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South Korean legend Park Ji-Sung has picked Cristiano Ronaldo's dribbling skills while building his ultimate Manchester United player from the club's former players. The 44-year-old kept it simple and did not go for any current players or extraordinary picks.
Speaking to The 2Top, Park picked the left foot of Ryan Giggs as his first choice. They played 104 matches together at Manchester United, combining for three goals, including once in the famous 2-1 win over Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals in the 12010/11 season.
He went with David Beckham for the right foot, though he never played with the Englishman at Old Trafford. Jaap Stam was the other Red Devils legend named, despite not being a teammate, when Park was asked to pick a player for strength.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the quick selection when asked to name the best dribbler. They played 93 matches together at Manchester United before the Portuguese superstar left for Real Madrid in 2009.
Paul Scholes got the nod for intelligence, while Ruud van Nistelrooy was named as the best finisher. Park chose himself for stamina, something Sir Alex Ferguson and Red Devils faithful have consistently praised the South Korean star for throughout his career.
Park Ji-Sung was as important as Cristiano Ronaldo, claims Manchester United legend
Wayne Rooney wrote in his Times column in 2020, claiming that Park Ji-Sung was as important to Manchester United as Cristiano Ronaldo. He admitted that it was unfair that young fans do not remember the South Korean legend and wrote:
“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 teams. They - not stars - are the most important thing in sport."
“Understanding the importance of the team is all about gaining that understanding of what it takes to win. And it’s not just team play but team mentality that brings titles. Playing for the team is about taking on board the manager’s instructions. One player lacking discipline can kill the whole game plan.”
Cristiano Ronaldo and Park Ji-Sung combined for four goals during their stint together at Old Trafford. They combined for one important goal when Park scored the opening goal of the 3-1 win at Arsenal in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg.
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Sripad is a veteran Sportskeeda football journalist who has been with the company for around 10 years. His tryst with writing happened in class XI when he started penning blogs, and his foray into football was during the early 2000s, watching matches with his cousins.
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If given a chance to change a football rule, Sripad wants VAR to be fully automated and offside rules to be less stringent. When not working, he likes to watch past Formula 1 races and play FIFA.
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