Bad Boy Rooney Also Praises Park Ji-sung

Words of praise are being continuously showered on Park Ji-sung (24, Manchester United) who earned his first offensive point (two assists) in the English Premier League game against Fulham on October 2. Korean sportscasters assessed, “Park has magnificently made his signal to succeed in the big leagues.”

First of all, teammate and soccer’s bad boy Wayne Rooney commented on a TV interview with MUTV (Manchester United TV), “We enjoyed some good attacking movements during the game, and Ji was brilliant out wide on the right. He had a hand in all three goals and put a great first time ball for me for my goal. I`ve seen how good he is in training and when he runs at defenders, they just don`t know what to do because his feet are so quick.”

Manchester Evening News reported, “Park Ji-sung proved that he is much more valuable player than just a tool to sell shirts in East Asia.” The BBC website and soccernet, a professional soccer site managed by sports channel ESPN, picked Park as the weekly best 11 of the English Premier League.

English soccer analyst and MBC sportscaster Seo Hyung-wook said, “Through his performance against Fulham, Park gained the confidence of his teammates. He can quiet criticisms that he was picked simply to sell T-shirts in Asia.”

KBS broadcaster and Sejong University Professor Lee Yong-soo commented, “It was a game in which he could get rid of criticism that he did not fit into the team. Now he can play comfortably. He will be able to regain confidence.”

Analysts all agreed that in England, a midfielder or attacker should be able to score goals. Although Park did not score a goal, he showed in his game against Fulham that he can score anytime, earning him the trust of the coaching staff, teammates, and the fans.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com