Cha: 'Goalscoring was never my thing'
Munich - Following in the footsteps of his father Bum-Kun Cha, German-born Du-Ri Cha is returning to the Bundesliga following a two-year hiatus at Celtic. Able to play at right back, on the right wing or up front, the 32-year-old knows the league like the back of his hand, having spent time at Bayer 04 Levekusen, Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FSV Mainz 05, TuS Koblenz and SC Freiburg during a whistle-stop ten-year spell in German football.
The versatile South Korean will bring welcome experience to new club Fortuna Düsseldorf, as they prepare to hit the ground running at FC Augsburg on Saturday.
bundesliga.com: To clarify, Du-Ri Cha or Cha Di-Ru. Which one is actually right?
Du-Ri Cha: So Cha is my surname. In Korea the family name always comes first. In Korea everyone calls me Cha Du-Ri. We're here in Germany though, in Europe. In Europe the family name is always at the end. So Du-Ri Cha is also right.
bundesliga.com: What will the key factors be if Fortuna are to maintain their Bundesliga status this season?
Cha: I believe it's always the same for the newly-promoted sides coming up from Bundesliga 2. You always have to have a good team and you have to stick together very well. Sides like us don't have the individuals, the superstars like the big teams such as Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Schalke, who have much bigger budgets. Therefore the squad has to be very cohesive and of course we have to come into the game fighting if we want to defeat our opponents.
bundesliga.com: As a child growing up in Frankfurt, and with a father who played Bundesliga football, what was your impression of Fortuna Düsseldorf. At that time the team was amongst Germany's elite?
Cha: At the time when my father still played in Frankfurt and especially at Leverkusen, Bayer 04, Köln and Düsseldorf were Bundesliga stalwarts and always gave a good account of themselves. Back then I always thought of Fortuna Düsseldorf as a Bundesliga club. But I lost track of them when I went back to South Korea. Now, I'm happy that they're back. Simply because they've got great fans, a great city and now with the stadium, of course, I think Fortuna belong in the Bundesliga.
bundesliga.com: And what about you - do you think you'll play at the back again or further up the field like before?
Cha: Good question (laughs). I've played in both positions. I prefer to play on the right-hand side at the back where I feel most comfortable. In the last three or four years I've always played at right back. But the team comes first. And when the coach wants to put me in midfield and wants to put me there for the sake of the team, then I'll do that and give my all in this position.
bundesliga.com: You haven't scored that many goals in your career - maybe you'll chip in with one again, that'd be nice.
Cha: (laughs) Goalscoring was never my thing. That's why I think I'll continue to play at the back. But, yes, when you operate more offensively in midfield, then I think that's the time, and also my duty, to score and create goals. If I play as an attacking midfielder, a couple of goals are bound to come along.
GOAL! The Bundesliga magazine' will spend three minutes with Du-Ri Cha on this week's edition of the show.
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