Cha Bum-kun vs Park Ji-sung
South Korea against South Korea. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
Cha Bum-kun
South Korea · 1980–88 · RM
- Almanac rating
- 89
- Rank in South Korea
- #2 of 33
- Caps
- 129 · 56 goals
- Clubs
- SV Darmstadt 98, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer 04 Leverkusen
- Honours
- Hall of Fame 2019
Bayer Leverkusen trailed Espanyol 3-0 from the first leg of the 1988 UEFA Cup final when he scored the goal that made it 3-3 on aggregate and forced the shootout they went on to win. That was his second UEFA Cup after Eintracht Frankfurt's in 1980, making him the first to win the trophy with two German clubs, and he scored 98 goals in 308 Bundesliga games before the IFFHS named him Asia's player of the century. Career record: 129 caps and 56 goals for South Korea; club career at SV Darmstadt 98, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer 04 Leverkusen; honours include Hall of Fame 2019.
Park Ji-sung
South Korea · 2008–10 · CM
- Almanac rating
- 89
- Rank in South Korea
- #3 of 33
- Caps
- 100 · 13 goals
- Clubs
- Kyoto Sanga, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United
United supporters called him Three-Lung Park, and the 2010 tie with Milan showed why: Ferguson gave him Andrea Pirlo, and he shadowed the Italian for 180 minutes, scoring himself in the 4-0 second leg at Old Trafford. Four Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and three League Cups came at Manchester United, where he was the first Asian player to start a Champions League final, in Rome in 2009. Career record: 100 caps and 13 goals for South Korea; club career at Kyoto Sanga, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United.
The verdict
The almanac cannot separate them: both are rated 89.
Fans have not settled this one yet. Cast the first vote in the duels.