Koo Ja-cheol

Early life

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.

Club career

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.

VfL Wolfsburg

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 1–0 home defeat to Hamburger SV. However, he had difficulty competing for a starting position with his teammates during a year.

Loan to FC Augsburg

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 4–1 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. On 17 March, Augsburg defeated Mainz 05 2–1 after he equalised with a lob outside the penalty area. On 24 March, he provided an assist for the equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Werder Bremen. On 31 March, he scored the opening goal with a low shot from outside the penalty area, contributing to a 2–1 win over 1. FC Köln. On 7 April, he scored the equaliser through Manuel Neuer's five-hole in a 2–1 defeat to Bayern Munich. On 5 May, he scored the winning goal with a header in a 1–0 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.

Mainz 05

In the first half of the 2013–14 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 1–0 first-leg win by providing an assist in the third qualifying round of the 2014–15 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 3–1 to Asteras. During the 2014–15 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.

Return to FC Augsburg

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 2–1 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 1–0 win over Hannover 96. On 6 March, he became the first-ever player to score a Bundesliga hat-trick for Augsburg, giving them a 3–0 lead in a match against Bayer Leverkusen, which ended in a shocking 3–3 draw. He had eight goals and four assists during 29 appearances at the 2015–16 Bundesliga. He also participated at the 2015–16 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 1–0 on aggregate to Liverpool in the round of 32. At the end of the 2015–16 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 2018–19 season. He wanted to contract with a higher-ranked club, but finally joined Qatar Stars League side Al-Gharafa in August 2019.

International career

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 2–0 after his goal.

Koo captained South Korea at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and scored his first World Cup goal in a 4–2 defeat to Algeria.

On 10 January 2015, Koo was named man of the match by scoring the winning goal in a 1–0 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.

Style of play

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.

Personal life

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.

Filmography

Television

Career statistics

Club

!colspan="2"|League cup !colspan="2"|Continental !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

International

:Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.

Honours

South Korea U23

• Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2012
• Asian Games bronze medal: 2010

South Korea

• AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2015
• EAFF Championship: 2008

Individual

• K League All-Star: 2010
• K League 1 Best XI: 2010
• K League 1 top assist provider: 2010
• K League FANtastic Player: 2010
• AFC Asian Cup top goalscorer: 2011
• K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 2013
• FC Augsburg All-time XI: 2020

References

References

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