Why do some goalkeepers apply Vaseline to their gloves?

In football, there are roles more delicate than others. Roles where technique and psychological aspects need to be finely tuned. That of the goalkeeper is one of those that does not allow distractions or technical errors, especially because these usually have a significant impact on the outcome of a match, in addition to being particularly comical when compared - for example - to a missed touch by a winger high on the sideline. Just think that, to describe the mistakes of goalkeepers, especially serious ones, a specific term was coined: "howler". There is no nickname to define missed goals from players in an empty net, because not even the most glaring mistakes are as funny as a howler. This is why the first months of André Onana at Manchester United were akin to a joke: tabloids condemned the insane amount spent by the Red Devils to acquire the goalkeeper fresh from a good season with Inter, a Champions League finalist. To patch up a disastrous season, Onana is trying everything. In recent weeks, his name - apart from the crucial save made against Coventry City in the F.A. Cup semifinal - has indeed been associated not with performances on the field, but with the use of a product commonly seen and heard of in a sport like surfing, namely vaseline.

Just like in surfing, vaseline in football is used to provide better grip. Goalkeepers apply it to their gloves to feel more secure in their saves, a fundamental aspect of their role that can often be compromised by weather conditions like rain - or simply by the grass if watered moments before the match. Despite its great utility, it's not a widely used product in top-tier football, but when Manchester United played Liverpool on April 7th, the keenest eyes saw André Onana dabbing a touch of vaseline onto his palm. The British magazine The Athletic wasted no time in investigating this unusual practice, interviewing the goalkeeper of Swedish club Ängelholms Fotbollförenin, Robin Streifert, and discovering that one of the most well-known goalkeepers in European football to apply vaseline to his gloves was Robin Olsen, a goalkeeper who has played for Everton and Roma. Streifert told The Athletic that Robin Olsen, after applying vaseline to his gloves for the first time, said he had never felt such grip before.

Among the information reported by The Athletic, vaseline is said to improve grip as it acts as a repellent against water and dirt. But the psychological aspect also matters a lot: just having vaseline on the gloves can provide greater confidence, encouraging goalkeepers to block the ball with more self-assurance. Karl-Johan Johnsson, Swedish goalkeeper for Bordeaux and user of vaseline on his gloves, mentioned that during matches he spreads a bit on the goal posts so that he always has it at hand during games. It will be very difficult to see the use of vaseline becoming a trend, especially in lower leagues. As disclosed on X by the Gloveglu account - a spray product applied to gloves to provide better grip - vaseline works very well, but at the same time, ruins the latex of the gloves, so vaseline is not a sustainable practice for those who do not have a sponsor providing gloves.