Former South Korea star Cha Bum-kun believes the retirement of captain Park Ji-sung from the national team will leave a gaping hole.
Cha, who is a goalscoring legend for the Taeguk Warriors for his exploits in the 1970s and 80s, says that Park's absence will be difficult to combat but respects the decision made by the Manchester United midfielder.
"I feel really sad about Park's retirement, it is really a hard one to take," Cha told Goal.com Korea.
"However I respect his opinion and I believe it wasn't easy for him to make such a difficult decision.
"In the end we are all very proud of Park's achievements and hope he will continue to have a strong, positive effect on football in Korea for a long time."
The 29-year old called time on his international career at the end of last month's Asian Cup after 100 caps for South Korea.