Park Ji-Sung was a member of Manchester United during their golden era. After breaking into Europe under Gus Hiddink, Park left PSV Eindhoven to join the English Premier League (EPL) giants ahead of the 2005-06 season. After seven seasons in and out of the starting lineup, Park scored 27 goals and provided 25 assists in 205 appearances for United before moving on to Queens Park Rangers (QPR).
That might not seem like a lot if you look at the stats alone. However, Park was never one to rack up offensive points, but rather to ease the burden on his teammates with his high workload. He was nicknamed the “oxygen tank,” and his work rate was so high that he was a welcome addition to any team, and his tactical value was recognized by then-Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Park is one of the most underrated players in the game. This is because, as we’ve already explained, he rarely produces offensive points, so he’s the type of player who flies under the radar. However, fans who saw him in action know that he contributed a lot to United’s golden era.
Now, Park Ji-sung has been rediscovered. The Italian media outlet ‘Area Napoli’ published an article titled “The story of the most underrated soccer player. Few people know the story of one of the midfielders who wrote United’s history. Those who deserve more attention are often underestimated, but they are really strong and often play decisive roles for their teams. Recently, ‘Novel Soccer’ has been talking about Park Ji-Sung a lot,” he said.무지개토토
According to the publication, Park played an important role in the 2011 UEFA Champions League (UCL) final between Manchester United and Barcelona. Park was tasked with actively pressuring players with the ball, which led to United’s 1-3 loss to Barcelona. Sir Ferguson later regretted that he should have instructed Park to mark Messi.
The page also quotes Rooney as saying, “Nobody seems to remember Park Ji-Sung. It’s ridiculous. The people who played with him know what a great player he was.” The page also quoted Rooney as saying that Park was recognized by those around him.
This time, the official FIFA channel highlighted Park’s goal against Portugal at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. Park played for the South Korean national team from 2000 to 2011, appearing in three World Cups and scoring 13 goals in 100 A matches. Most notably, he scored against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup and became a key player in the team’s quarterfinal victory.
The official FIFA World Cup channel highlighted Park’s technical goal against Portugal by saying, “Park Ji-sung=not just a hard-working player (worker).”