Cho Jae-jin (born 9 July 1981) is a former South Korean football player. Playing career Cho emerged as a national star when he played for South Korean under-23 team in the 2004 Summer Olympics. 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. 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. 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. Personal life 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. Career statistics Club International Results list South Korea's goal tally first. Filmography Television Honours Player Suwon Samsung Bluewings Korean League Cup: 2000, 2001 Korean Super Cup: 2000 Asian Club Championship: 2000–01 Asian Super Cup: 2001 Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 2002 Korean Semi-professional Championship runner-up: 2002 Shimizu S-Pulse Emperor's Cup runner-up: 2005 Gamba Osaka Emperor's Cup: 2009 South Korea AFC Asian Cup third place: 2007 Entertainer References External links Cho Jae-jin – National Team Stats at KFA 1981 births Living people Association football forwards South Korean footballers South Korean expatriate footballers South Korea international footballers Suwon Samsung Bluewings players Gimcheon Sangmu FC players Shimizu S-Pulse players Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players Gamba Osaka players K League 1 players J1 League players Expatriate footballers in Japan 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2007 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of South Korea People from Paju South Korean expatriate sportspeople in Japan Sportspeople from Gyeonggi Province