차두리 車杜里
Former footballer who played in Germany, Scotland and the K League, now a coach; son of Cha Bum-kun
| Life | 1980 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 연안 차씨 |
Life & career
Cha Du-ri (b. 1980) is a former Korean footballer turned coach. He was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, when his father Cha Bum-kun was playing for Eintracht Frankfurt. He graduated from Ulsan Yangjeong Elementary, Pai Chai Middle and High Schools and Korea University, and earned the nickname 'Autobahn' for his speed and stamina.
He was noticed by coach Guus Hiddink in a 2001 friendly against Korea University and joined the national team, and was in the final 2002 World Cup squad as a substitute. He then played in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen (with loans to Bielefeld and Frankfurt), Mainz, Koblenz and Freiburg, in Scotland for Celtic, and for Düsseldorf before joining FC Seoul in 2013. At the 2010 World Cup he played as a right back and gained popularity for the so-called 'Cha Du-ri robot theory'.
He retired from the national team after the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where Korea finished runner-up, and from playing after winning the FA Cup that year. From 2016 he worked as national team analyst and coach, and has since coached as manager of FC Seoul's U-18 team and head of youth development. As a living person he is described by career only in this draft.
Playing Career
He started his senior career in 2002 in Germany on loan after signing with Leverkusen, and changed to right back when he moved to Mainz in 2006. After the 2010 World Cup he joined Celtic in Scotland and made his K League debut with FC Seoul in 2013.
National Team
He played at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups and the 2004, 2011 and 2015 Asian Cups. In the 2011 Asian Cup third-place match he served as acting captain in place of the absent Park Ji-sung, and held his official retirement ceremony at a 2015 friendly against New Zealand.
Coaching
He is presented as national team coach in 2017, manager of FC Seoul's U-18 team (Osan High School) in 2019, and head of youth development ahead of the 2022 season.
Grave
Not applicable, as he is a living person.