At 35 years old
©IMAGO
Ex-Bundesliga professional Ja-cheol Koo is hanging up his football boots at the age of 35. The midfielder was most recently active in his home country of South Korea for Jeju United, where his professional career began. The first division club announced that he would remain in a different role at the club, which was recently renamed Jeju SK.
From 2011 to 2019, Koo played 211 games for VfL Wolfsburg, FC Augsburg and 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the German upper house – only Bum-kun Cha (308) played more among the South Korean professionals. After a detour to Qatar, the circle came full circle again in Jeju at the beginning of 2022. Last season, Koo was only able to play four games due to injury; he played the most games in his career for FCA (155).
Koo played in 76 international matches (19 goals) for the South Korean national team and went to the World Cup with the Taegeuk Warriors in 2014 and 2018. He also won the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.