Choi Sung-kuk Comes Back Fresh

The so-called ”Little Maradona” is Choi Sung-guk (Hyundai). He earned the nickname by resembling soccer hero Diego Maradona`s fabulous shooting sense and divine techniques on the ground. Ex-Korean national team head coach Gus Hiddink complimented Choi by saying, "He is the future of Korea`s soccer."

Choi was named game MVP at the third opening of 23 year-under Toyota Cup held in Qatar and received his name up.

Choi stands 170cm tall and weighs 68kg, but his witty plays and individual skills let him lead the flow of matches. In the group B league opening match against Paraguay, Choi scored a goal with two assists in the semifinals, drew a penalty and converted it to be the spotlight of the 3-0 win.

He also made a strong impression in the finals against Morocco at Al-Etehad stadium located in Doha, Qatar on the 24th. In the first half of the match, Choi penetrated to the goal box leaving the defenders stranded and landed a perfect assist to Choi Tae-wook (An-Yang LG) to give his team the lead.

He used to ruin the concept of teamwork in favor of making individual plays, but this time he was different. Choi took fewer dribbles, made one-step-ahead assists and transformed himself into a team player. Even though Korea was routed by Morocco 1-3, the MVP award stood as a testament to his performance.

This competition is Choi`s stage for resurrection. He stood tall to be the pillar for the juniors, the Olympic team and the nationals until he hit an obstacle last year when heavy injuries tied him down. After dropping out of Korea University and jumping to the K-league, Choi handed over the Rookie of the Year spot to his junior compatriot Jung Jo-kuk (An-Yang) because of ankle and collarbone injuries. He took part in the world junior championships, but was on the bench for the group preliminary matches which interfered with his fame.

But Choi came back strong in this competition. “I`ll participate in the Athens Olympics and make my presence known to the world,” said Choi. “After that, I`ll make it to the European league."

On the other hand, the “new bridegroom,” Choi Tae-wook, (23· An-Yang LG) who scored the opening goal of today`s match, became the scoring king with six goals.

Jong-Koo Yang yjongk@donga.com