Park Ji-sung is the first Asian footballer to have won the UEFA Champions League, to play in a UEFA Champions League final, as well as the first Asian to have won the FIFA Club World Cup.
74 Facts About Park Ji-sung
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Park Ji-sung was able to play anywhere across the midfield and was noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement.
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Park Ji-sung began his football career in his native South Korea and played for the Myongji University team before moving to Japan to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga.
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Park Ji-sung moved to Queens Park Rangers in July 2012 after suffering a reduction in his number of appearances for Manchester United the previous season.
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Park Ji-sung was a member of the team that finished fourth at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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Park Ji-sung was born in Seoul, but his family registered his birth in Goheung, Jeonnam, which is his father's hometown.
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Park Ji-sung then left for Suwon, a satellite city of Seoul, and spent his adolescence there.
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Park Ji-sung began playing football during his fourth year of elementary school.
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Park Ji-sung attended Anyong Middle School and Suwon Technical High School.
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Park Ji-sung was well known for his excellent work rate, mesmerising dribbling and accurate passes.
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Park Ji-sung ended up playing for Myongji University after Lee Hak-jong, his high school coach, strongly recommended him to Kim Hee-tae, the university coach.
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Park Ji-sung was attached to the university's tennis club at that time, because the football club was full, so Kim asked the tennis coach for help.
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At 18 years old, it was believed that if Park Ji-sung had not been selected for the Olympic team, he would have been selected for the under-20 team instead.
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On 5 April 2000, in a 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Laos, Park Ji-sung made his debut as a member of the national team, along with Lee Chun-soo.
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Park Ji-sung was the first instance of a relatively unknown Korean player being offered a contract by a Japanese club.
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In June 2000, Park Ji-sung signed with the Kyoto-based then J1 League side Kyoto Purple Sanga.
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In 2002, Park Ji-sung led the team to the final of the Emperor's Cup, and in the final on 1 January 2003, he scored the equaliser with a header.
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Park Ji-sung had an operation to remove his meniscus after the injury and this affected his ability.
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Park Ji-sung felt fear when the ball came to him because he was jeered at by PSV fans disappointed at his performance.
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Nevertheless, thanks to these strong performances, Park Ji-sung was chosen, along with Andriy Shevchenko, Adriano, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho, as one of the nominees for the 2005 UEFA Best Forward award.
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In July 2005, Park Ji-sung chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
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Park Ji-sung became the second East Asian player to sign for Manchester United, after Dong Fangzhuo.
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On 18 October 2005, Park Ji-sung became the first Asian to ever captain Manchester United when he took the armband from Ryan Giggs as he replaced him during a Champions League home group match against Lille.
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Park Ji-sung injured his ankle during the match against Tottenham Hotspur on 9 September 2006 and returned to the field after three months.
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However, Park Ji-sung started suffering chronic knee problems which eventually accelerated his retirement.
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Park Ji-sung was excluded from the squad to face Chelsea in the final despite starting both legs of the semi-final; manager Sir Alex Ferguson later stated that leaving him out was one of the hardest decisions he had had to make throughout his managerial career.
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Park Ji-sung was included in the 23-man squad for the FIFA Club World Cup held at the end of 2008.
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On 5 May 2009, Park Ji-sung scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-final against Arsenal at the Emirates.
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On 14 September 2009, Park Ji-sung signed a three-year contract extension with United, keeping him at the club until 2012.
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Park Ji-sung had to be absent again for a long period after the international match against Senegal, because a long flight filled his knee with water in October 2009.
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On 21 March 2010, Park Ji-sung scored a crucial winner in the derby against Liverpool, turning in Darren Fletcher's right-wing cross with a diving header.
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Park Ji-sung returned to the United team for the first time following the World Cup as he started against a League of Ireland XI in their final pre-season game on 4 August 2010.
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Park Ji-sung was then voted as United Player of the Month for December 2010, grabbing the award for the second month in a row.
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Park Ji-sung jetted off to captain South Korea in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and missed seven games for United after the turn of the year.
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Park Ji-sung won the penalty that wrapped up the win which Dimitar Berbatov scored to complete his hat-trick.
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On 5 February 2012, Park Ji-sung made his 200th appearance for Manchester United by coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute against Chelsea.
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Park Ji-sung became the 92nd player in the history of the club to reach the milestone.
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On 30 April 2012, Park Ji-sung played in the Manchester derby, in a game that was widely perceived as crucial to Manchester United's title defence.
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Park Ji-sung absented seven consecutive games by lagging behind in his positional competition at that time, but Ferguson trusted Park Ji-sung's big game ability.
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However, Park Ji-sung's performance was lethargic and he was criticized by the press.
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Park Ji-sung finished the season with only 20 Premier League appearances and no goals, as QPR were relegated from the top flight of English football.
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On 14 May 2014, shortly after the conclusion of the season, Park Ji-sung announced his retirement, citing issues with his knee.
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Park Ji-sung began his international career for the South Korea under-23 team as an 18-year-old defensive midfielder, selected by the manager Huh Jung-moo.
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On 5 April 2000, Park Ji-sung made his senior international debut against Laos in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification.
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In September 2000, Park Ji-sung appeared all three matches in the group stage of 2000 Summer Olympics, and South Korea was eliminated by goal difference despite two victories in the group.
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In October 2000, Park Ji-sung played five matches at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, where South Korea finished third.
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When Guus Hiddink became the head coach of South Korea, Park Ji-sung's position was shifted to that of a winger; since then, he has become a versatile player able to play in a variety of positions: central, right and left midfield, as well as wing-forward.
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Park Ji-sung showed his good condition by scoring against England and France in the friendly matches prior to the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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Park Ji-sung scored a memorable goal during the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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Park Ji-sung's goal eliminated Portugal and advanced South Korea into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.
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Park Ji-sung was selected for the South Korea under-23 squad for the 2002 Asian Games and won a bronze medal.
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Park Ji-sung played for South Korea in the 2004 AFC Asian Cup during July.
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Park Ji-sung scored the equalising goal in the second Group G match against eventual finalists France and was voted man of the match.
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Park Ji-sung was the skipper for the remainder of the qualification campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was South Korea's top scorer with five goals.
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On 24 May 2010, Park Ji-sung scored the winning goal with a solo effort in the rivalry held in Japan just before the World Cup.
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Park Ji-sung became the first Asian to score in three consecutive World Cup finals and became Asia's joint all-time leading scorer in the World Cup with three goals, alongside compatriots Ahn Jung-hwan and Son Heung-min, as well as Sami Al-Jaber of Saudi Arabia.
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Park Ji-sung travelled to the tournament on 26 December 2010 as squad captain.
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Park Ji-sung made his 100th international appearance in the semi-final match against Japan on 25 January 2011.
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Park Ji-sung was nominated as the tournament's Most Valuable Player alongside Mark Schwarzer, Keisuke Honda and Server Djeparov.
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Park Ji-sung received much acclaim at Manchester United for his speed, off-the-ball movement, work rate and energy, which saw him deployed all over the midfield, including in the middle of the pitch, in a holding role, in a box-to-box role or on either wing, where he operated as a defensive winger, incessantly pressing the opponent players.
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Park Ji-sung was capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, or even in a more advanced role as a second striker on occasion.
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Ferguson once claimed that Park Ji-sung was one of the few players in the world capable of marking Lionel Messi.
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Yet all of us who played with Park Ji-sung know he was almost as important to our success.
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That's because of what Park Ji-sung gave to the collective and I want to talk about teams.
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On 25 July 2014, Park Ji-sung participated in the K League All-Star Game, and was named the Most Valuable Player with a goal.
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On 5 October 2014, it was announced that Park Ji-sung was to take up a role as a global ambassador for Manchester United.
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In 2016, Park Ji-sung was selected to participate in the 17th edition of The FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport with a view to furthering his ambition of working in sports administration.
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In December 2021, Park Ji-sung rejoined Queens Park Ji-sung Rangers, coaching the under-16s under the guidance of the technical director Chris Ramsey.
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Park Ji-sung has identified Brazilian former holding midfielder Dunga as his football idol in his early years.
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Park Ji-sung largely kept his personal life out of the spotlight and surprised the media by announcing his upcoming wedding to former television reporter Kim Min-ji at his retirement press conference.
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Park Ji-sung is the founder of the charitable foundation, JS Foundation, set up in 2011, which develop and launch charity programs that will support football infrastructure and the necessaries of life.
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Park Ji-sung is hosting the Suwon JS Cup, contested between South Korea and guest youth teams, for development of the Korean youth players since 2015.
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Park Ji-sung has participated in the Asian Dream Cup annual charity event with a team entitled "Park Ji-Sung and Friends".
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Park Ji-sung accepted the criticism and appealed to the United fans to stop singing his chant on behalf of Korean players and fans.