Park Ji-sung vs David James: Stats Compared
Midfielder, South Korea (born 1981, retired 2014) · Goalkeeper, England (born 1970, retired 2014)
Few debates split football fans quite like Park Ji-sung versus David James. Goals are the coldest, hardest metric in football, and both players stockedpile them. Park Ji-sung finishes with 60 career goals from 550 games — a 0.11 strike rate — against David James's 0 from 850 at 0.00 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Park Ji-sung is credited with 60 and David James with 0. In major honours Park Ji-sung collected 5 — headlined by 4× Premier League (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) — whereas David James amassed 1, led by 1× FA Cup (2008). Their finishing mirrored their personalities: Park Ji-sung creative, David James imposing. Club journeys add another layer, with Park Ji-sung reaching his representative peak around 2008 across Kyoto Purple Sanga, PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers and David James doing so around 2005 with Watford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Bristol City, Bournemouth. Whichever side you land on, both belong in any conversation about the finest of their generation.
185 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
The first Asian player to win the Champions League and reach a World Cup semi-final, Park was renowned for his tireless work rate and big-game performances for Manchester United.
“A relentless, selfless box-to-box midfielder whose stamina and tactical discipline made him invaluable in the biggest matches.”
The Premier League's most-capped goalkeeper at the time of his retirement, James was renowned for his shot-stopping and occasional highlight-reel errors across a two-decade top-flight career.
“An athletic, agile shot-stopper whose reflexes and command of his box made him a mainstay of English goalkeeping for two decades.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 4× Premier League (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2008)
- 1× FA Cup (2008)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 2000 Professional debut for Kyoto Purple Sanga
- 2007 Won Premier League with Manchester United
- 2008 Won UEFA Champions League with Manchester United
- 2008 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester United
- 2014 Retired after a final spell at Queens Park Rangers
- Finished his career with 60 goals in 550 appearances and 5 major honours. Finished his career with 60 goals in 550 appearances and 5 major honours.
- 1988 Professional debut for Watford
- 2008 Won FA Cup with Portsmouth
- 2005 Reached the peak of his powers at Manchester City
- 2014 Retired after a final spell at Bournemouth
- Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours. Finished his career with 0 goals in 850 appearances and 1 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Park Ji-sung edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a sharper goalscoring record.
Park Ji-sung edges it (a decisive margin)
