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Man Utd news: How Sir Alex Ferguson got Ji-Sung Park to mark Andrea Pirlo
EX-MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Ji-Sung Park has a fascinating tale about how Sir Alex Ferguson once got him to mark Andrea Pirlo.
Ji-Sung Park spent seven years at old Trafford
The year was 2010, and the scene is Old Trafford stadium.
The South Korean played the full 90 minutes of both legs as United emerged 7-2 victors on aggregate in the Champions League first knockout round.
AC Milan were still a massive European powerhouse at the time, boasting the likes of Dida, Alessandro Nesta, Ronaldinho, Clarence Seedorf and many more.
They even had ex-Red Devil David Beckham gracing their right flank.
But the heartbeat of the side was a little Italian fella that went by the name of Pirlo.
Park
I tried to block him so that he cannot be in possession of the ball. When he had the ball, I tried to prevent him passing the ball in front of him.
And Park was given one job - stop Pirlo playing.
The midfielder must have made some impression too, as Pirlo mentioned the moment in his autobiography: “Park must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history,” he wrote.
After a 3-2 first-leg win at the San Siro, United battered the Serie A side 4-0 in the reverse fixture thanks to Park’s immense performance.
And the 36-year-old remembers it fondly.
"Man Utd analysed Milan’s game and concluded that Pirlo is the key man for them,” Park told Goal.
Ji-Sung Park was a fan favourite at Manchester United
“Sir Alex Ferguson made me man-mark Pirlo.
"So, I tried to block him so that he cannot be in possession of the ball. When he had the ball, I tried to prevent him passing the ball in front of him.
"To mark Pirlo was not easy. It was hard mentally, physically but consequently Milan had a difficult game against us."
United were eventually knocked out at the quarter-finals stage that year, as Ferguson guided his side to a rare trophy less season.