A member of the Red team has become a part of another squad of red. Park Ji Sung became the first Korean soccer player to join the F.A. Premier League of Great Britain when Manchester United signed the 24-year-old midfielder on June 20.

And South Koreans are thrilled to see one of their own in one of the world’s most prestigious soccer leagues — of course, not as excited as when Park volleyed a shot through the legs of Portugal’s goalkeeper to win South Korea’s third match in the 2002 World Cup.

Park joined the world-famous team with a four-year, $7 million contract, after leaving the Dutch club team PSV Eindhoven, which was headed by Guus Hiddink, the man who had coached the Korean national team through the whirlwind of 2002, when the South Koreans reached the World Cup semifinals.

Park is confident that he can fulfill the expectations of his new coach, Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as the fans in Korea who are waiting anxiously to see how he fares.

“Many Koreans see Manchester United as the best in the world, and there will be a lot of focus on me,” he told the Manchester Evening News. “But I can handle that. I think I will be OK. I have no worries about it. I can overcome all that pressure and believe I will be able to perform as I expect.”

Park has been playing professionally since he skipped college and headed straight for the Japanese league, where he played with Kyoto Purple Sang. He appeared in the 2000 Olympics, and is known for his never-ending stamina and powerful long-range free kicks.