Before the current top Korean soccer players such as Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in, there was Park Ji-sung of Manchester United.
John Obi Mikel, who was widely known as a Chelsea midfielder, appeared on Manchester United’s legendary defender Rio Ferdinand’s podcast “Rio Ferdinand Presents Five” on the 17th and picked Park Ji-sung as one of the most difficult players to stop during his career.
He said, “There is a player named Park Ji-sung. “I never get tired,” he said. “Chelsea had to watch out for him every time he played. “I’m always running when I have the ball or when I don’t have the ball,” he said, adding that Park Ji-sung’s blocking was the most difficult.
Park Ji-sung’s nickname locally is “Three-lung Park.” This is because he runs tirelessly like a person with three lungs, keeps pressing his opponent, constantly moving, and making space for his fellow players.
His sincere move helped Manchester United, who ruled as one of the best teams in Europe beyond England at the time. Park Ji-sung is a player who left a great mark in the history of Asian soccer, having won four league championships with Manchester United, lifted three League Cup trophies, and became the first player from Asia to win the UEFA Champions League.
In particular, in the semifinals of the 2007/08 season, when he lifted the “Big Year (Champions League Trophy),” he met Spanish powerhouse Barcelona and played in both the first and second games, helping Manchester United beat Barcelona and beat Chelsea to reach the top of the Champions League for the first time in nine years. 온라인카지노
Although he suffered a shocking loss to the entry in the final round, he also contributed to the victory by blocking Barcelona striker Lionel Messi in the semi-final.
Midfielder Darren Fletcher, who shared a room with Manchester United, recalled Park Ji-sung, “He is a player who enjoys big games,” adding, “I always played confidently.”
It is also famous for the story of completely erasing Andrea Pirlo, the central playmaker of the Italian Serie A club AC Milan, from the stadium. AC Milan, who met Manchester United in the round of 16 in the Champions League in 2009/10 season, tried to dominate the game with the best playmaker of the time, Pierlo. However, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson asked Park to stop only the blood, and Park pressed him throughout the first and second games to completely cut off Milan’s attack line.
There was only one game where Pirlo and Park Ji-sung faced off, but Park Ji-sung had no choice but to remain strong in Pirlo’s mind. Pirlo later picked Park as the most annoying player to face in a 2018 interview, and later praised England’s Calvin Phillips in 2021, saying, “You have to bring Park in to stop him. (I can’t believe he’s retired) I’m glad,” he said.
Mikel, meanwhile, picked striker Wayne Rooney as a player who was difficult to deal with along with Park Ji-sung. “He is a technically perfect player,” he said, adding, “I can’t drop the ball with him.”
Mikel announced his retirement in 2021 and has continued his wild life by appearing on the air. Park Ji-sung returned to Korea after retiring from the Queens Park Rangers in 2014 and serves as a football administrator as technical director for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the K League.
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