Alex Ferguson: Not sticking Park Ji-sung on Messi 'was a mistake'

Former Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson called Korea’s Park Ji-sung one of the most underrated players he's ever managed, saying it was a “mistake” to not put Park against Lionel Messi in a new interview with Gary Neville.

Park Ji-sung. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson called Korea’s Park Ji-sung one of the most underrated players he's ever managed, speaking with football commentator Gary Neville in a new interview posted to TikTok, saying it was a “mistake” not playing Park against Lionel Messi.

“That’s where I lost the final against Barcelona at Wembley,” Ferguson told Neville, also a former United player, referring to the 2011 Champions League final match where FC Barcelona defeated the English club 3-1 to claim the trophy.

“I should have changed at half time and put Ji-sung Park on Messi. That was a mistake,” Ferguson said.

Messi’s goal early in the second half gave Barcelona the lead to put the board at 2-1 before Spanish striker David Villa scored the final goal, ending 3-1. Messi was later named man of the match, and Ferguson later acknowledged Barca was the best team he’d ever faced.

“I realized after 10 minutes. I was gonna do it at half-time and I said, well if we could just equalize at half time they might see the game differently, and we may grow into the game better,” Ferguson said. “But if I’d played Ji-sung Park against Messi, I think we’d have beaten them. If there was a player who was going to do it, it was Ji-sung Park.”

Manchester United former player Park Ji-sung, left, shakes hands with former manager Alex Ferguson as Park is introduced as a new ambassador for the club before the team's English Premier League match against Everton at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England in 2014. [AP/YONHAP]

Park, now 42, spent seven years with United under Ferguson, who helmed the team for nearly three decades and is known as one of the highest-regarded football managers of all time.

Ferguson also named Park as one of the most underrated players he ever managed.

“There’s three players. I can’t split them. [Scottish midfielder] Bryan McClair, Ji-sung Park and [Norwegian center-back] Ronny Johnsen,” Ferguson told Neville.

“[W]ith Ji and with Ronny, if there was a problem in a game, they would almost be like your — they’d fix your problem for you, wouldn’t they?” Neville replied. “They were the players that you sort of trusted to do the job for you.”

During his stint with United, Park saw the team through four Premier League titles — in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 — and one Champions League win, in 2008.

The Korean midfielder joined the English club in 2005 after previous stints with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven and Japanese team Kyoto Sanga FC. Park was also a member of the Korean national team at the 2002 World Cup, where Korea qualified to the semifinals for the first time in tournament history.

Park left United in 2012 and retired from professional football in 2014 after a brief stint with Queens Park Rangers and a loan to former club PSV Eindhoven. He also made a showing at the 2014 K-League All Star game, where he scored a goal and was named man of the match. He is currently the technical director for the K League’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]