Ten PSV Goals and the Making of Park Ji-sung in Europe

Korean fans call Park Ji-sung haebeonji, a nickname that casts him as a father figure for the generations who followed European club football from Korea. One of the earliest pictures attached to it comes from the 2002 World Cup.

Park’s goal against Portugal took South Korea into the round of 16 for the first time. He ran to Guus Hiddink and embraced him. The image is easy to remember on its own. The next few years explain how he went from that breakthrough to playing in Europe every week.

Park was playing in Japan for Kyoto Purple Sanga at the time. After the World Cup he followed Hiddink to PSV Eindhoven, signing in late 2002 and joining in January 2003.

Learning to play at PSV

The beginning was difficult. PSV’s own account recalls injuries and the strain of settling in a new place. Park’s World Cup reputation meant people were waiting for him to look at home before he had had much chance to get there.

Hiddink already knew what Park could offer a team. The player still had to show it in a league with a different tempo, alongside new teammates.

What emerged over time was Park’s movement. He covered ground, made himself available and worked to win the ball back. A short collection of goals leaves much of that out, but the runs leading to the goals give you glimpses of it.

What the Champions League showed

Park became a mainstay in the team. In 2004–05, PSV won the Dutch league and cup and made a run to the Champions League semifinals.

PSV lost the first leg 2–0 at Milan. In the second leg, Park scored in the ninth minute, Phillip Cocu leveled the tie, and Massimo Ambrosini’s late goal put Milan back in front on away goals. PSV won 3–1 on the night and went out at 3–3 on aggregate.

Park’s work against Lyon in the quarterfinals and Milan in the semifinals made it easier for European audiences to see how far he had come. He joined Manchester United after the season.

The seasons behind the highlights

It was harder to follow the Dutch league week by week from Korea then. A few clips could make it seem as if Park’s Eindhoven career jumped directly from his arrival to his goal against Milan.

The record gives that progress some shape.

• 2002–03: Park joined PSV in January 2003 and began appearing that spring.
• 2003–04: Park took on a larger role, with minutes in domestic and European competition.
  • Eredivisie: 28 appearances and six goals in the season record.
  • PSV also played in the Champions League.
  • PSV moved into the UEFA Cup, as the competition was called at the time.
• 2004–05: A domestic double and a Champions League semifinal.
  • Eredivisie: 28 appearances and seven goals in the season record.
  • Champions League: Park’s goal against Milan was his only one in the competition for PSV.

The sequence shows how much more Park was playing by the time the Milan match came around. It also leaves room for the less visible parts of the job.

The goal PSV put first

PSV’s ten-goal compilation brings those Eindhoven years back within reach. Watch it for the movement before Park shoots, as well as for the goals themselves.

The Milan goal sits at the head of the selection. It is easy to see why: a semifinal, a two-goal first-leg deficit and a finish that put the tie within reach again.

Eindhoven was where Park went from a World Cup name to someone a European club could build a side around. Watching the goals in order lets you see some of the work between the two.