Name: Pak Sung-jin (spelled also Pak Seung-zin)
Country:
North KoreaClub: Moranbong SC
Position: *CMF, AMF, DMF, SS
Side: LF/BS
Age: 24-25 years (11/01/1941)
Height: 168 cm
Weight: 64 kg *
Attack: 72
Defence: 68
Balance: 75
Stamina: 81
Top Speed: 76
Acceleration: 77
Response: 80
Agility: 79
Dribble Accuracy: 74
Dribble Speed: 77
Short Pass Accuracy: 77
Short Pass Speed: 75
Long Pass Accuracy: 76
Long Pass Speed: 70
Shot Accuracy: 74
Shot Power: 83
Shot Technique: 77
Free Kick Accuracy: 61
Curling: 67
Header: 60
Jump: 63
Technique: 74
Aggression: 76
Mentality: 79
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 82
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 4
Weak Foot Accuracy: 6
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 6
Growth type: Standard
CARDS:
P08 - Box-to-Box
P11 - Long Ranger
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Middle Shooting - Center
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Balanced
INFO:
Pak Sung-jin was a right-half and inside right. He spent his entire career at Moranbong throughout the 1960s and 1970s. A member of North Korea national team from 1966 to 1974, he capped nearly 30 times, scoring at least 6 goals, taking part to the 1966 FIFA World Cup, scoring 2 goals in the tournament.
One of the best players in North Korea's history, Pak Sung-jin was technically a forward but his position during the World Cup wasn't clear. He wore the jersey n°8, typical of the inside right, but he was deployed as right-half in a two-men or three-men midfield. Ultimately, he was both as he linked defence, midfield and attack perfectly. His main qualities were versatility, constant movement and long range shooting. As he used to train in shooting with both feet for long periods, he was accurate with either foot though he was a natural left-footed.
In the first World Cup match against USSR, he contributed to both defence and attack. He supported his defenders in his own area, gaining possession of the ball and defending it. In midfield, he distributed numerous balls with either short and long passes, though they weren't always accurate. He opted for personal actions whenever he had space, rushing forward and dribbling a few defenders if possible.
His style of play wasn't much different against Chile as he tackled his opponents in midfield well to regain possession, distributed the ball and joined the attack. He scored the equalizer with a powerful right-footed ground first time shot from the edge of the area. He repeated himself with an even more remarkable goal against Portugal in the quarter-final, unleashing a left-footed shot with the outside that finished in the top corner.
His performance against Italy showed mostly his ability to create chances for his teammates with accurate though very soft passes and crosses. During the second half, North Korea was leading 1-0 and could've played the rest of match focusing on defending. Instead, the team kept transitioning from defence to attack and Pak Sung-jin was one of the main players to create chances with counteroffensive maneuvers.
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