Penalty will no longer be the same

There is a moment of no return in football, which we can pinpoint exactly in 2005, when the then Liverpool goalkeeper Dudek began a strange dance on the goal line to disorient the Milan penalty takers. The outcome of that match we all know a little about. After Maldini's goal just a minute from the opening whistle and Crespo's double, Milan managed to be caught up in the second half, only to be defeated on penalties. And it was precisely in the penalty shootout that Dudek began to move strangely, in a way that until then few goalkeepers had used in their careers, especially in a Champions League final. The Polish goalkeeper practically danced in the goal line, swinging from side to side and even touching the crossbar from time to time movements that managed to destabilise the skilful Milan shooters. It was such a curious scene that at the end of the game he revealed to the press: 'credit to Carragher, he told me to do what Grobelaar did with Roma'.

Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former Zimbabwean footballer, he played for several English teams and over the years has distinguished himself for his strange movements on the goal line during penalties. As of 2026, however, we will no longer see these dances, much to the annoyance of the goalkeepers who have partly complained about this choice, as Ifab, the independent body that sets the rules of the game has stated that: "the goalkeeper must remain on the goal line, in front of the kicker and between the posts. The goalkeeper must not unfairly distract the kicker, e.g. delay the execution of the shot or touch the posts, crossbar or goal."

Dudek and Grobbelaar are not the only exponents of this movement, distracting shooters over time has become a magical art in the challenge of nerves between goalkeeper and penalty taker. The latest in order of time and on the world's most important stage was Emiliano Martinez, Argentina's goalkeeper who at the World Cup tried every pretext to rile and provoke his opponents. Successful attempts, since if the Albiceleste selection won its third World Cup it is also thanks to him, but these ploys, the goalkeeper will not be able to repeat them. In fact, Dibu is used to distracting players not only when wearing the national team jersey but also with his club, Aston Villa. He had already become quite famous as a troublemaker in England, for example when he tried to annoy Cristiano Ronaldo.

But one of the earliest protagonists was Jan Jongbloed, perhaps the most iconic of goalkeepers, famous for his custom of mimicking the gesture of a cigarette in the beater's face. Now imagine being in that position, 11 metres away from your most bitter opponent and seeing the goalkeeper make that gesture. An unprecedented situation that can break all the concentration a footballer seeks before a delicate shot like the one from the penalty spot. Certainly an unusual way, one that we haven't seen for a long time, but one that we might not even see anymore, as everything is set to change from 2026.

In fact, the complaints of various goalkeepers were of little use, including Maignan, who polemised the federation's choice in a tweet. All goalkeepers will therefore be called upon to have an approach like that of Wojciech Szczęsny, the extreme defender who has saved many penalties. In fact, the Polish goalkeeper is used to remaining very calm and concentrated, almost as if he were the one shooting from 11 metres out and then rushing quickly towards the ball. Who knows if more and more extreme defenders will now follow his example after almost two decades of Dudek's emulators, but from 2026 the fights of nerves between goalkeeper and penalty taker will be a little less fun.