Park Ji sung

13. Ji-sung Park
Birthdate: 25 Feb 1981
Birthplace: Seoul, South Korea
Position: Midfielder
Appearances 175
Goals Scored 23
Joined United: 08 Jul 2005
United Debut: 09 Aug 2005 v Debreceni (H)
International: Korea Republic

Born in Seoul, raised in Suwon just outside South Korea’s capital, Park left school at 18 to join Japanese side Kyoto Purple Sanga. His potential to make the leap from Asia to Europe was spotted by Guus Hiddink, who coached the South Korea during their successful run to the World Cup semi finals in 2002. Later that year, Park followed Hiddink to PSV.

Ji earned widespread recognition in 2005 after scoring against Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, but he had gradually been building

his reputation in Holland. Park played only a fleeting part in PSV’s title success in his first season in Holland. Two years later he had fully adapted to European football and was an integral component of the side that clinched Holland's League and Cup Double.

Alerted to his blossoming talent, Sir Alex had Park watched more than 20 times before finally signing him for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £4million, in June 2005. Having already proved his ability in Europe, acclimatising to the Premier League was Park’s initial test. He rose to the challenge, playing all but four of United’s Premiership matches in 2005/06. He scored his first goal for the club with a fine strike in the 3-1 away win over Birmingham in December 2005, and claimed his first medal in the League Cup final win in February.

He added two Premier League winners' medals in 2007 and 2008 and, although he was left out of Sir Alex's 18-man squad for the UEFA Champions League final, he played his part in helping the Reds secure European glory with fine displays against Roma and Barcelona. In fact, he was something of a lucky charm during the double-winning campaign. In the 14 games he started in all competitions, United were unbeaten and conceded only two goals.

After missing the

first half of the season whilst he recovered from the cartilage problems which cut short his first title-winning campaign in 2006/07, Park returned to action in the Boxing Day win at Sunderland. He netted his first, and only, goal of the season at Craven Cottage in March 2008, powerfully heading home United's second goal in a 3-0 victory.

But it was his battling display in the UEFA Champions League semi-final, second leg against Barcelona which really caught the eye. He ran nearly 12km on the night and never stopped grafting for 90 minutes. It was a typical energy-filled performance from the South Korean, who has become something of a cult hero.

Following minor knee surgery in the summer of 2008, the Korean made a goalscoring return to Premier League action when he fired United ahead in the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge in September 2008. It was an important moment for Park, having missed out on the chance to play the Blues in Moscow. Park was part of the Reds' Club World Cup-winning side and was an unused substitute in United's League Cup final victory over Tottenham at Wembley. After picking up another title medal in May 2009, the Korean was handed a starting berth in the Champions League final in Rome.

The 2008/09 season was Park's best in a red shirt

to date and, after signing a new two-year contract in September 2009 to keep him at the club until June 2012, he went on to play a major part in United's quest for silverware during the 2009/10 campaign. After returning from a knee injury (picked up in the 4-3 Manchester derby win) at the end of the November, Park produced a host of fine displays including two superb, destructive central-midfield performances against AC Milan, and weighed in with a handful of important goals against Arsenal, Milan and Liverpool. His selfless displays earned rave reviews from team-mates and fans alike with his manager also keen to offer praise. "Ji is one of these players that we can give roles to play and he does it because of his control and discipline,” insisted the Reds boss.

Park continues to make huge strides each season and is likely to be another key player in 2010/11 and beyond.



by Manchester United web site