THEY say hard work and talent go a long way, but that is not all the Peruvian national team rely on when going into important games.
Since 2015, their very own resident magician has been supporting the squad giving them luck and a sense of relaxation ahead of games.
The Peruvian magician gives lucky cards to Peru players
Ernesto Carpio-Tirado, a failed amateur footballer who is better known as El Mago Plomo,
Ernesto Carpio-Tirado, whose stage name is Plomo, defines himself as a ”trickster”.
He is one of the country’s most popular entertainers.
Plomo has his own television and radio shows including a showreel that includes clips of him with Ronaldinho and WWE star Paige.
It all began in 2015 ahead of the Copa America when he was invited into the team camp to perform for the entire team and staff.
Video footage of the display emerged showing many including Newcastle United legend Nolberto Solano in fits of laughter.
Over the recent years he has been the team’s lucky mascot.
Magician Plomo is the Peru team’s lucky charm
Ernesto Carpio-Tirado has been acting as Peru’s own resident magician since 2015.
Plomo even kept Ricardo Gareca’s squad company at the World Cup in Russia last year and is also reportedly going to be around for them for Qatar 2022 qualifying.
When Peru played Chile in the semi-finals of this past summer’s Copa America he was in the dugout cheering them on in Porto Alegre.
But that seemingly was not his only way of moral or ‘magical’ support that night.
On closer inspection, cameras saw that playmaker Christian Cueva has a playing card tucked into the fabric of his sock.
Playmaker Christian Cueva seen with playing card tucked into his sock during Copa America game against Chile.Credit: Getty Images – Getty
And the eight of diamonds could well have been a reason for their success that evening.
Peru went on to win the game 3-0, taking them to their first Copa America final in 44 years.
After the game Cueva hinted at the reason he had played so well was due to having played poker the night before.
In actual fact, the eight of diamonds proved somewhat of a lucky charm for Cueva, who was told by Plomo in the run-up to a World Cup qualifier with Argentina in 2016 that if he were to take the card onto the field with him he would score.
Cueva got a hat-trick that game.
“I believe superstition is part of football’s folklore,” Plomo told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
“The idea is to give off good energy and good vibes. Life is like this, when there is a good mood things flow, and I think that’s what the players feel with me.”
Since then Plomo has given Cueva a new ‘lucky’ card when he goes onto the pitch.
But it isn’t just helping the team fulfill their ‘dreams’
As a young boy Ernesto had a dream of his own- of being a footballer himself.
Although it didn’t turn into frutition, the vision expanded into something else.
Through the art of magic, he works with his national football team in another capacity.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
