For a boy who used to drink frog juice to help him grow,
Park Ji-sung has come a long way.
The shaggy-haired South Korean, once judged too frail to make
the grade at college level, has muscled his way into the mix at
Manchester United and punches above his weight in England's
ultra-competitive Premier League.
While his father was so worried about his lack of size he made
him drink boiled frog extract, Park's high school coach was never
in doubt the scrawny youngster had the desire and attitude to make
an impact at the highest level.
Lee Hak-jong, who still coaches at Suwon Technical High School
on the outskirts of Seoul, remembers Park as a quiet boy with
outstanding work ethic and discipline.
"I didn't push Park Ji-sung too hard with the tough, physical
exercises because I was worried if he wasted too much physical
energy he wouldn't grow," Lee told Reuters.
"He wasn't big enough to compete with the other players but had
tremendous endurance. So I let him learn more about the basic
skills, controlling the ball etc."
Park, who now has a street named after him in Suwon, was not the
most skilful player in the side, but his was the first name down on
Lee's team sheet thanks to his dynamism and drive.
Those same qualities have earned him nicknames such as "The
Oxygen Tank" and "Three-Lunged Park" in Korea and Europe.
Despite guiding the team to their first national games victory
in 1998, there were few university coaches who shared Lee's faith
in Park. Failure to get into college would undoubtedly have ended
any hopes for a soccer career.
"There few colleges showing interest in Park because he was
still small and looked weaker than the others," said Lee.
"But we didn't give up and after a lot of effort he was lucky
enough to get into Myongji University."
GOING DUTCH
Given the lack of love in Korea, it was no surprise Park signed
his first professional contract with a Japanese club, Kyoto Purple
Sanga, in 2000. In doing so, the midfielder became the first Korean
to appear in the J-League without first having played club soccer
in Korea.
Park guided Kyoto to the J-League's second division title in
2001 and the Emperor's Cup in 2002, but it was on the international
stage his performances would shine brightest.
Park flourished under the guidance of Guus Hiddink, the Dutch
master who led Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals on home
soil. The Korean followed him to PSV Eindhoven after the World Cup
and in his book credits Hiddink with transforming his career.
"If it was not for coach Hiddink I would not be where I am now,"
he wrote in his autobiography 'Neverending Challenge'.
"I owe him everything and I will never be able to repay it in my
lifetime."
After initially struggling to settle in Dutch soccer, Park won
over his PSV team mates and supporters with his bottomless reserves
of energy and selfless playing style.
His performances, particularly in the Champions League, caught
the eye of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, and in 2005 the
club paid a reported $4 million to sign the Korean.
BIGGEST NAMES
Park has had to bide his time and battle with some of the
biggest names in world soccer for a spot in the United side, but
has earned the respect of his team mates and played enough games to
be considered a valuable member of the squad.
The 27-year-old had a rollercoaster 2007-08 season, missing the
first half through injury before returning to help United win the
English Premier League title.
He looked certain to become the first Asian to play in the
Champions League final after impressive performances against AS
Roma and Barcelona in the quarter and semi-finals but was
completely dropped for that clash with Chelsea in Moscow.
In typically modest fashion, Park said he harboured no hard
feelings towards Ferguson.
"I definitely understand the coach had to make a decision that
he thought was strategically for the best," said Park after he
returned to Korea.
"The team won so I am happy. Personally, it is frustrating not
to play in such a big game but there will be other
opportunities."
From: football.uk.reuters.com
