Park Ji-Sung at 40: Man Utd’s “regret”, Paul Scholes mind games, Andrea Pirlo masterclass

When you think of Manchester United’s cult heroes, Park Ji-Sung certainly springs to mind.

Park joined United for just £4m in 2005 but went on to become one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most reliable players throughout his seven years at Old Trafford – with his trophy haul including four Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph.

He may never have been a regular starter under Ferguson, but the playmaker was an integral member of the Scot’s set-up and is held in high esteem by the United faithful.

Rightly so, too, given how hard he worked for the team; a role which ultimately allowed Fergie’s big-name stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez to flourish.

So, to celebrate Park Ji-Sung’s 40th birthday on Thursday, Mirror Sport takes a look back on his glittering United career…

Park Ji-Sung became a fans’ favourite during his time at Manchester United (Image: Getty) Read More Related Articles Read More Related Articles Sir Alex Ferguson’s “regret”

During his time at United, Park often delivered when it mattered most; earning a reputation as United’s big-game player.

Indeed, the South Korean ace was influential in United’s journey to the Champions League final in 2008 – including a starring role in the semi-final triumph over Barcelona.

But, despite playing the full 180 minutes over the two legs en route to the final, Ferguson made the staggering decision to leave Park out of his squad for the showdown with Chelsea.

It’s a decision that left United fans scratching their heads – and Ferguson has since admitted that he made the wrong call.

Speaking in an interview with MUTV, Ferguson said: “To win the European Cup is fantastic. It was a really great bunch of players with a great attitude about them and a good, strong squad.

Sir Alex Ferguson controversially left him out of his squad for the 2009 Champions League final (Image: PA) Read More Related Articles

“My problem in the 2008 final, maybe I even regret it to this day, was I left Ji-sung Park out completely in the final.

“He’d played such a great role and that’s the problem when you get to these finals.

“At Wembley [in 2011] I did it to Dimitar Berbatov and he took it badly. He didn’t deserve it. No player deserves to be left out of the final.

“That’s why we try hard at these European seminars with the coaches to try to get 11 subs in the final.

“You’ve got four or five sitting in the stand who made fantastic contributions in getting there.”

Man Utd overcame Chelsea to win the Champions League in 2008 (Image: PA) Read More Related Articles Scholes mind games

Park also made an impression on his United’s biggest stars, with Paul Scholes revealing that his teammate was ‘a nightmare’ in training – because he was one of the best man-markers he ever had to play against.

The South Korean midfielder famously kept Scholes out of the starting line-up for United’s Champions League defeat by Barcelona in 2009.

Scholes said he learned to become one of the greatest midielders of his generation by watching other players when he was growing up.

And while he hailed his former United team-mates Roy Keane and Juan Sebastian Veron among the greatest players he has seen in possession, he says Park was one of the best off the ball.

Reflecting on United training sessions, he said: “Do you know who the worst one was? Park Ji-sung. He was a nightmare! He was unbelievable.

Paul Scholes (R) has previously praised Park for his efforts at United (Image: Getty Images) Read More Related Articles

“Do you remember when he did it against [Andrea] Pirlo?

“Ah, he was unreal! He had energy all day and discipline. The discipline was unreal.”

Scholes also recalled how Park used to psyche him out at the training ground by staring at him without saying a word.

The 11-time Premier League champion said: “He just used to come up to me, look at me and not say a word, stand right next to me… ‘Oh Jesus, here we go!’ ‘Come on, ginge!’ – Just say something to me, have a laugh with me!

“But he was unbelievable at it. He just used to come and stare right into my face, stare right into my eyes, ‘You’re not getting a kick today’.”

Park with Patrice Evra after winning the Premier League in 2011 (Image: Manchester United/etty Images) Read More Related Articles Pirlo masterclass

Park once man-marked Italian hero Andrea Pirlo out of a Champions League last-16 tie, a performance widely regarded as his greatest ever in a United shirt.

When United were drawn against AC Milan in the knockout stages back in 2010, Ferguson quickly masterminded a game-plan which would become the stuff of legends.

Pirlo was regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world at the time – and it was Park’s job to stay on the Italian throughout the two-legged affair.

Indeed, Park terrorised the Italian icon, hassling him and making him feel uncomfortable – and United dominated the tie to go through 7-2 on aggregate.

Pirlo even discussed Park in his autobiography ‘I Think Therefore I Play’ and labelled him Fergie’s ‘guard dog’.

Park starred in United’s Champions League last-16 tie against AC Milan back in 2010 (Image: AFP/Getty Images) Read More Related Articles

He stated per Balls.Ie : “Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the purple-nosed manager who turned Manchester United into a fearsome battleship, couldn’t resist the temptation. He’s a man without blemish, but he ruined that purity just for a moment when it came to me. A fleeting shabbiness came over the legend that night.

“At Milan, he unleashed Park Ji-sung to shadow me. He rushed about at the speed of an electron. He’d fling himself at me, his hands all over my back, trying to intimidate me. He’d look at the ball and not know what it was for.

“They’d programmed him to stop me. His devotion to the task was almost touching. Even though he was a famous player, he consented to being used as a guard dog.”

And former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand is still in awe at Park’s performance.

Andrea Pirlo, pictured alongside David Beckham, endued a tough time against Park and United (Image: Getty Images)

Speaking on BT Sport last year, he said: “I remember we played against Milan in Milan and Pirlo was at the centre of everything that they done.

“The manager played Ji-sung Park on him, it was a man-marking job, and I’m sure Pirlo woke up the next morning, looked at the bottom of his bed and expected to see Ji-sung Park there.

“He was that good.

“Whatever the manager set out for him to do, whether it was defend against somebody, stop someone playing or go in there and make a difference in the opposing team’s box, he’d carry that out.”