January 2021
January 2021
Former soccer player Park Ji-sung, despite retiring from the game in 2014, remains to Koreans an icon of the sport who flourished overseas as a representative of Korea. This explains his nickname haebeoji (father of Korean players overseas) by his fans, people he has mentored and up-and-coming players. He is also known as ¡®Three-lung Park¡¯ for his tirelessness and energy on the pitch.
Written by
Kim Jane, features editor
Photo courtesy of
Etoile Classic & Yonhap News
Hailing from Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province, Park in his playing days earned the admiration and respect of his peer players and coaches. From United¡¯s famed former coach Sir Alex Ferguson to superstars like former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, fellow players have praised Park¡¯s unflappable drive on the field.
In his time at Old Trafford from 2005-12, he won a FIFA Club World Cup, four Premiership titles, three League Cups and a Champions League trophy. Despite a playing style that was far from flashy, his impressive career began with his sensational goal against Portugal at the 2002 World Cup.
¡°Most encouraging of all is seeing my fans react and rejoice,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m most affected by comments describing me as ¡®a reliable player¡¯ on the field. The thought of giving fans peace of mind through my presence on the field and simply giving my best gave me an amazing feeling. It gave me a lasting sense of fulfillment as an athlete, which continued to fuel me as a motivational force.¡±
¡®During the 2002 World Cup, I was elated for the opportunity of more running time,¡¯ he recalls of his days as a young national athlete.
Park retired in 2014 as a member of PSV Eindhoven of the Netherlands, his first pro team in Europe. Though retiring relatively early at age 33, he said he made his decision with no regrets. ¡°I was faced with physical limitations. And though it wasn¡¯t impossible for me to continue after undergoing additional knee surgery, it wasn¡¯t hard to declare that my time was up. I was relaxed and didn¡¯t dwell on it much at all,¡± he said.
¡°I guess it was easy for me because I considered myself lucky to have arrived at a point in my career where I felt a sufficient sense of fulfillment.¡±
As the first Asian player to be a member of a Champions League champion, Park counts his blessings. ¡°As a soccer player, I was fortunate enough to come across a coach like (Guus) Hiddink, who led me to a position best suited for maximizing my skills. I also consider it a stroke of luck that both before and after the 2002 World Cup, the occasion that led me to stardom, I signed with Kyoto Sanga FC of Japan. Though Japan and Korea have cultural similarities, I experienced aspects of Japanese culture that I felt were somewhere in between those of Korea and the cultural climate of Europe,¡± he said.
¡°Though I was obviously there (in Ja pan and Europe) for the sport, as a player on a team, I was definitively affected by the cultural dynamics of a nation or region. That said, it was a helpful coincidence that I experienced a culture different from my own in Japan first and later greater cultural differences in Europe. Undergoing contracts in that succession worked to my favor, putting me through a gradual shift to acclimatize to.¡±
The year he retired, he experienced another ¡°lucky coincidence¡±: his marriage. ¡°I think that part of what made my transition so smooth, as in being free of post-retirement blues, second thoughts or misgivings, was the presence of my family. I¡¯m incredibly lucky to have been joined by my wife that year, then my daughter in the following one,¡± he said. Attesting to his devotion to his family, he said the COVID-19 pandemic gave him a silver lining, adding, ¡°I get to spend more time with my family, focus on my kids.¡±
I wish for them to love the sport with
all their hearts. That¡¯s the only drive
that got and kept me going.
During the 2002 World Cup, I was elated for the opportunity of more running time,¡¯ he recalls of his days as a young national athlete.
Park¡¯s tempered demeanor shines through his humility and deep sense of contentment. He readily expresses gratitude at happenstances or milestones that dot his life and career, in addition to attributing an outlook of positivity.
Through such soft composure characteristic of none other than a world-class veteran of his field, Park also seems to be defined by a noticeably durable mentality. ¡°I¡¯ve never heeded labels or titles expressed by media or commentators of the sport,¡± Park responded when asked if he¡¯d like to provide any explanation regarding the once heavily debated issue around his switch of positions on the field. Recounting back to the World Cup (2002), he said, ¡°When Hiddink placed me in a slightly different role, my mind had no room for much other than pure joy, for being granted more running time. As a young player, I was simply grateful for and elated about the opportunity.¡±
¡°Similarly, I consider it a blessing to have ended up with an inclination not to heed publicity.¡± Park said, ¡°Since my rise to stardom and into the Korean mainstream consciousness, I could¡¯ve faced a more prominent limelight, had I been in Korea. However, as a player running in the Japanese league, I was tucked into a rather ¡®safe¡¯ or more secure head space, per se. At a young age [he was barely in his early twenties], it¡¯s easy to get carried away by such a defining accomplishment celebrated nationwide. I remain thankful that as a ¡®star¡¯ living in a foreign country, I spent that period focused more on myself rather than on others, or their expectations.
In Suwon World Cup Stadium in Paldal-gu District, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do Province on Apr. 2018, chairman of JS Foundation,
Park encourages teenaged players of the 2018 Suwon JS Cup U19 International Matches after a game against Morocco.
A soccer devotee, Park claims ¡®the sport is loved for good, many reasons.¡¯
His firm orientation to his innate sense of direction surfaces further when he talks about his next steps onward. Notwithstanding Korean soccer players¡¯ typical transition to commentators and coaches, Park knew ¡°I was never meant for either. Neither [of them] are my strong suits.¡± He is evidently one to value and withhold innate compatibility with whichever pursuits he invests his time in.
Park also uses his influence for humanitarian causes. He has in fact, been an active and consistent contributor to charitable causes. With nonchalance, Park said, ¡°My motives weren¡¯t a result of any particular incident or trigger. Rather, I¡¯d long been sure — whilst my days as a running player — of my plans to engage in various donation activities.¡± He said, ¡°Endeavors like JS Foundation, in Europe where I spent a large part of my professional life, and on behalf of these players, is not uncommon at all. Seeing exemplary players and their post-retirement involvement in benevolent activities naturally led me to consider it my duty.¡±
Despite a reputation for being a ¡°man of big matches,¡± Park said he was never naturally gifted. ¡°I would never consider myself bold-hearted; that has never been a talent of mine. The only explanation I can give for my plays resulting in great outcomes at decisive moments or matches is the sheer work, practice and previous mistakes. I gradually toughened up and upgraded and honed my abilities to get to that point,¡± he said.
And he said his love and passion for the sport were behind his success. ¡°Many sacrifices must be made. I don¡¯t say this to warn aspiring soccer players but rather to simply wish that they love the sport with all their hearts. That¡¯s the only drive and fuel that got and kept me going. I played soccer because I loved to. It was just my favorite thing to do.¡±
As a soccer devotee, he claims ¡°the sport is loved for good, and for many reasons.¡± Likewise, he is dubbed ¡®haebeoji,¡¯ with connotations of a true and insightful veteran, for good and many reasons, indeed.
Despite a playing style that was far from flashy, his peers from the world over hasn¡¯t spared praises in their descriptions of his fierce presence on the field.
Despite a playing style that was far from flashy, his peers from the world over hasn¡¯t spared praises in their descriptions of his fierce presence on the field.
