Who`s Gonna Win? Ask the Joker

When you play cards, a joker can be used for the other cards and changes the situation. It is same for a soccer match. A joker is not a member of the best 11; however, it may be put into the game as a substitute when needed and can change the momentum of the game at once.

The active roll of a joker is standing out while the turning point of this World Cup is near. Like the sixth man of a basketball match, jokers are playing brilliantly proving that there are more than 11 players needed for a soccer match.

The striker Nelson Cuevas(11. River Plate, Argentina), who give a miraculous ticket for the round of 16 to Paraguay.

The Paraguayan bench warmer for the first two games in the first round, Cuevas, came into the game at the 61st minute made the tying goal and the winning goal against Slovenia in Seogwipo on 12th and lead his team to the round of sixteen. He, who did not record a goal in 11 matches after his debut on June, 1999 against Bolivia, became the national hero because of this game.

If Cuevas was ‘the pearl out of dirt’, the Spanish striker Pernando Morientes (26. Real Madrid, Spain), was a prepared joker. He was injured right before the game and gave up the starting role but made 2 goals when he came into the second half against Paraguay on 7th and led his team into a victory. He also was put into the game when his team was down 1-0 and led his team to the round of 16. He is a goal maker with 16 goals in 22 matches, and he is 1m84, 78kg and has a good ability to position himself and play against defenders

‘The Emperor of A Ring’ Ahn, Jung-Whan (26. Peruza, Italy) is also a renowned joker. He celebrated 2 goals with ‘ring kiss’ at the friendly match against Scotland on April, and made the tying goal with an incredible back header against the U.S. on the 10th.

If a joker is successful, coaches are recognized for their leadership and feel joyous. And if a joker moves around actively, the defenders, who are lacking with strength and concentration, feels hellish at the second half. Therefore, at the tip of a joker, the joy and the tragedy are changing.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com