Pak Doo-ik ( Chosungul: 박두익;

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 朴斗翼; born 17 December 1936) is a North Korean former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. He scored the goal which knocked out

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

from the group stage of the

1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the 1966 FI ...

Career

Pak Doo-ik was born in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

. He represented

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

at the

in England, scoring the winning goal in their 1–0 win over

Ayresome Park Ayresome Park was a football stadium in the Ayresome area of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903–04 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. It ...

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

, a game since documented in the film '' The Game of Their Lives'' by British filmmaker Daniel Gordon. The result is still considered one of the World Cup's biggest ever upsets, with Italy – holders of a then joint-record two world titles – having been widely expected to face no difficulty in comfortably beating North Korea, who were making their tournament debut. Drawn in a group with Italy,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

and the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, the North Koreans were based in the north-eastern English industrial town of

during the tournament, playing their matches at

stadium. After a 0–3 defeat against the USSR, their courageous and spirited display in an exciting 1–1 draw against Chile won the hearts of the local people. Their surprising win against the powerful Italians further cemented their popularity in the town. Pak, speaking in 2002 on a return to Middlesbrough with the surviving members of the 1966 North Korea team, recalled that "It was the day I learnt football is not all about winning. I learnt that playing football can improve diplomatic relations and promote peace." After the victory, Pak, who was, at the time, a corporal in the

North Korean army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Ground Force, the Naval Force, the Air Force, the St ...

, was promoted to sergeant. An original ticket to the match is on display among other historical football items at the FIFA World Football Museum in

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

. Although the North Koreans – having led 3–0 – eventually lost 3–5 to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

in their quarter-final match played at

Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...

stadium in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, they did so cheered on by 3,000 fans from Middlesbrough who had made the coast-to-coast journey of 150 miles to support them. Pak and his teammates had made their mark on a town and a region, and written their names into World Cup folklore. After the championship, Pak left the military and retired from football and became a

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

instructor. An

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...

that persisted for a long time in the

press Press may refer to: Media * Publisher * News media * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press TV, an Iranian television network Newspapers United States * ''The Press'', a former name of ''The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, California ...

had it that Pak was a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

, although this was not the case. Ayresome Park stadium was demolished in 1997 and a housing estate built on the site. Some Korean defectors stated that he was punished at first by being compelled to work as a forest laborer for a decade before being rehabilitated. In honour of the famous goal, in the front garden of one new house were permanently placed cast-iron football boot

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

marks in the earth, at the exact position of Pak Doo-ik's feet when he scored against Italy with his shot from the edge of the penalty area. During the

2008 Olympic torch relay The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China. The relay, a ...

, he was the first to carry the Olympic torch.

International goals

:''Scores and results list North Korea's goal tally first.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pak, Doo-Ik 1936 births Living people Men's association football forwards North Korean men's footballers North Korea men's international footballers 1966 FIFA World Cup players Moranbong Sports Club players Footballers from Pyongyang North Korean football managers North Korean military personnel People's Athletes