Park Ji-Sung

At 43 years old, Park Ji-Sung has this physical status:

Park Ji-sung (born 25 February 1981) is a South Korean former professional footballer who has served as a midfielder and now serves as a Manchester United club ambassador.

Park, a native of Goheung, Jeonnam, is the most successful Asian player in history, winning 19 trophies in his career.

He is the first Asian to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, as well as the first Asian to have won the FIFA Club World Cup.

Park was able to play somewhere across the midfield and was praised for his extraordinary fitness, discipline, work ethic, and the off-the-ball movement.

Park's legendary endurance and speed earned him the nickname "Three-Lungs" Park in South Korea, where he began playing for the Myongji University team before heading to Japan to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga.

Park's national team boss Guus Hiddink returned to the Netherlands to lead PSV Eindhoven, a year later, Park followed him to the Dutch team a year later.

Park's talents were acknowledged by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who accompanied the PSV in the 2005/05 UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and he signed Park for a fee of around £4 million in July 2005.

Park won the Premier League four times and also won the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup during his time at United.

Since being a decrease in his number of appearances for Manchester United in the previous season, he joined Queens Park Rangers in July 2012.

However, Park saw PSV relegated on loan for the 2013-14 season due to an injury-interrupted season with QPR, as well as the club's relegation. Park, a member of the South Korea national team, has played in 100 caps and scored 13 goals.

He was a member of the 2002 FIFA World Cup team that finished fourth.

He also represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was captain of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

At the World Cup, Park was named man of the match four times against Portugal, France, Greece, and Nigeria.

He scored in three consecutive tournaments (the first South Korean and only second Asian player to do so) and is currently South Korea's joint all-time top goalscorer at the World Cup finals, alongside Ahn Jung-hwan and Son Heung-min.

Early life

Park was born in Seoul, but his family announced his birth in Goheung, Jeonnam, which is his father's hometown. He then moved to Suwon, a satellite city of Seoul, where he spent his adolescence there. In his fourth year of elementary school, he began playing football. He attended Anyong Middle School and Suwon Technical High School. Park attracted attention as one of South Korea's most promising young talents, and a number of clubs approached him. He was known for his high work rate, mesmerizing dribbling, and precise passes. However, his small frame was a weak point when he began middle school. Park Sung-jong's father resigned from his job and opened a butcher shop to help his son's aspirations. Sung-jong was not only fed Park various meats, but also frogs, antlers, and deer blood in the hope of improving his physical fitness. Park was instrumental in his high school's triumph at the Korean National Sports Festival in 1998, but he was turned away by a number of professional clubs and universities due to his inability. Since Lee Hak-jong, his high school teacher, so strongly recommended him to Kim Hee-tae, the university coach, he ended up playing for Myongji University. At that time, the tennis club was full, so Kim requested the tennis coach for assistance.

Park began to work with his university faculty as a prospective student during his winter break. His university team was given the opportunity to train with the South Korea Olympic team just a few weeks later, in January 1999. After a superb show, Huh Jung-moo, the coach of the South Korean national team and Olympic team, captured the team's interest. He then became a preliminary member of the Olympic team and then a full member of the team's squad. If Park had not been selected for the Olympic team, it would have been selected for the under-20 team instead, according to reports at 18 years old. This pick was so unexpected for Park and others that it was reported that Huh selected Park to fulfill a bet after losing to Kim Hee-tae in a game of Go.

Park made his debut as a member of the national team on April 5, 2000, along with Lee Chun-soo. Although he was a national team member and a second-year student at Myongji University, Kyoto Purple Sanga of Japan offered Park a job in June 2000, but he was still a relative unknown. Park was the first case of a relatively unknown Korean player being given a contract by a Japanese club.

His Olympic team failed to advance to the knockout stage in September 2000, and the South Korean national football team replaced Huh Jung-moo with Guus Hiddink.

Personal life

Park largely kept his personal life out of the spotlight, surprising the world by announcing his upcoming marriage to former television reporter Kim Min-ji at his retirement press conference. They married in South Korea on July 27th and now have a daughter and a boy. A Buddhist park is located in the park.

In his youth, Park has named Brazilian former holding midfielder Dunga as his football idol.

Park is the founder of the JS Foundation, which started in 2011, and now has charitable programs that will benefit football infrastructure while also providing the necessaries of life. He is currently hosting the Suwon JS Cup, which is fought between South Korea and guest youth teams for the growth of the Korean youth players since 2015.

He has been involved in the annual charity tournament "Park Ji-Sung and Friends" from the Asian Dream Cup team. Fellow South Korean entertainer Lee Chung-yong, North Korean national Jong Tae-se and former England captain Rio Ferdinand, among other celebrities and alumni of the popular SBS variety show Running Man include actor Song Joong-ki, musician Kim Jong-kook, and rapper Gary. As a result, Park's participation in the 2012 version marked his first appearance on the program over three episodes.

The chant for Park, "Park, Park," was a popular song during his time with Manchester United, included the controversial lyrics condemning Koreans eating dogs, which was deemed racist. Park, who did not know the chant's meaning, later accepted the chant because it meant no harm. Despite Park's retirement, the chant was later used by Manchester United supporters Ji So-yun and Hwang Hee-chan. The South Korean fans chastised Park for tolerating and encouraging the racist chant to be used on other South Korean players throughout his lifetime when he was involved in the anti-racism campaign of a South Korean YouTube channel in 2020. Park accepted the criticism and ordered that his chanting on behalf of Korean players and supporters be suspended.

Source

Club career

In an interview, Kimura said:

The club won the J2 League championship and was promoted to the J1 League in 2001. Park led the team to the Emperor's Cup final in 2002, and he scored the equalizer with a header in the final on January 1, 2003. For the first time in Sanga's history, the team defeated the Emperor's Cup champions 2–1. This was Park's last game for Sanga. He left Sanga in January 2003 as Guus Hiddink had invited him to play for PSV Eindhoven.

Hiddink was named as the head of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven after the World Cup. Lee Young-pyo, a Park and South Korean teammate, and their mentor and former national team coach moved to PSV in 2003 in order to play under their mentor and former national team coach. Although Lee was a regular in PSV's starting lineup, Park suffered from injuries, which was unfortunate. After the injury, he underwent surgery to repair his meniscus, and it was detrimental to his ability. He was afraid when the ball came to him because PSV fans had skepticism about his appearance.

Park had already adjusted to the Netherlands by the 2004-2004 season, both on and off the field. The resignation of Arjen Robben to Chelsea in 2004-05 gave Park more starting chances, and he quickly demonstrated his worth to the club. Park, as well as Johann Vogel, DaMarcus Beasley, and Dutchmen Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu, formed PSV's midfield play with his speed and passing. Having been a consistent contributor of goals and assists this season, Park's PSV career came when he scored his first goal against Italian team Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. PSV won the home leg 3-1, but Milan lost 2–0 on the away leg, advancing to the final.

Nonetheless, Park was selected, alongside Andriy Shevchenko, Adriano, Samuel Eto'o, and Ronaldinho, as one of the finalists for the 2005 UEFA Best Forward award, thanks to their outstanding results. PSV fans were so enamoured of Park that they wrote "Song for Park," which was included on PSV's official PSV album PSV Kampioen.

Park joined Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in July 2005. Park has been signed for the Premier League for £4 million, subject to a medical and work permit. After Dong Fangzhuo, he became the second East Asian player to sign for Manchester United.

Park largely contributed to a 3–2 win over Fulham on October 1 by assisting two goals and winning a penalty kick. Park took the armband from Ryan Giggs as he replaced him in a Champions League home group match against Lille on October 18, 2005. During a 3–1 victory over Birmingham City in the League Cup fifth round on December 20, 2005, Park's first goal for Manchester United came on December 20, 2005. Park seemed to have scored his first Premier League goal against Fulham in United's 4–2 victory over Old Trafford on February 5th. However, the Dubious Goals Panel in the Premier League determined that this was an own goal due to a dismissal of Fulham defender Carlos Bocanegra. Park scored his first official league goal on April 9, 2006, netting his second of a 2–0 home win over Arsenal.

Park sustained his ankle during the match against Tottenham Hotspur on September 9, 2006, and returned to the field after three months. He scored two goals against Bolton Wanderers on March 17, the first time he had scored more than once in a Premier League match. Park was taken to the United States for knee surgery on a recurring knee injury in April 2007, putting an end to his season. Despite being sidelined by sickness for the majority of the year, he scored five goals and two assists in 14 appearances and finished with enough games for a Premier League medal. Park, on the other hand, started suffering from chronic knee pains, which eventually led to his retirement.

After recovering from his long-term injury against Fulham on March 1, 2008, Park scored his first league goal of the 2007–08 season. His inability had caused a lot of drama in South Korea, but Wayne Rooney showed his worth by providing an assist to Wayne Rooney in the Champions League quarter-final match against Roma. Manchester United defeated Barcelona in the Champions League Final on April 29, 2008. Despite starting both legs of the semi-finals, Park was ruled out of the squad to face Chelsea in the final; manager Sir Alex Ferguson later stated that leaving him out was one of the hardest decisions he had to make throughout his managerial career.

Park scored his only goal for United in a 1–1 draw on September 21, 2008, with him also winning the man of the match award. He made his 100th appearance for Manchester United on December 13, 2008, beginning with a match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Park was drafted in the 23-man squad for the FIFA Club World Cup, which took place at the end of 2008. He missed the semi-finals but went full 90 minutes in the final, defeating the English team as the first English side to win the competition. Park scored his first FA Cup goal in a 4–0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on March 7, 2009, before converting it into the far corner for the fourth and final goal. Manchester United defeated Porto 3–2 on aggregate on April 15, 2009, progressing to the semifinals of the Champions League. Park became the first Asian player to be a part of the Champions League semi-finals on four occasions.

Park verbally agreed to a new four-year contract at Manchester United on May 2nd, 2009, stating, "I have no reason to move." I play for the best club in the country." Park scored his second league goal of the season – and third overall – in a 2–0 home victory over Middlesbrough. Park scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-final against Arsenal at the Emirates on May 5th. In the eighth minute, he pounced on a slip by Kieran Gibbs and smuggish the ball over Manuel Almunia in the eighth minute, advancing United to the Champions League final for the second year in a row. Park became the first Asian player to play in a Champions League final, but his team lost 2–0 to Barcelona.

Park agreed to a three-year deal with United on September 14, 2009, keeping him at the club until 2012. Ferguson said over the summer that he was always positive a deal would be done with Park, whose wages were expected to be around £75,000 per week. Park began poorly in the 2009-10 season. Because a long flight filled his knee with water in October 2009, he had to be out for a long time after the international match against Senegal.

Park scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season on January 31, 2010 against Arsenal in a 3–1 victory. In the 2008–09 Champions League, his last goal came against Arsenal at the Emirates in the same scoreline. It was also the first time United had defeated Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates. Park scored his first European goal of the season on the back of his first for United in Europe, beating Milan 4–0 on March 10, 2010, scoring his third European goal of the season. This was also his second goal against Milan in the Champions League. Park defeated Liverpool on March 21, 2010, kicking Darren Fletcher's right-wing cross with a diving header. Park expressed himself in saying that he would like to spend the remainder of his career with them on May 4, 2010. Park netted on the last day of the season on Saturday, scoring a close-range diving header against Stoke City to give the victory by 4–0.

Park returned to the team for the first time after the World Cup, when he first took on a League of Ireland XI in their last pre-season game on August 4, 2010. He scored his first goal at the newly constructed Aviva Stadium in this game and then scored a second as United defeated the game 7–1 winners.

Park scored United's fourth goal of the 2010–11 season on September 22, 2010, scoring his fourth goal of the League Cup. In the second round of the League Cup, he netted for United's second goal in a 3–2 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on October 26, 2010. Park scored his first two league goals of the season in a 2–1 home win over Wolves on Sunday, the second late winner in the 93rd minute. Park scored United's second goal in a 7–1 home victory over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. Park's November 2010 results earned him the Player of the Month award from the club's website. Park was then named United Player of the Month for December 2010, the second month in a row. Park scored the only goal of the game against Arsenal on December 13th, a looping header, his fourth goal in seven starts against them.

Park jetted off to captain South Korea in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and has missed seven games for United since the start of the year. After recovering from the previous tournament, he was ruled out for one month due to a hamstring injury that occurred during training. He returned to action for the first time since Boxing Day on April 2nd, playing 64 minutes in a 4–2 away victory over West Ham United. Park scored his first goal since the start of the year on Sunday when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Chelsea, which resulted in a 2–1 victory. Park assisted Javier Hernández's opening goal with a precise through-ball just 36 seconds after the game began, with a 21-0 victory over Chelsea that virtually ended United's league title. In the last match of the season against Blackpool on May 22, he scored a goal and set up his second goal for Anderson. Park reached the Champions League final against Barcelona in 2011, which United lost 3–1.

Park scored in a 4–1 win over the New England Revolution and a 7–0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC during his United States tour. After scoring a goal on the stroke of halftime, Park was named the man of the match in the MLS All-Star Game, which Manchester United defeated 4–0.

Park scored his sixth goal in an 8–2 home win over Arsenal on August 28, 2011 shortly after coming on as a second-half replacement. Park won by 2–0 in Norwich City, his first appearance in the Premier League of the season. Danny Welbeck, a late gamer, was involved in a spectacular one-two with United's second goal of the day, which Welbeck won. Park scored early in United's 5–0 home victory over Wigan Athletic on December 26, 2011 with a neat, side-foot finish from Patrice Evra's cutback. He also won the penalty that sealed the victory, though Dimitar Berbatov scored a second time to complete his hat-trick. Park scored an equalizing goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round, but United went on to lose 1–1.

Park made his 200th appearance for Manchester United by arriving as a replacement in the 86th minute against Chelsea on February 5, 2012. He was the 92nd player in the club's history to reach the milestone. Park captained Manchester United for the first time since the start of a match in a 2–1 home loss to Ajax in the UEFA Europa League on Sunday. Despite losing the game, United still advanced to the round of 16 with a 3–2 aggregate score. Park appeared in the Manchester derby on April 30, 2012, a game that was widely regarded as vital to Manchester United's title defense. Park was out of seven games in a row by finishing last in his positional play at the time, but Ferguson trusted Park's big game skills. However, Park's result was lethargic, and the public was mocked. Manchester United lost the game 1–0, but Manchester City went on to win the Premier League for the first time.

Park transferred to Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee on July 9, 2012, despite less first-team football in his last season with Manchester United. On the first day of the season, he made his debut in a 5–0 loss at home to Swansea City.

Park's first season with QPR was largely unsuccessful. Despite being named club captain and suffering from injuries, Park was unable to have the same effect as expected after his move from Manchester United. Park ended the season with 20 Premier League appearances and no goals as QPR were relegated from England's top flight.

Park rejoined PSV on loan for the 2013–14 season as QPR no longer in the top flight. Park's work permit application was approved on August 8, 2013, but the club's first game was postponed. On August 24, he scored his first goal against Heracles Almelo at 86 minutes to tie the game, his second match with PSV after his return to the club. Park led the team to a 4–0 victory over Ajax on September 22, 2013, with one goal and two assists.

Park resigned on May 14, 2014, citing problems with his knee. "I'm leaving with no regrets, I love playing football," the defender said of his time as a professional. I've done more than I expected. I'm truly grateful for all of the kindness that has been given to me, and I'll continue to live the remainder of my life, hoping that I will give it back."

International career

Park began his international service with the South Korea under-23 team as an 18-year-old defensive midfielder selected by the manager Huh Jung-moo. In the regional qualifier of the 2000 Summer Olympics, he made his debut against Chinese Taipei on May 27th. Park made his senior international debut against Laos in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification on April 5, 2000. Park appeared in all three matches in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and South Korea was eliminated by goal difference despite two victories in the division. Park appeared in five matches at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in October 2000, where South Korea finished third.

Park's role was changed to that of a winger when Guus Hiddink took over as South Korea's head coach; since then, he has developed into a versatile player able to play in a variety of positions, including center, right and left midfield, as well as wing-forward. In the friendly matches against England and France prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Park displayed his good health by scoring against England and France. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Park scored a memorable goal. South Korea had won their first game against Poland and drew against the United States during the group stages. They had to win at least against the favored Portugal team, which included Lus Figo and Rui Costa, in order to advance. Following two red cards against Portugal, Park won the match and beat Sérgio Conceiço, kicking it through the legs of Portugal goalkeeper Vtor Baa and into the net with his left foot until the 70th minute. For the first time, his goal sent Portugal and South Korea into the knockout stages of the tournament. South Korea won by victories over Italy and Spain, becoming the first Asian team to do so in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Park scored his second goal in the quarter-final shoot-out against Spain, which South Korea defeated 5–3.

Park was selected for the South Korea under-23 team for the 2002 Asian Games and received a bronze medal. Park also played for South Korea in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in July. Park scored for Seol Ki-hyeon's goal in the quarter-finals, but South Korea defeated Iran 4–3.

Park also participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Park drew a crucial free kick that resulted in a red card for Jean-Paul Abalo, and Lee Chun-soo finished the game with the equalizing goal in the first Group G match, defeating Togo 2–1. Park scored the equalizing goal in the second Group G match against eventual finalists France, and was named man of the match. South Korea lost 2–0 against Switzerland in the last group match but didn't qualify for the knockout stage, but they did not progress to the knockout stage.

Park captained South Korea for the first time in a friendly, which Korea beat South Korea 3–0 against Uzbekistan on October 11, 2008. He was the skipper for the remainder of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and he was South Korea's top scorer with five goals. In Seoul, one of his goals was against Iran, defeating two defenders and scoring with his left foot. South Korea defeated South Korea in the finals without losing a single piece. Park scored the winning goal in the competition in Japan just before the World Cup on May 24th.

Park scored his second goal in South Korea's 2–0 victory over Greece in their first group match on June 12, 2010, bringing the goal closer with a double windmill. He was the first Asian to score in three consecutive World Cup finals and joined Asia's joint all-time leading scorer with three goals, alongside compatriots Ahn Jung-min and Son Heung-min, as well as Saudi Arabia's Sami Al-Jaber. South Korea lost 2–2 with Nigeria on June 22, 2010, earning the man of the match award, which is his fourth in the World Cup. South Korea made it to the knockout stage of the World Cup held in a foreign country for the first time, but losing 2–1 against Uruguay in the round of 16.

Park Sung-jong, Park Sung-jong's uncle, said he would have decided to leave his national team service after the 2011 AFC Asian Cup championship in Qatar. On December 26, 2010, Park became the squad captain of the tournament. In the semi-final match against Japan on January 25, 2011, Park made his 100th international appearance. Park induced a penalty kick that was finished as the first goal, but the game would not finish as a result as a result of 2–2 after extra time. Park had resigned from international service as he was left out of South Korea's 3–2 victory over Uzbekistan. Park was named as the tournament's Most Valuable Player alongside Mark Schwarzer, Keisuke Honda, and Server Djeparov. Honda, a Japan midfielder, eventually took the award. Park announced his departure from international football on January 31 to make way for younger players with potential.

Park wanted Park's return to the team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in January 2014, but Park turned down his bid because his knees were so strained that he had to retire. After determining the injury of Park's knee, Hong Kong went to the Netherlands to defuse Park, but Park turned down Park's admission.

Source