Now that English football is in full Premier League swing, attention is zeroing in on the flashy forwards and magicians at midfield. But at each end of the pitch is a more lonely soul, adored when they excel, vilified when they fail.
Who would want that pressure?
It is simple why certain people become goalkeepers. While the popular opinion is we are either crazy or we are the bad players and therefore are reluctantly thrown in net, the truth is that a goalkeeper - regardless of the sport - is the sporting world's equivalent of the hardboiled detective created by Dashiell Hammett and made more popular by Raymond Chandler.
The goalie stands alone while not being able to rely 100 per cent on others (I know this from experience as an ice hockey goalie, first in my native Canada and now on teams here in the UAE). He may make mistakes but he can't blame anyone (at least not publicly). He has a code that forces him to work with others even if he doesn't want to.
Hammett's and Chandler's hardboiled detectives and the goalie do not think they are better than anyone, but they know they have a different role from the rest.
Goalies often do not start out choosing to play that position. The decision is usually made by others (bigger, stronger, more skilled children on the playing field who relegate us between the posts). But we can control how we react.
Once the goalie begins to understand the game and his role, they grow into the position, realising that no one else can do his job.
Hammett's and Chandler's characters, be it Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe, usually do not have a choice either. Spade is dragged into a case because someone is shot and arrives at his office moments before dying. He, too, can rely on no one. The police have their own agenda and often those around him cannot be trusted. Only Spade can do his job just as only a goalie can do his.
The goalie knows when he messes up and when someone else is to blame. But he is playing by a code that cannot allow him to call out a teammate; much like Marlowe cannot tell the cops how he came to drive a suspected murderer to a Tijuana airport in the middle of the night (read Chandler's 1953 novel The Long Goodbye).
The code demands silence.
It is the code that allows Marlowe and Spade - like any goalie - to do their job. A player scores and celebrates, but a goalie does not jump up and down every time he makes a save. He stops the puck or the ball and looks for the next move so the play can begin again. His code is do the job and move on, just as it is for Marlowe or Spade.
Goalies sometimes talk as though they are the general who directs the troops on the field or they see themselves as the last line of defence.
The truth, however, is purer. We rely on no one. The moment a goalie expects a teammate to do something is the time when trouble occurs. We rely on ourselves and no one else. We may benefit when others do what they are supposed to do, but that is a bonus, it is not a guarantee. When something that is supposed to happen doesn't, a goalie must forget about it and move on.
It is easy to yell and scream, but the moment you do, you are labelled a malcontent who doesn't understand the team concept. But a goalie understands the "team first" philosophy better than most. Who else must never make a mistake (a shutout is always expected by any goalie worth his salt) and must refrain from complaining about the failings of those around him? On the field or ice, we stand alone.
Hammett's and Chandler's hardboiled detectives are also alone, trying to do right despite the odds. They know only too well what goalies have known for more than 100 years: we are alone in a world where only we can say who has done right and wrong - and then we must keep it to ourselves.
So as you tune in your television to watch the greatest game on turf, tip your hat for the lone man standing between the posts.
[ mjp@thenational.ae ]
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Company profile
Date started: January 2022
Founders: Omar Abu Innab, Silvia Eldawi, Walid Shihabi
Based: Dubai
Sector: PropTech / investment
Employees: 40
Stage: Seed
Investors: Multiple
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Company profile
Company: Wafeq
Started: January 2019
Founder: Nadim Alameddine
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: software as a service
Funds raised: $3 million
Investors: Raed Ventures and Wamda, among others
Blonde
Director: Andrew Dominik
Stars: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale
Rating: 3/5
Tour de France Stage 16:
165km run from Le Puy-en-Velay to Romans-sur-Isère
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government