Park Chu-young

FC Seoul

On 28 February 2005, after one season at Korea University, Park signed a three-year contract with FC Seoul. Under regulations introduced for the 2005 season, he received no signing bonus and was paid the maximum rookie salary of ₩50 million in his first year. His contract allowed him to pursue a move to Europe during the season and provided for him to receive a share of any transfer fee; Park said he chose Seoul because he regarded the club as the quickest route towards his ambition of playing in Europe. The move led to a dispute with Pohang Steelers, which had financed Park's year at the Zico Football Center in Brazil. Pohang said that its agreement with Park required him to negotiate with the club first if he entered the K League and to reimburse the training costs if he joined another team. After he signed for Seoul without such negotiations, Pohang announced that it would seek approximately ₩50 million from him. Seoul said it had been unaware of the agreement, maintained that it did not oblige Park to join Pohang, and treated reimbursement as a matter between Park and Pohang. Park made his professional debut as a half-time substitute in a 1–0 League Cup defeat by Daegu FC on 9 March, watched by approximately 25,000 spectators. Four days later, he scored his first professional goal in a 2–1 defeat by Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. On 18 May, he scored his first professional hat-trick—from a direct free kick, a header and a penalty—in a 5–3 loss to Gwangju Sangmu.…

After ending his professional playing career, Park remained at Ulsan as a full-time assistant coach in January 2025. While still at Ulsan, he was appointed a non-executive director of K5 League club Yangcheon TNT FC in April. In December, Park announced that he would leave Ulsan at the end of the season. Later that month, Park expanded his involvement with Yangcheon TNT by becoming a co-owner and investor. By February 2026, he was serving as one of the club's joint representatives. In June, Park made his debut as a television football commentator for KBS during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Youth and Olympic teams

Park was the youngest member and only high-school player in South Korea's squad for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He did not appear as the team reached the round of 16. The following year, he scored six goals at the 2004 AFC Youth Championship, including both goals in the 2–0 final victory over China, as South Korea retained the title and won the competition for an eleventh time. Park finished as the tournament's top scorer and most valuable player. At the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, Park missed a penalty and dislocated his left elbow against Nigeria but continued playing after treatment. He equalised with an 89th-minute free kick before his stoppage-time shot was parried to captain Baek Ji-hoon, who scored the winner in a 2–1 comeback victory. A 2–0 defeat by Brazil in the final group match left South Korea third in their group and eliminated on goal difference from the ranking of third-placed teams. Park scored twice in South Korea's opening match of the 2006 Asian Games, a 3–0 win over Bangladesh, but did not score again as the team finished fourth. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, his direct free kick put South Korea ahead against Cameroon in their opening match, which ended 1–1. South Korea later beat Honduras but were eliminated in the group stage. Manager Hong Myung-bo selected Park and midfielder Kim Jung-woo as the only two over-age players in a squad built largely around footballers eligible for the 2012 Olympics.…

Park was born and raised in Daegu. In April 1995, while in the fourth grade at Banyawol Elementary School, he was noticed by the school's football coach during an inter-class match. Park initially trained without his parents' knowledge; after they objected, the coach spent about three months persuading them to let him join the school team. He later attended Cheonggu Middle School and Cheonggu High School. In March 2001, during his first year at Cheonggu High, Park began a one-year training spell in Brazil at the Zico Football Center, funded by Pohang Steelers as part of the club's programme for promising young players. Contemporary coverage credited the spell with teaching him to play the ball economically, without unnecessary exertion. At Cheonggu, coach Byun Byung-joo moved Park from a wide attacking role in his first year to midfield in his second and centre-forward in his third. By the end of his high-school career, Park had scored 47 goals in 33 matches and won the scoring title at four national tournaments. He was also the only high-school player chosen for South Korea's squad at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. Although he did not play, he was the youngest member of South Korea's squad. Park entered Korea University in 2004. In his first year he scored 10 goals as Korea University won a national university tournament, finishing as the competition's top scorer. Later that year, he scored six goals—including both goals in the final against China—as South Korea…