Asian Dream's stars deliver real hope for young Thai players

The Asian Dream Cup was launched by the Manchester United midfielder’s JS foundation. Its aim is to develop the game in Southeast Asia and deliver hope and support to the region’s young talented players.
The foundation demonstrates that despite his fame as a player at one of the world’s biggest clubs, Park Jisung has never forgotten where he came from and is eager to lend a helping hand to Asia’s next soccer generation.
Given the huge crowds the event attracted in Vietnam last year, organisers must have been anxious that the Thai clash between local and foreign stars would fail to live up to the hype.
They needn’t have worried. Park himself must have been surprised by the overwhelming interest in the matchup between world stars and the All Star Thai team.
Hundreds of fans who packed the press conference at Siam Paragon heard Park say he decided to hold the game in Thailand to help the country recover from last year’s natural disaster.
“Last year we played the game in Vietnam, but I learned that Thailand had been hit by huge floods. I really wanted to help the country. I wanted to help return hope to Thai people. That’s the reason I chose this country to stage the match this time,” said the 31yearold, who received a rockstar reception as he took the stage.
The man who moved to Manchester United from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in 2005 won further admiration from cheering fans after he and Nike handed a hundred pairs of soccer boots to underprivileged local kids to help them play their favourite sport.
However, the event had a special surprise in store with the appearance of England defender Rio Ferdinand. The 33yearold was expected to join the England squad for the upcoming European Championship hosted by Poland and Ukraine.
But Ferdinand, whose playing career included spells with West Ham and Leeds, was a surprise omission when newlyappointed England manager Roy Hodgson named his Euro squad. With unexpected free time available, the Englishman quickly jumped at the opportunity to return to a country of which he has fond memories.
“Thai people have been fantastic since I have been here. I also came here last year for a game and people were amazing too. The food is great. Any time I have even been in Asia with Manchester United or alone, I’m always well received. People are always friendly,” said Ferdinand, who added shine to Park’s already glittering lineup which included Bolton midfielder Lee Chungyong and German club Koln’s striker Jong Taese.
Heavy rain ahead of the kickoff failed to dampen the fans’ enthusiasm at Muang Thong United’s home ground, the SCG stadium. The game itself delivered great entertainment before the All Star Thai League team clinched a thrilling 42 win.