When he finished at Suwon Technical High School, no pro club or university picked him, and he entered Myongji University after coach Kim Hee-tae noticed him. The year he turned 19, he made his senior national team debut against Laos in April, and in June joined Kyoto Purple Sanga in Japan and became a professional. He played at the Sydney Olympics in September. In 2001, he played 38 matches for Kyoto in the second division and helped win the title and promotion back to the top flight.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 21, he scored the winner against Portugal in the group stage of the Korea-Japan World Cup, which sent South Korea to its first World Cup round of 16. He had earned his place by scoring in consecutive friendlies against England and France just before the tournament.
In January 2003, he scored the equalizer in the Emperor’s Cup final, giving Kyoto its first title, and on Jan. 12 was unveiled at PSV Eindhoven. In 2004, his release for the Athens Olympics fell through after negotiations with his club. In spring 2005, he scored against AC Milan in the Champions League semifinal, the first Korean to score in the main competition. That summer he moved to Manchester United and made his Premier League debut in August.
In 2006, he scored the equalizer against France at the Germany World Cup. In 2007, Manchester United’s league title made him the first Asian player with a Premier League winner’s medal. In 2008, he won both the Champions League and the Club World Cup, though he was left out of the squad for the Champions League final. In 2009, he started the Champions League final, the first Asian player to play in one.
In 2010, he scored against Greece at the South Africa World Cup, the first Korean to score at three consecutive World Cups. In January 2011, the Asian Cup semifinal against Japan was his 100th international match, and he retired from the national team. Soon after, he set up a social contribution foundation. In 2012, he left Manchester United for Queens Park Rangers. In 2013, he went to PSV Eindhoven on a one-year loan.
In 2014, he retired as a player because of his knee, married that year and became a Manchester United ambassador. In 2016, he began the FIFA Master course in Leicester, England. In 2017, he became the first Korean on the International Football Association Board’s advisory panel, and at year’s end took the job of head of the Korea Football Association’s youth strategy division.
In 2021, he joined the K League club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as an advisor. In 2022, he became Jeonbuk’s technical director. In 2024, he publicly criticized the process of choosing the national team coach, and his role at Jeonbuk changed to consultant. In 2026, he worked as a World Cup analyst, and in July became co-chair of the K-football innovation committee.
Park Ji-sung (born Feb 25, 1981) turned professional in 2000, the year he turned 19, when he joined Kyoto Purple Sanga in Japan, and became known when he scored the winner against Portugal at the Korea-Japan World Cup on Jun 14, 2002, the year he turned 21. He joined Manchester United in 2005, the year he turned 24.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.