El Jogo Bonito

Not just scramble and futile dive
Jarring falls and shameful defeat
Nor a patch for defensive foibles
I connect the pieces
I conduct the orchestra
I calculate and gambit
I am aggressive in my defence
Unrelenting in my duels
I am the gloved Grandmaster
I play Napoleon.

I love the role of Goalkeeper for the same reason I love chess: it is a position that requires a lot of skill, wits, and bravado, with very little scope for error. Sweeper keepers take things to the next level with their form of aggressive defense; the heroics of Manuel Neuer against Algeria in 2014 were seared into my brain as a kid, and my favourite footballer of all time would be the great Lev Yashin, the only goalkeeper to ever win a Ballon D'Or, who channeled his experiences during the defence of Moscow to create the role.

Written to "One Night In Bangkok" from the musical Chess, and "Wavin' Flag" by K'Naan (THE MEMORIES).