fee. On 12 February 2011, Koo made his Wolfsburg debut, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute in a 1âÂÂ0 home defeat to Hamburger SV. However, he had difficulty competing for a starting position with his teammates during a year.
On 31 January 2012, he moved on loan to another Bundesliga club FC Augsburg. On 18 February, he scored the equaliser outside the penalty area in a 4âÂÂ1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. On 17 March, Augsburg defeated Mainz 05 2âÂÂ1 after he equalised with a lob outside the penalty area. On 24 March, he provided an assist for the equaliser in a 1âÂÂ1 draw with Werder Bremen. On 31 March, he scored the opening goal with a low shot from outside the penalty area, contributing to a 2âÂÂ1 win over 1. FC Köln. On 7 April, he scored the equaliser through Manuel Neuer's five-hole in a 2âÂÂ1 defeat to Bayern Munich. On 5 May, he scored the winning goal with a header in a 1âÂÂ0 win over Hamburger SV. He became Augsburg's top goalscorer with five goals in 15 appearances despite playing for them for only half a season. He performed a significant part in helping Augsburg avoid relegation in their maiden Bundesliga season.
In a DFB-Pokal match on 18 December, Koo was involved in an altercation with Bayern Munich's midfielder Franck Ribéry. After a disputed free kick, Koo confronted Ribéry and touched his face. Ribéry slapped Koo in response, and was sent off by referee Thorsten Kinhöfer. Bayern Munich director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge demanded that the ejection be overturned, while Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes blamed both Koo and Ribéry, stating that although Koo had provoked Ribéry the latter should learn to not react under pressure.
In his second season at Augsburg, Koo was plagued by injuries, but still helped his club survive relegation in the limited matches he played in.
In the first half of the 2013âÂÂ14 season, Koo returned to Wolfsburg, playing as a central midfielder or winger. However, he wanted more appearances, and preferred playing as an attacking midfielder like when he played for Augsburg. On 18 January 2014, it was announced that he penned a four-and-a-half-year deal with Mainz 05.
On 31 July 2014, Koo contributed to a 1âÂÂ0 first-leg win by providing an assist in the third qualifying round of the 2014âÂÂ15 UEFA Europa League against Asteras Tripolis. In the second leg on 7 August, he scored his first Europa League goal, but Mainz 05 were eliminated from the tournament after losing 3âÂÂ1 to Asteras. During the 2014âÂÂ15 season, he was used as a winger again to replace Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Nicolai Müller, who left the club, having five goals and two assists in 23 league appearances.
On 31 August 2015, Koo rejoined Augsburg, and so Augsburg spent a season with three South Korean players, including Ji Dong-won and Hong Jeong-ho. On 12 September, he provided an assist for the opening goal with a backheel in a 2âÂÂ1 defeat to Bayern Munich. On 23 September, he won a penalty against Granit Xhaka, but it was insufficient to reverse the club's defeat to Borussia Mönchengladbach. On 21 February 2016, he scored a solo goal after starting to sprint behind the half-way line in a 1âÂÂ0 win over Hannover 96. On 6 March, he became the first-ever player to score a Bundesliga hat-trick for Augsburg, giving them a 3âÂÂ0 lead in a match against Bayer Leverkusen, which ended in a shocking 3âÂÂ3 draw. He had eight goals and four assists during 29 appearances at the 2015âÂÂ16 Bundesliga. He also participated at the 2015âÂÂ16 UEFA Europa League, the first UEFA competition in Augsburg's history. They earned three wins and three losses in the group stage, succeeding in advancing to the knockout stage. Afterwards, they lost 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate to Liverpool in the round of 32. At the end of the 2015âÂÂ16 season, he was evaluated as the league's fifth best attacking midfielder by magazine kicker.
On 3 February 2019, he achieved his 200th Bundesliga appearance against Mainz 05. He left Augsburg by turning down a contract extension with the club after the 2018âÂÂ19 season. He wanted to contract with a higher-ranked club, but finally joined Qatar Stars League side Al-Gharafa in August 2019.
Koo played a central role in helping South Korea finish third at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, and became the tournament's top scorer with five goals.
While South Korea won their first-ever medal at the Olympic football tournament in 2012, Koo played all matches for them as a central midfielder and captain until the bronze medal match against Japan, where they won 2âÂÂ0 after his goal.
Koo captained South Korea at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and scored his first World Cup goal in a 4âÂÂ2 defeat to Algeria.
On 10 January 2015, Koo was named man of the match by scoring the winning goal in a 1âÂÂ0 win over Oman, showing a good start in South Korea's Asian Cup opener. However, he had an injury in the third group stage match against Australia, missing the remainder of the tournament.
After South Korea were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, on 25 January 2019, Koo announced his retirement from international duty.
Koo showed his best performance when playing as an attacking midfielder, although he started his professional career as a defensive midfielder. He could play as a central midfielder, second striker, or winger if necessary. He was praised for his techniques, especially a talent for getting out of opponents' pressure with the ball. He also had an ability to find the back of the net, often displaying a knack to charge into the opposition penalty box unsighted. However, his individual ability was occasionally criticised for slowing his team's tempo.
Koo likes to go shopping in his spare time in Germany. He is currently the honorary ambassador for The Republic of Korea Air Force. Koo is also a close friend with his teammate Ki Sung-yueng, and they like to display their friendly, humorous conversations on Twitter. Ki revealed on the Korean talk show Healing Camp, Aren't You Happy that Koo has a nickname called "Koogle Georim" () because of his sometimes goofy way of talking. On 24 June 2013, Koo married a Jeju woman three years his senior at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel.
South Korea U23
South Korea
Individual