| Cho Jae-jin | |
| Fullname: | Cho Jae-jin |
| Birth Date: | 9 July 1981 |
| Birth Place: | Paju, Gyeonggi, South Korea |
| Position: | Striker |
| Youthyears1: | 1997–1999 |
| Youthclubs1: | Daeshin High School |
| Years1: | 2000–2004 |
| Caps1: | 16 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2002–2003 |
| Clubs2: | → Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo (draft) |
| Caps2: | 31 |
| Goals2: | 3 |
| Years4: | 2004–2007 |
| Caps4: | 101 |
| Goals4: | 45 |
| Years5: | 2008 |
| Caps5: | 26 |
| Goals5: | 8 |
| Years6: | 2009–2010 |
| Caps6: | 35 |
| Goals6: | 10 |
| Totalcaps: | 209 |
| Totalgoals: | 67 |
| Nationalyears1: | 1999–2000 |
| Nationalteam1: | South Korea U20 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 3 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2003–2004 |
| Nationalteam2: | South Korea U23 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 28 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 11 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2003–2008 |
| Nationalteam3: | South Korea |
| Nationalcaps3: | 40 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 10 |
| Hangul: | 조재진 |
| Rr: | Jo Jae-jin |
| Mr: | Cho Chaejin |
Cho Jae-jin (; born 9 July 1981) is a former South Korean football player.
Cho emerged as a national star when he played for South Korean under-23 team in the 2004 Summer Olympics.[1] He scored two goals in a 3–3 draw with Mali, helping his team advance to the quarter-finals.
Cho showed impressive performances including 45 goals in 101 J1 League appearances while playing for Shimizu S-Pulse from 2004 to 2007. He was also selected for South Korean national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and played three World Cup matches as a powerful target man. David Pleat, an expert of The Guardian at the time, selected him as one of six talents outside the Premier League after the World Cup.[2]
After his successful stint at Shimizu, Cho tried to join a Premier League club, and received offers from Newcastle United, Fulham, Portsmouth and West Ham United. However, he signed for K League club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after failing to negotiate with them.[3] [4]
Cho has congenital hip dysplasia, and started to suffer from pain when he was 22. He had relied on the drug to continue playing football, but eventually announced his retirement on 18 March 2011.[5]
Cho is a close friend of Kim Dong-jin, who was also a member of South Korean Olympic team.
Cho appeared in advertisements for Adidas, Cosmopolitan and clothing brand "ASK" in South Korea.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2000 | K League | 5 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | 5 | 0 | |
| 2001 | K League | 3 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | K League | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Total | 16 | 1 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | ? | ? | 16 | 1 | |||
| Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo (draft) | 2002 | Semipro League | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | — | ? | ? | ||
| 2003 | K League | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ? | ? | — | 33 | 4 | ||||
| Shimizu S-Pulse | 2004 | J1 League | 12 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 14 | 8 | ||
| 2005 | J1 League | 29 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | — | 39 | 14 | |||
| 2006 | J1 League | 32 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 37 | 17 | |||
| 2007 | J1 League | 28 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 32 | 14 | |||
| Total | 101 | 45 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 5 | — | 122 | 53 | ||||
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2008 | K League | 26 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 33 | 11 | ||
| Gamba Osaka | 2009 | J1 League | 25 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 35 | 11 | |
| 2010 | J1 League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||
| Total | 35 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 51 | 13 | |||
| Career total | 209 | 67 | 15 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 255 | 82 | |||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2003 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2004 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | 14 | 5 | ||
| 2007 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 40 | 10 | ||
Results list South Korea's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 September 2003 | Incheon, South Korea | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 2 | 24 October 2003 | Muscat, Oman | 1–0 | 7–0 | 2004 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 19 December 2004 | Busan, South Korea | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 1 February 2006 | Hong Kong | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2006 Lunar New Year Cup | |
| 5 | 26 May 2006 | Seoul, South Korea | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 6 September 2006 | Suwon, South Korea | 5–0 | 8–0 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 7 | 7–0 | |||||
| 8 | 11 October 2006 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification | |
| 9 | 5 July 2007 | Seoul, South Korea | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 10 | 2–0 |
| Year | Title | Role | Note(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Kick A Goal Season 1 | Himself | [7] | ||
| 2021–2022 | Kick A Goal Season 2 | Himself | |||
| 2022–2023 | Kick A Goal Season 3 | Himself | |||
| 2022 | The Fishermen and the City Season 4 | Himself | Episode 12 |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2000[8]
Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo
2002[11]
Shimizu S-Pulse
Gamba Osaka
South Korea
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBS Entertainment Awards | 2022 | Leader of the Year Award | Kick A Goal | [13] | |