How many of us have not sat at a football match and thought: That guy at the back there, with a hat and goalkeeper’s gloves on, I really wonder what’s going on in his head? To be honest, not very many. But that may change after the release of “The eleventh man” by ex-keeper Håkon Opdal. Although ex-keeper and ex-keeper. This is how Opdal puts forward his thoughts on the role of goalkeeper, not to mention the job of goalkeeper – or the vocation of goalkeeper! – isn’t this a job you retire from. Part of your personality The goalkeeper becomes a permanent part of your personality, whether you happen to be between the sticks or not. Opdal insists on the goalkeeper as an outsider, an exceptional person on the pitch, fundamentally different from the other players. You could perhaps say that the goalkeeper goes his own way, if it weren’t for the fact that the role requires him to stand still a lot within the penalty area. Håkon Opdal doesn’t seem like someone who is afraid to stand out either. After a long career, including for Brann og Start, and with some guest appearances on the national team, he felt like summarizing his thoughts. This book is the result. It has become a meditation on the goalkeeper’s task and his place, both centrally and on the fringes, of the team. And it has become extremely readable. THE FLAG ON THE CHEST: Håkon Opdal got twelve games for the Norwegian national team. Here from the European Championship qualifying match against Turkey at Ullevaal Stadium on 17 November 2007. Photo: Kyrre Lien / NTB Å trille stein Opdal characterizes keeping zero as both necessary and impossible, and therefore absurd, in an existentialist sense. To substantiate this line of thinking, he just as well pulls in an essay by another thinker who has also been on target: Albert Camus. Camus grew up in poor conditions in Algeria. He was probably targeted because his family believed that as a goalkeeper he would put less strain on his footwear. As a goalkeeper, Camus had a short career. But he took the thinking with him. It is expressed in the essay “The Myth of Sisyphus”, about the man who every day has to roll a huge stone up to the top of a mountain. Just like the goalkeeper, who every day has to try the impossible, to keep the ball out of the goal. “The eleventh man” is otherwise chock-full of sentences and quotations, almost in a Roman, Stoic style. There is something here for more than aspiring goalkeepers. Aesthetics versus efficiency Opdal warns against the temptation in the spectacular rescue, how many young people can find themselves throwing themselves without it being strictly necessary, just to realize this moment. More experienced goalkeepers rather make sure to position themselves so that the spectacular save is not necessary. Less TV-friendly, but more effective. But Opdal has to admit that efficiency must occasionally give way to aesthetics. It is a known fact that the best choice for a goalkeeper during a penalty kick is strictly to stand still. So why aren’t more people standing in the middle of the goal, where statistically you have the greatest chance of saving a penalty? Because you look like an idiot if the ball goes into a corner. Then it’s better to throw yourself in the wrong direction, then it looks like you’re at least trying. FROM GOALKEEPER TO AUTHOR: Oddingen Håkon Opdal retired last year after 20 seasons and almost 400 matches in Norwegian and Danish top football. Photo: Helge Skodvin More than a handbook All in all, I think Håkon Opdal’s reflections on life between the bars are fascinating and well written. The fact that he takes the task of keeping the cage clean very seriously, I don’t think should be used against him. Some have thought that the text is not only gravely serious, but that it goes in circles and eventually idles away. The latter is correct to a certain extent, the question is whether it should be considered a weakness. The fact that certain thoughts and ideas come back, again and again, rather testifies to the dedication and focus needed, not only to keep the cage clean, but to best formulate the thoughts around this impossible practice. Just like the goalkeeper’s task, the writer’s is a Sisyphean task that never ends and will always fail. But it’s something to live with, if you fail in such a fascinating and readable way as Opdal does with “The Eleventh Man”. news reviews Photo: Vigmostad & Bjørke Title: “The eleventh man” Author: Håkon Opdal Genre: Nonfiction Publisher: Vigmostad & Bjørke Number of pages: 154 Date: September 2022 Hi! My name is Ola Hegdal, and I read and review books for news. Preferably crime and suspense literature, or non-fiction. Feel free to read my review of “The Anomaly” by Hervé Le Tellier, “You are a farmer” by Kristin Auestad Danielsen or “The Night Runner” by Karin Fossum. More sports books reviewed: Non-fiction and biographies: Crimea:
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“The Eleventh Man” by Håkon Opdal – Reviews and recommendations
