Selfless.
Cheeky.
The kind of assist that brings a smile to your face, every time.
Look at him, look at his face there—the Platonic ideal of joy on a soccer field.
Piszczek is back, performing at his level best.
Old is gold.@BVB pic.twitter.com/WW1gXZ3CJt— ARITRA ROY (@ARITRAROY19) December 1, 2018
It’s the kind of thing you show a team of school kids, if you’re a parent or coach.
Teamwork, passing, patience, and all the rest.
And to show them one more thing:
How important it is in life—for exuberant, ecstatic celebration.
The kind of goal you imagine this Dortmund team will reflect back on all season, laughing, re-celebrating, thinking more fondly about than almost any other.
Dortmund's 2-0. Great hustle by Philipp and Sancho.
Piszczek with the awareness that Alcacer hadn't scored yet after coming on.#bvbscf pic.twitter.com/tuBrfiMZXu
— Stefan Buczko (@StefanBuczko) December 1, 2018
It was significant, too, for another reason:
In a stat that’s becoming hard to believe, Paco Alcácer has his ninth goal off the bench this season, tied for the Bundesliga record.
Nine goals, off the bench!
Paco Alcacer equals the record for most goals from a substitute in a Bundesliga season.
It’s December 1. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ja38RqKNnB
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 1, 2018
He’s only played 281 minutes this season, and he’s already the league leader in goals overall.
Paco Alcacer leads the way after yet another goal from the bench 👏 pic.twitter.com/9vLfbn6l5U
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) December 1, 2018
You wonder if Dortmund’s management has lost their minds, not starting a guy like that.
But then you realize, maybe the magic comes from the substitution itself.
Like a water being transubstantiated into wine, some invisible cherubs from soccer heaven have descended onto the sidelines, awaiting Paco Alcácer’s entry into each game, blessing his boots with a bit of holy goal-scoring magic.
And if that may be the case, well—you don’t want to risk it.
You wouldn’t want to start him.
Because, when you’ve got the greatest substitute in history…
Don’t. Change. Anything.