A Letter to My Goal

Gianluigi Buffon is consider by many to be one of the greatest Goalkeepers to ever live. "Gigi," as most call him, currently plays for Juventus and represents his native country Italy. This past year he was able to break one of the toughest goalkeeping records in professional soccer when he went 974 minutes with out conceding a goal. That's almost 11, 90 minute games. The 37 year old Goalkeeper released this poem as a reflection of his relationship with the goal.  The poem itself is simply beautiful.

"I was 12 when I turned my back on you, denying my past to guarantee you a safe future.

I went with my heart

I went with my instinct

But the day I stopped looking you in the face is also the day that I started to love you

To protect you

To be your first and last line of defence

I promised myself that I would do everything not to see your face again. Or that I would do it as little as possible. It was painful every time I did, turning round and realising I had disappointed you.

Again

And again.

We have always been opposites yet we are complementary, like the sun and the moon. Forced to live side by side without being able to touch. Team-mates for life, a life in which we are denied all contact

More than 25 years ago I made my vow: I swore to protect you. Look after you. A shield against all your enemies. I’ve always thought about your welfare, putting it first even ahead of my own.

I was 12 when I turned my back on my goal. And I will keep doing it as long as my legs, my head and my heart will allow.”

-Gianluigi "Gigi"Buffon

"Baby Deer on Ice"

I've been playing soccer for almost 22 years, of those, 18 of them have been as a goalkeeper. It is amazing how much the position has evolved in those 18 years. In previous generations, Goalkeepers were always the biggest, baddest, and craziest guys on the field with one job, to stop shots. Fast forward to today's game and goalkeepers are completely different. Sure we have the same goal as before, being big and bad, but in today's game we are being asked to actually know how to play soccer. The game requires us to be capable of using our feet just as good as the other ten on the field. Here's a stat for you. A goalkeeper's foot to hand ratio in a game is 8 times to 1. A GK will kick the ball eight times in between using his hands.  On average, goalkeepers will only be involved for 4 minutes of a 90 minute game with only 18% of touches being a catch, save or punch. Our feet are becoming more and more important as time goes by.

If you don't believe me, Watch Manuel Neuer play the position. He has single handily given us a visual on how our role has changed. You'll quickly notice that he is basically a sweeper and has a starting position of outside the box. His team has a significant advantage over their opponents because they practically have an extra guy on the field. Not only is he the first line of attack, but he's also the team safety outlet. When they're in trouble, they give him the ball to relieve pressure, at the same time, through balls are non existent due to his ability to start high and pick off every ball deep.

How do we start playing like Manuel Neuer? The answer is simple, Be a player first, Goalkeeper second. Obviously I want us to work on being the best shot stopper out there but we will never reach where we want to unless we know how to play with the ball at our feet.

I used to suck with the ball at my feet. I would play possession with my team and literally run away from the ball. I looked like a baby deer on ice trying to walk for the first time. But then I realized that my team needed me. They needed my help to be successful; so I learned, and it paid off. A Goalkeeper that can use their feet will be a weapon for their team. More importantly, coaches are now looking and expecting their Goalkeepers to be able to play the ball with at their feet. This is why we train footwork so much in practice.

Here's how this pertains to you and what I'm asking of you. take our training sessions seriously. When using your feet, know that we as keepers will be put in tough situations that our feet can get us out of. When you're with your teams training, ask for the ball, use your feet as much as you can. And finally, start kicking the ball around at home. Set up some cones, do foot skills, work on passing and receiving. It is vital to you and your development as a player to get better with your feet.

Let's not look like baby deer out there.

Start working!