Park Ji-Sung- The unsung and underrated maestro

“When I was younger I always wanted to play in Europe and win trophies. I can’t believe that I am a title winner — it’s difficult to explain how it feels — but I certainly feel very happy!”- Park Ji-Sung

This article is a fan’s tribute to one of the finest Asian players to don the Red Devil jersey and become United’s most trusted big match player over time. Also, not to forget, he is the first Asian player to have won the Champions League trophy and the first Asian to have played in a final of the UEFA Champions League and win a FIFA Club World Cup.

Park spent his early football life playing for the J-league club Koyoto Purple Sanga till the FIFA World Cup 2002. His selection into the team was actually a miracle as the scouts who came to scout Bunji Kimura, Korea’s rising star then, were thoughly impressed with just 20 mins of physical and agile play of an injury ridden Park. In his very first year with the club, he saw it getting promoted to the first division and in the very next year, his header won the club the Emperor’s cup.

Magic was yet to happen in Park’s life when the FIFA World Cup 2002 arrived. The young Park, under coach Guus Hiddink, had a memorable outing. South Korea needed at least a draw against Luis Figo’s Portugal to progress to the next round. Park’s memorable volley won the match for the Koreans and they advanced to the knockout stage for the first time ever.

After the end of the World Cup, Guus joined PSV Eindhoven and took Park and Lee Young-Pyo along with him to play for the club. The Dutch league proved to be tough for him and he was injury plagued allowing the latter to become a regular while he struggled. However, with Mark Van Bommel, he formed the backbone of his PSV side and was also the top contributor of goals and assists that season. His nomination to the best UEFA forward made PSV fans write a song for him.

Then came the magic moment when Sir Alex Ferguson bought Park to become a Manchester United player. His career at Manchester started on a superb note when he became the first asian player to captain United in a match. He scored his first goal against Birmingham City in a 3-1 win. He was, however, sidelined for most of the 2007 season with his knee injury, sparking controversies over SAF’s choice all over England and Korea. However, as we say, “form may be temporary, but class is permanent”. Park Ji-Sung returned in style and his superb assist to Rooney helped United secure a win over Roma. And no one can forget the way he played the semi-finals against Barcelona. SAF needed an engine on the field to chase down all the passes that Barcelona make and stop the build up and Park did it superbly, besides constantly assisting the forwards.

Park Ji-sung had a crushing disappointment when he stood in the United dressing room at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium as his United team-mates were about to play Chelsea in the first all-English European Cup final on a rain-soaked night. Park was not even in the substitute list, inspite of playing 90 mins of the quarter and semi-finals. Sir Alex Ferguson called it the hardest decision of his career.

Park had earned his nickname “Three Lungs” for the ways he played box to box with the same energy all the time on the field. His pace has remained the same. Besides, Sir Alex has used him superbly as a right wing back too. What’s more, our “Sweet Potato” (his nick name in Korea) has evolved as a big match player, as SAF prefers to use him on Derby days and high profile encounters to provide the breakthroughs in crunch situation, a faith Park has always repaid.

At 31 today, Park Ji-Sung still remains United’s most loved player and is not upset on loosing out on a place in the first team, due to SAF’s attacking winger formations. He still retains that sweet smile over his face and the baby faced assassin makes the opponent pay for every lapse of defense on their side.

Talking of United’s “Energizer Bunny”, Rio Ferdinand said:

“The lads in the changing-room sometimes sit and laugh at the amount of work Ji gets through, because it’s just ridiculous. We just want to know what he eats pre-match and at home. He must have a different diet to all of us because the way he runs and the energy he’s got is phenomenal. It’s great to see and have as a part of your team. He’s definitely an unsung hero. Ji scores goals in big games. The manager just seems to pick him all the time in the big games and he just delivers. He doesn’t get all the headlines but he’s appreciated by his team-mates.”

Park Ji Sung’s value to Manchester United is not restricted to the pitch, however, as he transcends the boundaries, breaking United into the lucrative Asian market. In the pre-Park era, Manchester United already had a significant Asian following in the far-east, however they had no Asian players on their roster. On his arrival from PSV, the club’s popularity, predictably, went through the roof. We can term Park’s and United’s relationship as “Symbiotic”.

Given the price players sell for these days, 4 million Euros for a payer of his mettle shows how underrated he is even today. He may not be Manchester United’s most talented player, but in terms of his all-round contribution during his six-years, very few have given more. I will miss him when he’s gone, along with millions of his fans.

I would like to conclude with this quote from our selfless midfielder:

“When I came to United I didn’t expect to be here for this long,” he said. “Looking back on my career, I can’t believe I’ve been here six or seven years. Hopefully this club is my last club – but you have to prove you deserve it. I hope I can improve every single day to deserve that chance. I haven’t played every match, but I have to deal with that. If the manager asks you to play, then you have to perform well; the boss expects it. I admit at first it’s quite difficult; but I have been here seven years now so I know how to deal with it. I’m not worried about that. I have to perform well even if I only get a short time on the pitch. If you do that then the boss gives you more chances to play. I’m satisfied with my performances so far this season but I know I can improve.”