By Cho Mu-hyun
Korea is currently top of its qualifying group for the upcoming 2014 Brazil World Cup, cemented with a 2-0 victory over the UAE, Friday. Park Chu-young, the national team’s captain and top striker, played a crucial role in the victory, scoring a goal alongside teammate Lee Keun-ho near the end of the game. With that goal, Park has scored in four consecutive games this year, proving him an invaluable asset to the national team.
Park’s continuous goals are important as he struggles to adapt to his new team Arsenal. Two months have passed since his debut, and with just one goal in October, the striker has yet to prove his worth to fans across Europe.
Not discouraged, in a recent interview, the 26-year-old stated that his Arsenal experience has given him more confidence and improved his form. “Training with the top players in the world is even more helpful to me than the game itself at times. So when I play in the qualifying matches I feel good,” Park said.
In the same interview, Park also spoke of his belief in the potential of the national team, and stressed the importance of Korean players to experience the European Leagues. “Now we expect to do well whoever we play and wherever we play,” said Park. “In our three World Cup games we have played very well and if more and more Korean players go to Europe then we can get even better and match the top European countries.”
Team Manager Arsene Wenger has shown that he regards Park as a key player who will gain confidence and adapt in time: “Park is a quality player, we see that in training, and he is a very intelligent player. That can come out in the game. Overall I believe you will see more and more of Park.”
Korea has improved substantially since the 2002 Korean-Japan World Cup, a feat to which Park’s contributions are undeniable. Though he will be absent from the coming Lebanon game on Tuesday, fans’ expectations are high for the star striker in his returning game against Kuwait, which may prove to be another steppingstone in asserting Korean football on the international stage.
The writer is a Korean Times intern.