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Park Ji-sung. (Yonhap News) |
South Korean football head coach Hong Myung-bo said Wednesday he’d like to meet former national team captain Park Ji-sung about returning for one last hurrah at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Hong said he believes the two should have a heart-to-heart about Park’s availability for South Korea at the World Cup in Brazil this summer.
Park, who captained South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, retired from international play in January 2011. Currently playing for PSV Eindhoven in the top Dutch league, Park has repeatedly said he will not return to the national team for the World Cup, fending off fans’ and media’s calls for the presence of the steady and versatile veteran.
At a press conference in South Korea last June, Park said, “Even if coach Hong asks me, I will not return to the national team.”
Hong said he still wants to talk to the 32-year-old midfielder.
“I know he has already said he won’t return to the national team,” Hong said. “But I haven’t heard that directly from him. I would like to meet him and listen to what he has to say.”
The coach said he hasn’t decided when he’d like to meet Park and said it will likely have to be after February. The national team will soon open a training camp in Brazil and play three friendly matches from late January to early February in the United States.
Hong insisted, however, Park’s own opinion will be what matters the most.
“Basically, I personally would like to find out what Park feels about the national team,” Hong said. “And I will wholly respect his thoughts.”
Though the final World Cup roster isn’t set, South Korea is expected to field a relatively young team, with core players still in their early- to mid-20s and hardly anyone over 30. Hong on Wednesday spoke about the importance of having veterans around as glue for the team.
“Having young players itself shouldn’t be a major problem but it could be an issue at some point,” he said. “At World Cups, we need to achieve a balance (between youth and veteran savvy).”
Park played in three consecutive World Cups starting in 2002, and was teammates with Hong on the 2002 squad that reached the semifinals.
Park’s father, Park Sung-jong, said he felt a one-on-one meeting between his son and Hong would help foster more understanding, but he didn’t expect things to change much.
“I’ve been a messenger for Ji-sung so far,” the senior Park said. “And at this stage, I don’t think he’s really changed his mind.” (Yonhap News)
