Isolated and always in the line of fire, goalkeepers are widely accepted to hold the beautiful game’s most pressurised position. Dino Zoff, however, described the role as “making me feel safe”. “I felt like I was in charge of a place in particular, a place that I had to protect and, in turn, protected me,” he explained in his autobiography. “It was my place in the world.”
If Zoff – who turns 80 today - felt safe and protected standing in goal, fans, team-mates and coaches experienced the same sensations simply by seeing him there. For over two decades, he was one of the most consistent, reliable and unflappable keepers on the planet; a man who, in the words of Enzo Bearzot, “stayed calm during the toughest and the most exhilarating moments”.
