What Happened To Park Ji-Sung?

jderbyshire

Has anybody seen my fleshlight?
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Without Googling it, can you guess what year he left United and which club he moved to?

I've completely blanked on it. It's like he was here then disappeared.

Was he still here after Fergie retired?

If I had to guess, I would say he left in 2013 - maybe he left at the same time as Fergie, Giggs, Scholes etc and that's why he's flown under the radar in my memory.

And I'll say he signed for.... QPR? I feel like they were taking a lot of aging top players at that time.

Any know-it-alls want to clear this up?
 
Had to Google it but no spoilers.

Was pretty cool he got exactly 100 international caps.
 
left in 2009 to join michael jordan in the space jam.
 
I knew that he signed for QPR and captained them right before Fergie's last season. I think the injuries started to pile up and his level dropped like a rock.
 
<<On 14 May 2014, shortly after the conclusion of the season, Park announced his retirement, citing issues with his knee. Reflecting on his career, he said, "I'm leaving with no regrets, I enjoyed playing football. I have achieved more than I thought I would. I'm truly grateful for all the support I have received and I will live the rest of my life thinking how I can pay it back.">>


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Ji-sung

Nice guy... good memories of him.
 
He retired from football and lived happily ever after
 
Probably get stick for this but in his day he was basically United's Milner.

Not a player who was a stick on to play every single week in the premier league but he'd certainly come in and do a job for those tough CL matches.

Bit harsh though he started for Man. United in both legs v Barca in 2008 and then didn't make the bench for the final. He was available so not sure what SAF reasoning was.
 
Didn't realise he went back to PSV on loan
 
I think he left before SAF retired. I guess in 2012. And I think he went back to South Korea.
 
Park went on a TV show, where he showed off a football school he'd made back in Korea. Dude proposed in a room that was filled to the brim with his pictures, old shirts and trophies. And then his wedding invitations were a fold-up of Old Trafford. Love it.
 
I heard from a mate of mine that after retiring he did some education at Loughborough Uni and he was playing for the Uni football team.

It was actually De Montfort Uni.
 
OK, I just googled what happened to Park after United and stumbled upon that quote from Rooney: "In reality our biggest strength was as a pure counterattacking machine. We would sit back in our shape, win the ball and just go. Park or Fletch [Darren Fletcher] – or both – were always involved. They were vital to us."

Jesus, I loved that team. Such a beauty to watch, much more exciting as the all-mighty Barcelona. I really feel like an old fart dreaming of the good old times.
 
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FootballHQ said:
Probably get stick for this but in his day he was basically United's Milner.

Not a player who was a stick on to play every single week in the premier league but he'd certainly come in and do a job for those tough CL matches.

Bit harsh though he started for Man. United in both legs v Barca in 2008 and then didn't make the bench for the final. He was available so not sure what SAF reasoning was.
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You shouldn't get any stick for that, it's exactly what he was.

Will be an unpopular opinion but I never really rated him as a footballer but the genius of Sir Alex Ferguson and the absolute world class players around him made him look better than he was. He was obviously brilliant off the ball and a managers dream for carrying out different tactical instructions. His intensity would rub off on others and that would help keep the crowd going to get you over the line in big games
 
QPR.

Just looked.

That QPR team was mental on paper, Julio Cesar, Djibril Cisse, Remy, Boswingwa, Granero, Townsend, Ben Haim, Dyer, Wright Phillips.

They got relegated with 25 pts.
 
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Ali Dia said:
That QPR team/owner was an abomination. They never really recovered after that either
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Their downfall gave rise to the best sticker ever though:
Ahjq6B5.jpg
 
Oranges038 said:
QPR.

Just looked.

That QPR team was mental on paper, Julio Cesar, Djibril Cisse, Remy, Boswingwa, Granero, Townsend, Ben Haim, Dyer, Wright Phillips.

They got relegated with 25 pts.
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Then got promoted at the first attempt, signed a totally crocked Rio and went straight back down having finished bottom.
 
QPR, along with Ferdinand, pretty well known.

Perhaps stayed a season before going to some k league team or some shit?
 
Back when our workhorses could play football and not look out of place on a counter attack with Rooney and Ronaldo.

Park has the greatest performance I've watched for a United player - Old Trafford against Chelsea to seal the title in 2011. Chicharito goal in the opening minutes.
 
FootballHQ said:
Probably get stick for this but in his day he was basically United's Milner.

Not a player who was a stick on to play every single week in the premier league but he'd certainly come in and do a job for those tough CL matches.

Bit harsh though he started for Man. United in both legs v Barca in 2008 and then didn't make the bench for the final. He was available so not sure what SAF reasoning was.
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I recall a video of Fergie post-retirement when he said this was one of his biggest regrets. He said we'd have won if he played Park.

He also said (may have been the same video) that Park was the most underrated player he managed. That when he was on the field, almost every goal scored went through him at some point of the play. He wasn't the playmaker or goal scorer but he was one of the transition points along the way.

#AlwaysThreeLung
 
davisjw said:
I recall a video of Fergie post-retirement when he said this was one of his biggest regrets. He said we'd have won if he played Park.

He also said (may have been the same video) that Park was the most underrated player he managed. That when he was on the field, almost every goal scored went through him at some point of the play. He wasn't the playmaker or goal scorer but he was one of the transition points along the way.

#AlwaysThreeLung
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We did win. He didn't play in Moscow, but played in both losses against Barcelona.
 
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