“Perhaps realizing this, goalkeepers Albert Camus, Vladimir Nabakov and Yevgeny Yevtushenko quit their jobs and became writers. A goalie named Karol Voytua went one step further and became the guardian of heaven itself – in the name of Pope John Paul II.” Author and painter Jayakrishnan writes.
‘Not even grass grows under his feet.’ This is a Brazilian proverb about a goalie in soccer. Well, who in the world doesn’t stand out like a goalkeeper?
In his famous novel ‘The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick’, 2019 Nobel Laureate Peter Handke wrote about the goalie’s maniacal anxiety:
Have you noticed the opposing goalie when starting a goal move? No, your full attention will be on the player advancing with the ball. But if you can take your eyes off the ball and watch the goalie – he’s scrambling around with his hands on his thighs – he’s going left and right, yelling at his teammates to defend.’
You may have seen him yelling at his teammates after blocking a shot at the goal post – he looks like a man who narrowly escaped death; All he has to do is shout.
But when the penalty is saved, the face of the goalkeeper is simultaneously that of God and the devil – God to his team-mates. Devil for the opposing team. In the face of Polish goalie Wojciech Szczesny, we saw the faces of God and the devil this time; Not once, but twice.
Handke does not say anything about these changes in the goalkeeper in his novel. But Argentinian writer Osvaldo Soriano elaborates on this in his story ‘The Longest Penalty Ever’. Here is the story:
Every year there is a football tournament in Valle de Rio Negro, Argentina. Deportivo Belgrano are the regular winners of the tournament.
Belgrano was met by Polar Star Club in the final that year. Polar Star’s players were as slow as donkeys and as thin as lumber but barely won all but one game in the group stage. The loss was of course to Belgrano. That too for seven uncontested goals. In any case, Polar Star entered the finals as runners-up.
The stadium was packed to watch the final game. Hermineo Silva, who suffers from epilepsy, controlled the game. He was with Belgrano.
Those who expected Belgrano to smash the Polar Star were wrong. After half time, the game was tied at 1-1. To everyone’s surprise, Polar Star scored another goal in the second half!
Herminio Silva wasted no time – Belgrano’s main man Padin was whistled as he broke into the Polar Star box and rolled over a defender. Penalty! Polar Star defender for a foul on the foot! And what do you want to say? Polar Star’s right-back Colo Rivero and Herminjo Silva’s nose. Their fans invaded the ground. The battle lasted till night. The police came and shot in the air. The military commander declared a state of emergency.
Tournament officials held a meeting. They found out that there were twenty seconds left in the game. It was a Tuesday. With twenty seconds left, the game was decided to be played next Sunday.
That means the penalty kick against Polar Star will take place on that day. And so the game came down to Belgrano club’s Constante Havun taking the kick and Polar Star’s goalie Hato Diaz.
Thus the longest penalty kick in history was announced.
The goalie Hato Diyas, who had to save a penalty after such a long wait, made a mistake. The club officials did everything possible to comfort him.
They even arranged for the ugly man to get the golden haired beauty he wanted. A week passed with her. She promised him the day before the game that she would marry him if he saved the penalty.
And so the day came. No one was allowed into the stadium. Despite the heavy police presence, the crowd outside the stadium overflowed. A man crawled on top of a tall building. If he stood there, he could see the penalty kick spot. So he began to give an eyewitness account to those gathered below.
Referee whistled and Hato Diyas thought about the golden-haired girl, about the impending fame, then dived to his right. He made no mistake, Konstante Havuna bowled just to the right. From the air, Hato Diyas poked the ball away.
But the game is not over there. The whistle blew and the epileptic referee Herminjo Silva fainted. He didn’t see himself kicking, so he wanted to kick again. People rioted outside the stadium.
Constante Havuna had lost all confidence when he came to kick again. The story ends when Hato Diyas, again thinking of the golden haired girl, this time dives to the left and knocks the ball away.
At one point in the story there is a conversation between Hato Diyas and the Polar Star Club President:
“Constante bowled to the right.” Hato Diyas said.
“Always,” said the President.
“But he knows I know.”
“Then we’re tied.”
“But I know he knows.”
“Then just dive to the left.” The President said.
“No. He knows that I know what he knows.”
Similar phrases can be found in Handke’s novel as well, where he writes:
”The goalie will try to guess which corner the kicker will hit. If the goalie is familiar with the kicker, he usually knows that he will kick anywhere. But the kicker knows that he can score. But the goalie also thinks that because the other person knows what he knows, he will hit the ball to the other side. The speculation will continue like this.”
Is Soriano’s story imitating Handke’s novel? don’t know Handke’s novel was published in 1970, Soriano’s in 1993. But this story has inspired writers in many languages. Another thing for sure –
Just started simulating football in the real football story! The final match between Argentinian clubs Boca Juniors was decided to be held the next day due to rain during the game. But the next day the bus carrying the Boca players was attacked by a mob and the game was postponed for a month. Thus it became the longest match in history.
Reality can copy story, and vice versa. But neither story nor reality can copy the game. Higuita’s name can be copied into a story or movie, but his Scorpion Kick cannot be copied. Because he is guarding hell.
Realizing this, Albert Camus, Vladimir Nabakov and Yevgeny Yevtushenko, who were goalkeepers, left their jobs and became writers. Another goalie by the name of Karol Wojtyla went one step further and became the Guardian of Heaven himself – Pope John Paul II.
For, whether of writing or of religion, evil spirits may enter heaven; But fireballs don’t fly, of course.