Just recently, Manchester United goalkeeper goalkeeper Andre Onana was seen applying Vaseline on his gloves during the match against Liverpool, leaving fans curious about why do goalkeepers do so
The incident took place during Manchester United’s recent Premier League match against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Explained why does a football goalkeeper apply Vaseline on his gloves as Andre Onana is seen using lubricant
Andre Onana put Vaseline on his gloves in the middle of the first half vs. Liverpool 🤔 pic.twitter.com/p9bgEL0si5
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 7, 2024
The United shot stopper put up some brilliant performances despite letting two goals in as he faced 15 shots from Liverpool during the first half of the game alone.
Reason behind Andre Onana applying Vaseline on gloves
A television replay during the recent match between Manchester United and Liverpool showed Onana applying Vaseline on his gloves during a break in play. The scene sparked a lot of questions from fans who were curious of the reason behind it. However, upon further investigation, sources close to Onana insisted that it wasn’t Vaseline but a substance designed to improve grip.
Despite this, this wouldn’t be the first time something like this came up as Onana is not the first to do so. Vaseline is an American brand of petroleum jelly-based products and several top goalkeepers in the past have used it. Although the exact science behind it is yet to be proven, several top keepers have backed up on the claims.
Other goalkeepers who used Vaseline on their gloves
During a recent discussion with Coventry City goalkeeper Ben Wilson, former United and England goalkeeper Ben Foster stated:
A lot of the goalkeepers these days are wearing Vaseline on their gloves and I won’t let myself do it. Because I remember the first player I saw do that was Joe Hart in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. He put Vaseline on his gloves and he said ‘Fozzy, honestly, it is a game changer!’”
Foster shared his experiences, stating how he could easily tell which gloves had Vaseline on them during training sessions. He stated that the gloves felt grippier as soon as he caught the ball. In another interview back in 2022, Joe Hart revealed to goalkeeper coach Conor O’Keefe that former Leicester stopper, Kasper Schmeichel introduced him to the technique. Hart stated:
I had finished with Umbro and I was trialling new gloves in pre-season and this Vaseline rumour was around. I thought it can’t work, it doesn’t make any sense. But Kasper (Schmeichel) said ‘put Vaseline on them’ and I trust him because I’m close to him, so I did it and I’ve never looked back.
He further shared how he knew other keepers who chose not to do it out of principle. However, they started rubbing their hands on the ball to get the Vaseline on their gloves as soon as they saw him doing it in training. As things stand, the IFAB, currently has no rule against the use of Vaseline or any other petroleum jelly. As such, Andre Onana and other goalkeepers who choose to use the technique are safe for now.