Jess Park

Jessica Park (born 21 October 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the England national team. With City, she is a two-time League Cup and a one-time FA Cup winner. She has represented England under-17s and under-19s, and currently plays for her country at both senior and at youth level with England U23.

Manchester City
Park made her senior debut for Manchester City on 6 December 2017, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 win over Doncaster Belles in the 2017–18 FA WSL Cup. On 5 December 2018, she scored her first senior goal for the club in a 6–0 victory against Sheffield United, followed by another against Aston Villa on 13 December in a 4–0 win, helping City to win the 2018–19 League Cup.

At the age of 17, Park made her UEFA Champions League debut on 25 September 2019 as part of the starting eleven against Lugano in a 4–0 victory, as part of the 2019–20 season round of 32.

On 16 February 2020, she scored one of three hat tricks in a 10-0 win against Ipswich Town in the 2019–20 FA Cup. On 4 April, Park signed her first professional contract with Manchester City, keeping her at the club until 2023. On 1 November, she featured in the 2020 FA Cup final as a 70th-minute substitute, providing an assist in extra time to break the tie, resulting in a 3–1 victory.

On 13 October 2021, in the 2021–22 League Cup, Park scored against Everton in a 5–1 win in the group stage, followed by the opening goal in the 3–0 semi-final win against Tottenham Hotspur, as well as providing two assists, helping City to win the tournament that season. She was awarded Manchester City's Rising Star award for the 2021–22 season.

On 14 June 2022, Park signed a three-year extension with Manchester City until 2026, having scored 9 goals in 57 appearances for the club. After signing she stated, "This is my Club and this is where I want to be." Manager Gareth Taylor said Park is "very much a big part of our plans here at City".

In September 2023, Park was nominated for the North West Football Awards Rising Star award. On 11 October, in the 2023–24 League Cup, she scored the opening goal against former club Everton in a 2–1 win, followed by an equaliser against Liverpool leading to a 4–3 victory on 8 November. In the quarter-finals of the tournament on 7 February 2024, Park provided an assist to Yui Hasegawa for the winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur. Nine days later, in her first start of the WSL season, Park played an integral role in ending Chelsea's 22–match winning run at home, dispossessing captain Erin Cuthbert in order to provide the assist for Bunny Shaw to secure a 1–0 away win, and consequently help City to level on points with Chelsea at the top of the table. Park was described by The Guardian as City's "surprise revelation", and by Goal.com as a "live wire both in and out of possession".

Everton (loan)
On 15 July 2022, it was announced that she would spend the 2022–23 season on loan at Everton. In the 2022–23 League Cup, Park scored against Sheffield United on 26 November 2022 in a 3–0 win, and against Manchester United on 7 December 2022 in a 4–2 defeat.

On 12 May 2023, Park returned to Manchester City after sustaining a shoulder injury during training. With Everton, she made 22 appearances, scored five goals, and provided five assists.

Youth
Park has represented England at under-17 and under-19 level, and currently plays at under-23 level.

On 5 October 2017, Park was named as part of the England under-17 squad for 2018 U-17 Championship qualification. She scored a hat-trick against Latvia in a 10–0 win on 14 October, followed by two goals against Scotland in a 3–0 victory on 20 October. Park's scored her sixth goal in the qualification stages against Norway for a 2–0 result on 31 March 2018 In May 2018, in the final tournament, Park scored an equalising goal as captain against Poland in a 2–2 draw as well as captained the team in a 2–1 defeat to Spain. On May 21, she scored the opening goal in a 2–1 defeat to Finland in the 2018 U-17 World Cup play-off, with the U-17 team finishing in fourth-place in the 2018 Championship.

In October 2018 for 2019 U-19 Championship qualification, Park scored the final goal for England under-19s as an 82nd minute substitute against Malta in a 9–0 victory, going on to score four more goals against Croatia in an 8–0 win. In February 2019, Park was named as part of the U-19 squad for La Manga Tournament, scoring the opening goal against China in am emphatic 5–1 victory on 2 March. She was also named as part of the U-19 squad for elite round qualification in April 2019, but subsequently withdrew due to injury. Park would go on to play in the group stage matches in the 2019 U-19 Championship against Spain and Belgium, where the team failed to advance to the knock-out stage.

In October 2019 for 2020 U-19 Championship qualification, Park scored a hat-trick against Cyprus in an 8–0 win, followed by the final goal against Belarus as a substitute in a 3–0 victory. The tournament was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

Park featured in the starting eleven of the England U23 team in matches against France and Norway in 2022. Following her senior debut, she was called up to the under-23 squad for the new U23 European League, and played against France on 30 November 2023.

Senior
On 27 September 2022, Park received her first senior international call-up for the friendly matches against the United States and the Czech Republic, where she was an unused substitute in both matches. She received her second call-up on 4 November, to replace Fran Kirby.

Park made her senior debut as an 89th-minute substitute during a friendly match against Japan on 11 November 2022. Just over a minute later, she scored her first international goal, the fourth in a 4–0 victory. On 18 November 2022, her England legacy number was announced as number 225.

She made her first senior start for England in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup against Italy in a 2–1 win on 22 February, as well as coming on as a substitute against Belgium in a 6–1 victory, with the Lionesses winning the tournament for the second consecutive year.

Park was included on the standby list of players named to the squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in July 2023, where she trained alongside the full squad. Park later withdrew due to injury and was replaced with Lucy Staniforth.

In September 2023, Park was named as part of the squad for 2023–24 Nations League matches, replacing an injured Bethany England.

Style of play
Park was described as a winger by Manchester City in September 2023, but since returning the club for the 2023–24 season, she has adopted a more central role to play as a number 8 and 10, where she can drive between lines of players. She has been credited by The Guardian with having "technical abilities, speed and awareness", an aggressive press, as well as defensive maturity.

Club
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International

 * Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Park goal.

Honours
Manchester City
 * FA Cup: 2019–20
 * League Cup: 2018–19, 2021–22

England


 * Women's Finalissima: 2023


 * Arnold Clark Cup: 2023

Individual
 * UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2018
 * Manchester City's Rising Star Award: 2021–22
 * WSL Player of the Month: March 2024