During a recent match broadcast, the camera cut to Andre Onana right after he made a save against Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai. In his hands, he held a tub of Vaseline, which he proceeded to smear on his gloves. The commentators found this amusing and questioned his choice of product.
As the camera shifted away, I quickly snapped a photo of Onana with the Vaseline and texted it to Robin Streifert, the goalkeeper for my club Angelholms FF in the Swedish third division, captioned, “Looks like Onana is in the know!”
“Yeah, I had a chat with him about it last week!” Robin joked.
I vividly recall the first time Robin introduced me to using Vaseline on gloves. It was at our post-summer break training session when he took out a jar of Vaseline and began applying it to his gloves and even the goalpost. Initially, I was puzzled by this unconventional technique, but his improved grip convinced me to give it a try.
After trying it out for myself and experiencing a noticeable enhancement in my grip, I became intrigued. The Vaseline revitalized my old gloves and provided a better grip on the ball. Despite the need for occasional reapplications, the benefits were undeniable.
Onana rises high to claim a cross (Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Curious about the effectiveness of Vaseline, I delved into research to understand why it worked. Moisturizing the latex of the gloves and repelling water and grime, Vaseline aids in maintaining grip by preventing the latex from deteriorating.
Fascinated by Onana’s use of Vaseline, I reached out to Karl-Johan Johnsson to learn more. Karl shared his initial skepticism, gradual adaptation, and the positive impact Vaseline had on his game, particularly in wet conditions.
Kalle shows off his Vaseline-covered gloves (Romain Perrocheau/AFP via Getty Images)
Karl emphasized the mental boost Vaseline provided, boosting his confidence in catching the ball, especially in challenging conditions. His refined application process and routine now ensure optimal performance with Vaseline.
Despite some initial skepticism, Karl’s experience with Vaseline convinced his peers at various clubs to adopt the practice, yielding positive results and newfound confidence in their goalkeeping abilities.
(Top photo: Andre Onana; by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)