Cha Doo-Ri Freed From Mental Suffering

After 24-year-old Cha Doo-Ri (Frankfurt) scored the winning goal against Lebanon in the 2006 Germany World Cup Asian region’s second preliminary round match, he disappeared to the locker room at the final whistle without stopping for any interviews and stood alone with tears in his eyes.

Cha stands 1m83 tall and weighs 75kg with solid stature and tightly cut hair. With this figure, and with his velocity on ground like a runaway train, he has been given the nickname “the human weapon.” But why did Cha show tears in his eyes? It was the ecstasy of redemption from a goal-less period lasting a year and 10 months as a member of the national team, and the emotion of a goal that drove away all the criticism that swirled around him.

The ex-Korean national team coach Gus Hiddink had complimented Cha when he mentioned him as the team’s top prospect for the 2006 Germany World Cup. But Cha has suffered abuse along the way. He had been labeled with mocking names like “the menace,” a “forever prospect” and comments such as "he made the nationals on his father’s prestige."

But Cha trained hard in his birthplace, Germany, and became a whole different player. Within two years of making it to the European league, Cha settled down in Frankfurt, which is the very place his father displayed his own brand of fascinating soccer, and became a starting player there in 2004.

Frankfurt is Cha Doo-Ri`s hometown. Cha waited for his time to soar up, with the assist of his surrounding people, to train along with the larger German players.

Experts grant lots of meaning to Cha`s goal in the Lebanon match. KBS commentator

Lee Yong-Soo (a professor at Se-Jong University) said "It’s like a stimulant for him to develop on a different level. He has built confidence."

Cha still refuses to take interviews, which implies his willingness to show with actions, not words. Cha Doo-Ri finally opened his mouth to speak at his departure on the 19th to Germany, saying, "I probably cut the flow of the game by not delivering crosses into the goal box right due to tensioned bodywork." We can read his potential by his attitude of going over what went wrong, rather than being overjoyed.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com