Veteran striker Park Eun-seon wants one more shot at the World Cup

Football

Published: 05 Jun. 2023, 06:13 Updated: 06 Jun. 2023, 12:53

Veteran striker Park Eun-seon wants one more shot at the World Cup

Park Eun-seon poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on May 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Veteran forward Park Eun-seon, 37, is ready for another challenge with the Korean national team at the Australia-New Zealand World Cup in July.

Park snapped a nine year national team drought in April, scoring her first goal for the Taeguk Ladies since 2014 in a friendly against Zambia on April 7, before hammering in two more against the same opponent four days later. With three goals under her belt this year, Park gave head coach Colin Bell plenty to think about when it comes to national team selection.

Park Eun-seon, right, reacts after scoring a goal during a friendly with Zambia at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi on April 7. [YONHAP]

“My life right now is like the first 10 minutes of extra time,” Park said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on May 18. “I earned a chance to compete in the World Cup with the Taeguk logo again at the old age of 37.

“I will do best my if I can play in my third World Cup, even if I only get one minute of playing time. I want to cheer my team off the pitch if I can’t play.”

Park, who plays for the Seoul City Amazones, earned her first national team cap back in 2003 — two years before she even made her pro club debut with the Amazones — and scored seven goals in the 2003 AFC Women’s Championship, where Korea finished third and booked a ticket to the World Cup for the very first time.

She continued to be regularly called up and was part of the Korean squad that reached the round of 16 at the 2015 World Cup, the best finish in the country's history. But that was her last cap until 2022, when Bell called her back to the national squad for a friendly against Canada.

Park spent almost her entire career in the WK League, debuting in 2005 and playing every season here with the sole exception of the 2014-15 campaign, when she played for Russian club WFC Rossiyanka.

“This is my fortune," Park said. "I don’t need to be upset about my current situation and just have to work harder.”

Park was born in 1986 — the Year of the Tiger — and has a tiger tattoo on her left arm, which she says acts like a guardian that protects her.

Another tattoo on her right arm reads “Beginning of New Day,” with “12.5.2013” — Dec. 5, 2013.

“That was when I wanted to get a grip on myself,” Park said.

The upcoming World Cup in July will likely be the last World Cup for Park, as well as other veteran stars like Ji So-yun and Cho So-hyun.

“I think this is the last World Cup for the golden generation,” Ji told reporters on April 2 ahead of the national team’s training session for the Zambia friendlies.

The Australia-New Zealand World Cup is a chance for the Taeguk Ladies to redeem themselves after the 2019 tournament, when they failed to reach the knockout stage with three losses in the group stage.

Korea is in Group H in Australia, alongside Germany, Colombia and Morocco.

The World Cup starts on July 20 and Korea’s first group stage game against Colombia kicks off on July 25.

BY JUNG YOUNG-JAE AND PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]