Park Ji Sung arrived at Old Trafford in 2005 for a small sum of just £4 million from PSV Eindhoven. Now seven years on, Park has departed Manchester United for QPR, a move that is a real shame for the Old Trafford faithful.
The South Korean was never blessed with supreme ability. He played on the wings, but is certainly no Ronaldo or Giggs. He is not particularly quick, his touch often lets him down and his crossing and finishing leaves a lot to be desired. Despite all this, Park Ji Sung has played an integral role for Manchester United in so many of their successes over the last seven years.
Park is a very decorated footballer. He won two Eredivisie titles with PSV Eindhoven and has gone on to extraordinary success with United. He has won four Premier Leagues, two League Cups, a Champions League and a World Club Cup.
What Park lacks in skill he more than makes up for in effort and dedication. The Old Trafford faithful nicknamed the South Korean ‘three lung park’ as a tribute to the work rate that he so often displayed. It was this work rate that Sir Alex Ferguson so often relied on when it came to the big Champions League ties. Park was often deployed as a man to track up and down the wing, supporting the attack whilst offering assistance to the full back behind him. Park often managed to shut down the attack of the opposition and worked beautifully in a 5 man United midfield away from home in Europe.
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The examples of Park at his best that spring to mind come from the Champions League Semi Final against Arsenal in 2009 and the Quarter Final against Chelsea in 2011. In 2009, Park was integral as United destroyed Arsenal on the night with a master class in counter attacking football. Park scored the opener and broke as part of a three-pronged attack concluding with Ronaldo scoring the third goal on a night where the South Korean had done what he does best. Park had kept Bacary Sagna from attacking and also threatened at the other end, helping United to reach the Champions League final.
Two years later, Manchester United defeated Chelsea in the Champions League Quarter Final and Park again was a key man. The South Korean responded to the Didier Drogba goal that had brought Chelsea back in to the tie with a goal within a minute of the equaliser. This was the first time that Park had threatened significantly and had spent the game fulfilling his defensive role. This highlights just what a key man Park has been for United.
It is fair to say that Ji Sung Park has never received the plaudits that he has deserved from outside of Old Trafford. Park has always been seen as a player who was signed purely to boost United’s revenue in Asia. This is a reaction that has more recently greeted the signing of Shinji Kagawa by Manchester United. It is a shame that a player who has contributed so much to the Premier League and Champions League over the last seven years is not given the credit he deserves.
For supporters of United however, Park will always be remembered fondly as a man who embodies the spirit of Manchester United. Park is a player who maximises his ability to provide a performance that benefits his side. QPR have made a very shrewd acquisition and those at Old Trafford will always remember Park as a United legend.
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