KUALA LUMPUR -- It's been half a dozen years since he played in his third and final World Cup, yet a lean and mean Park Ji-sung still looks like he could captain South Korea and, indeed, do a job in midfield for struggling Manchester United.
The former Red Devil, now 35, is wandering around the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Malaysian capital, happy to pose for photographs and mingle with AFC officials after Tuesday's final round draw for the 2018 World Cup.
The Taeguk Warriors were handed a difficult task as they look to join football's elite for a ninth time in a row, the 10th occasion in their history. Their Group A opponents are Asia's top-ranked nation, Iran, managed by his former Manchester United colleague Carlos Queiroz, a revitalised China, as well as Uzbekistan, 2022 hosts Qatar and West Asian outsiders, Syria.
The Koreans' third round campaign begins with a home game against China on Sep. 1, but already Park is looking forward to the team's Oct. 11 trip to Tehran, where they've never won.
"It's tough," Park told ESPN FC. "We actually met Iran and Uzbekistan in the last qualification round [for the 2014 World Cup] and it's not an easy group.
"But, in their history, Korea play very well in the qualification for the World Cup and hopefully this time as well. The manager [Uli Stielike] did very well when he took charge of the team."
Park's late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw away to Iran on the road to South Africa 2010, but they slipped up in Tehran four years later when a 76th minute goal from Javad Nekounam gave Team Melli a memorable 1-0 qualifying victory before 99,885 fans at the Azadi Stadium.
With niggling injuries affecting the latter part of his career, Park ended international duty after 100 caps in January 2011. He was just 29, the same age that his former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes retired prematurely from England.
Park's visit to Malaysia has coincided with bumpy times at Old Trafford in a country more obsessed by the big clubs of the Premier League than regional qualifying for Asian nations. 'Trouble at the Theatre' was the back page headline of The Star on Wednesday, with rumours of dressing room unrest under Louis van Gaal.
Having played under Sir Alex Ferguson during his seven-year stint at the club, Park believes that Van Gaal has only the remaining Premier League games of the campaign to save his job as manager after an "up-and-down" season.
"Wow, that's quite a difficult question," replied Park when asked about Man United's chances of finishing in the top four.
"They still have a chance, if they perform continually well. This season is up and down quite often. It's not good for the team. Hopefully they make it and I want to see Man United in the Champions League."
The Red Devils are four points behind fourth placed Manchester City as leaders Leicester look to see off Tottenham Hotspur, with a seven-point advantage at the top.
Despite a lack of starts in recent weeks, Park's former international teammate Son Heung-min remains an important squad member in Spurs' title push.
The end of Park's international career overlapped with that of Son's and South Korean captain and Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yeung. He said he considered the pair, crucial to Russia 2018 qualification, to be among Asia's elite.
"I think the four best players in Asia are Son, Ki plus [Keisuke] Honda and [Shinji] Kagawa from Japan," he told ESPN FC. "It's hard to say who's the very best, but all four are very good."
In terms of achievements, Park's mantle as Asia's best ever player is unlikely to be challenged any time soon. Apart from playing a crucial role under future PSV coach Guus Hiddink as South Korea finished fourth in the 2002 World Cup, he won 19 trophies at club level, including four Premier League crowns and the 2008 Champions League, with Manchester United.
His legacy was barely tarnished by a disastrous final English spell with Queens Park Rangers where he made minimal impact as captain of a big-spending club who fell meekly to relegation in 2013.
It wasn't a happy football experience, but it did give Park a love of London, where he now lives, with regular overseas assignments as a Manchester United ambassador, alongside the likes of Andy Cole and Bryan Robson.
Just under two years since his retirement, this energetic competitor, who was known as Three Lungs because of his endurance, admits that he does occasionally yearn for the days in the spotlight for club and country.
"Sometimes I miss playing football but it's a past thing now," he said. "I'm just enjoying my life at the moment. Hopefully the players make it happen for the World Cup. I just support them."