Man Utd legend Rooney: 'All of us who played with [Ji-Sung] Park know he was almost as important to our success.'
Former England striker Wayne Rooney says Park Ji-Sung was vital to Manchester United's memorable triumphs under Sir Alex Ferguson. Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and Rooney often made the headlines in the 2007/08 campaign when the Red Devils won the Premier League and Champions League, but United's record goalscorer admits Park deserves credit for his performances during his time at Old Trafford, adding that the former South Korea international was important to their success at the time. Ex-United forward Rooney told The Times: "Like a lot of people I’ve been watching The Last Dance, the Netflix series centred on Michael Jordan. It’s especially interesting because of my experience of American sport: how it works in terms of contracts, the media, and the fans. "A fascinating part is following how Jordan, the superstar, becomes the total team player because he wants to win and realises that only the team can get him there.
"You learn about supporting players such as Scottie Pippen, who you didn’t realise were so good. "It makes me think about my own career. It’s crazy but if you mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo to a 12-year-old, they would immediately say, 'Yeah, he was a brilliant player for Manchester United,' but if you said 'Park Ji-sung' they may not know who he was. "Yet all of us who played with Park know he was almost as important to our success.
"That’s because of what Park gave to the collective and I want to talk about the team. ‘Look at the biggest games United played. Park or Fletch — or both — were always involved. "They were vital to us. Players like me, Ronaldo, Tevez got the headlines but they were as important as us if not more, because of what they did for the team. "We knew that inside the dressing room — and also that because they were so good at sacrificing themselves, their actual individual quality was often overlooked."
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