A few weeks after putting on a goalkeeping clinic for our filming in east London, Lawrence Vigouroux was instinctively sticking out a leg to deny Cristiano Ronaldo his 144th international goal.The Chile international enjoyed one of his best performances for his country against Portugal in Lisbon on the eve of the ongoing World Cup.
Lawrence Vigouroux a dizer não 😢#sporttvportugal #FUTEBOLnaSPORTTV #JogodePreparação #Portugal #Chile pic.twitter.com/UH7MXZWZCW
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) June 6, 2026In the penultimate part of our How To Series, which has so far covered dribbling, shooting, passing and set pieces, Vigouroux talks us through the art of goalkeeping.With the help of 18-year-old Kieran Bassom, Vigouroux demonstrates how to cleanly strike a goal kick, shows the technique behind the sidewinder that’s transformed how goalkeepers distribute the ball from their hands, goes through the dos and don’ts of claiming a cross, and explains the small but significant foot movement that can be the difference between making a top save and conceding a goal…Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic appKicking from the groundSimple enough, right? In reality, though, it’s easy to get this wrong, often because young goalkeepers in particular try to hit the ball too hard in their search for distance, thinking that effort is the critical factor in how far their goal kick travels.Vigouroux is an adult, and of course that makes a difference when it comes to leg strength, but it’s still striking to see how relaxed he is when he addresses the ball. At the point of contact, Vigouroux is leaning back, which helps to get the ball airborne, but he is also trusting his technique, rather than trying to wallop the leather off the ball. Interestingly, he talks about using visualisation to help with his kicking, too.In terms of the kicking action, Vigouroux shifts his hips to the right to open up the room to strike through the ball with his left boot, moving all the weight onto the outside of his non-kicking foot. It’s easy and effortless, and a product of the muscle memory that comes with repetition, typically formed at a young age.Robert Sanchez, the Chelsea goalkeeper, gave an interview back in 2021, talking about his own challenges with striking the ball growing up.“If you saw me seven years ago (at the age of 17), I literally couldn’t kick the ball, it was unbelievable,” Sanchez told Sky Sports. “I just listened to my coaches and practised, practised, practised. That’s what got me to this level.”Although football has evolved and teams now play out from the back in a way that is unrecognisable from the game that we knew years ago — a 2019-20 law change that allows players to pass to a team-mate who is within their penalty area when taking a goal kick is one of several factors behind that — the longer ball from a goalkeeper, or longer ‘pass’ to give it a better description now, has huge value.Goalkeepers are targeting individuals and not just areas with these, and that makes the quality of their ball-striking crucial from both goal kicks and open play, where their ability to hit a longer pass can open up goalscoring opportunities.Ederson, the Brazil and Fenerbahce goalkeeper, was brilliant at that during his time at Manchester City, often picking out Sergio Aguero or, in later years, Erling Haaland with long, arrowed passes.
