Sports Nicknames - Three-Lungs Park

Asian footballers are unfortunately not quite as high-profile as those from Europe or South America. However, there are a couple who stand out from the rest. The Korean Park Ji-sung is one such footballer, thanks to his days at Manchester United, where he earned the nickname 'Three-Lungs' Park.



Ji-sung began his career playing in Japan before moving to Europe with PSV Eindhoven. There, he gained the attention of scouts from Manchester United, who signed him in 2005. He had a rough first three years at United, despite winning the Premier League and Champions League during that time, as he suffered chronic injuries to his knees.

From 2008 onwards, he began to show what he could do. He helped United to another Champions League final, which they lost to Barcelona. But fans started to truly see his endurance and pace in the midfield, wondering how he could run for so long. He was not a prolific goal scorer, but popped up every now and again with an important goal.

However, knee problems continued to plague the Korean, leading to him leaving United for Queen's Park Rangers in 2012. Once they were relegated, he rejoined PSV for a season before retiring at the age of 33. On the international level, Ji-sung has represented the South Korean national team at three World Cups, but has not won any major honours.

It was an unfortunate career for Park Ji-sung, as he spent so much time dealing with injuries. When he did play, fans saw a player who didn't give up and didn't run out of energy. Despite these injuries, he is the most successful Asian player in history, having won 19 trophies in his playing career.


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