Park Ji-sung shows love for hometown team

Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung appeared at a Suwon K-League game on Sunday for the first time since going abroad to play in Europe.

The Korean football star graced the field of his hometown team Suwon Samsung at the Big Bird Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. In Sunday’s game, Suwon Samsung beat Ulsan Hyundai 2-1, with midfielder Everton Cardoso scoring the winner in the 87th minute. 

To celebrate “Show Suwon Love With Park Ji-sung Day,“ the Bluewings held a variety of events including prize handouts by Park and Ryu Kwang-hee, chief of Asiana Airlines’ passenger business unit.

Park came out to support the Bluewings’ campaign ”Blue Lala,“ which seeks to promote Korea’s soccer culture by closing the gap between the team and the city residents.

The 31-year-old, who serves as goodwill ambassador for Asiana Airlines, handed out three sets of two roundtrip Asiana Airlines tickets to Southeast Asia and three roundtrip tickets to Jeju Island. Park has been serving as a goodwill ambassador for the award-winning carrier for the past six years.

Park also donated Asiana tickets for the K-League season opener between Suwon Samsung and Busan I’Park last March to promote the sport and the team.

“I donated the gifts in the hope that Suwon fans would come out to the Big Bird and cheer for their team,” said Park last March.

Park also hoped to encourage future talent and interest in soccer by reaching out to children following his footsteps. Korea’s most loved player invited students and teachers from Seryu Elementary School, Anyong Middle School and Suwon Technical High School -- the schools Park attended as a boy -- to watch the game.

Park’s first K-League attendance is part of the Suwon native’s earlier promise with his neighbors to attend a game.

“I will come out to the Big Bird Stadium and cheer with the fans during the offseason,” said Park last year, after announcing that Suwon Samsung was his favorite K-League club.

“I will always root for my home team with Suwon fans, even though I am in England.”

For Park, the stadium has a much deeper meaning; it is the stadium where he began his soccer career. Park was largely an unknown before 2002 and barely made the cut for the national team for the World Cup that year. But a thumping goal from the edge of the box during a friendly against France that May was the start of a summer that made him a household name.

In 2003, Park struggled to find a place in PSV Eindhoven’s first team after an injury, but the midfielder found himself at the Big Bird running with fresh legs during a Peace Cup match against L.A. Galaxy. After scoring a goal in that game, Park’s career in the European leagues began to soar higher than any other Asian player before him.

Only time will tell if “Three-Lung Park” will get his wind back by visiting his hometown stadium, after one of his least successful years at Old Trafford.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also invited multicultural families to the game, as well as Filipino-Korean lawmaker Jasmine Lee and Korean-American basketball player Lee Seung-jun.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)