Tottenham Hotspur. An institution that is often renowned for its fair share of luck and experience with the art of “bottling,” or throwing in the towel, at vital moments. While many may find this harsh, spurs have always been associated with terms like that of a “yo-yo” club, who might have a good patch of performances and win games, but when push comes to shove, have displayed elements of crashing out and crumbling under the pressure.
While this is what’s historically stereotyped, in today’s context, many current days Spurs fans would argue with that fact. They would defend themselves by saying that their new Aussie emperor, as head coach, a certain Mr. Ange Postecoglou, has been a breath of fresh air with his attacking style of play, no-nonsense attitude, and winning mentality.
Ange’s side has always been a good outfit to watch. But what happens at the other end of the pitch in terms of letting goals in is where they might need a bit of work upon, and this has always brought its fair share of criticism on him from the media.
Nevertheless, they really took apart West Ham this Saturday. Postecoglu’s men defeated their London rivals West Ham United 4-1 as they cruised past the match against a weak and lackluster West Ham side.
Goals from Son, Kulusevski, and Bissouma sealed the deal for the Lillywhites. But what caught the attention of many fans all over social media is the fact that their man in goal, Guglielmo Vicario, got a special outfit change in between the game. What was this change, and why has it spurred so much noise across social media? Let’s dive into that context today.
Vicario’s outfit change midgame
Spurs came back from going 1-0 behind in this weekend’s clash vs. West Ham. 3 quickfire goals in 7 minutes from the start of the second half sealed the game for them. Their No. 1 between the sticks made some great saves in the first half, especially against the likes of Mo Kudus to keep his side in the game.
However, once the sides were changed at halftime, he was having difficulties with the direct sunlight that was being reflected on the Italian’s eyes via the stadium’s roof. This led him to request his team and kit officials to arrange a cap for the spur’s goalie. This happened moments after Spurs scored their fourth goal, and it caught the attention of football fanatics all over the world.
To put things into context, great goalkeepers throughout the course of time in football, just like strikers, always have that eccentric, charming, and strong personality about them. Be it the likes of The Great Dane, Peter Schmeichel, or Colombian icon René Higuita, they always had that aura around them that was so infectious in nature.
Be it just their raw physical stature (like Peter), a scorpion goalkeeping save (like René), or just a cap (like Vicario), these were just mere tools or mediums for them to channel their aura and be loved and infectious amongst fans.
So, when the spurs goalie had this attire change, many spurs’ fans saw this moment as Vicario’s defining aura moment for them. It rolled back all the memories, where back in the 90s and beyond, many keepers used to own this retro style of wearing a cap while goalkeeping. The Italian is already a fan favourite amongst the locals by his performance on the field as well, with the goalkeeper securing 8 clean sheets for his club last campaign. (stats by transfermarkt)
Many other fans saw the funny side of things, taking a dig at the club’s usual image of being a cheapskate in terms of club finances and spending and also taking shots at club chairman Daniel Levy. One fan commented, “Not part of his goalkeeper’s uniform, Levy looking to charge him £25 for it,” which is nice to see as fans explore the hysterical side of this moment as well. Many fans were also interested in how something like a cap is arranged in such circumstances and whether it is part of a keeper’s usual kit.
To answer that, no, keepers usually do not carry a cap with their usual keeping kit. However, the staff, in collaboration with obviously the club store and retail, keep a stock of the same prior to or on matchday events. Fans also found the keeper’s overall demeanour to be ‘Dad-like’, further substantiating that they found Vicario’s aura to be very cute and funny as well.
A cap, not included in the traditional form of attire for a goalkeeper, is something that has been preferred by some great goalkeeping minds and players. Vicario’s moment might just serve as an ode to this retro footballing culture.
Be it in the form of the oldest player ever to play in the Premier League, John Burridge, or the Soviet phenom Lev Yashin, who wore the Gatsby-like cap as a sign of wealth for then-Soviet population, goalkeeping greats and caps have always existed in the same breath, throughout time.
Ex-Chelsea legend Petr Cech also wore headgear back in the day; however, some may argue if that would classify as a cap. Even in modern times, examples of former England No. 1 in goal, Joe Hart, when he put on a cap while playing for West Ham, come to mind. Current England national team and Crystal Palace keeper Dean Henderson has also adopted this headwear.
While typically keepers wear this to protect their sight and eyes from potential sunlight, which can hamper their ability to make saves, we as fans are football romantics, and we always tend to fantasize about these players, as these are the role models even in a fashion sense (yes), we look up to, and I absolutely do not blame Spurs fans for having the same for their keeper.
