Park Ji-soo, 29, a self-described “younger version of Kim Min-jae,” has returned to familiar Chinese soil after a brief six-month stint in Europe.
Chinese Super League side Wuhan ShenZhen officially announced the signing of Park on Friday (KST). Park, who will wear the No. 5 shirt, said through the club, “I am very happy and excited to be back in the Chinese Super League. I will do my best to contribute to the team, so please come and support Wuhan Shanzhen.”
Park realized his “dream of playing in Europe” in January when he moved to Portuguese first division side Portimonense. He quickly became a mainstay in the team led by head coach Paulo Sergio Portimonense, making 14 appearances and recording one assist.
After successfully breaking into the European scene, Park made a surprising confession in a post-season interview with a local broadcaster, saying that he “only received about one-twentieth of his salary” to challenge for Europe.
“I challenged myself for six months, but I have a family, so money is also an important part. It’s time to move for the sake of my family and my future,” he said, hinting at a change of residence.
Park Ji-soo, who also received an offer from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, chose Wuhan Sanyeon. After playing for Incheon and Gyeongnam, Park played for the prestigious Guangzhou Hengda in China from 2019 to 2022. He is no stranger to the Chinese stage.
“The two clubs agreed to the transfer of Park Ji-soo on Thursday evening,” Portuguese media outlets Hecord and O Jogu reported.
Park was earning around 60,000 euros (about $85,000) a year at Portimonense, and will earn 1.5 million euros (about $2.14 billion) at Wuhan, O Jogu reported.
That’s a 25-fold increase in salary. According to Park Ji-soo’s earlier interview, the move brings him back to his pre-European salary level.
Park also left a special gift for Portimonense. After joining Portimonense on a free transfer, Park left a transfer fee of 2.5 million euros (about 3.5 billion won) for Wuhan Shandong. If Wuhan wins the Chinese league over the next four years, Portimonense will pay an additional €500,000 in championship bonuses.바카라사이트
For Portimonense, it’s been a good six months, and they’ve got some cash in the bank.
Park’s contract with Portimonense runs until 2024.
Defending Chinese Super League champions Wuhan Shandong are currently in eighth place out of 16 teams with 23 points after 16 rounds of the 2023 season.
Japanese coach Tomu Takahata took over in June.
With former Guangzhou teammates midfielder Yandinghao and striker Wei Shihao playing for Wuhan, the transition shouldn’t be too difficult.
Park was selected to fill the void left by Kim Min-jae (Napoli), who was absent for basic military training, in Korea’s A-match friendlies against Peru and El Salvador in June and started both games. So far, he has made 16 appearances in A matches.