Cult Goalkeeping: Rogerio Ceni

Image by: Galaxie Sport

I had the opportunity to meet Rogerio Ceni and see him play years ago, and I would tell anyone that he is a solid goalkeeper. What I've noticed recently, though, is that his goalkeeping prowess seems to be a bit inflated, or overly-hyped. From where is this hype coming? It's from what can only be described as a following... a following that is fanatically trying to get their man into the spotlight.

FIFA.com has started a "Have Your Say" series which asks online users to vote for who they think is the best in different categories. Can you guess who won the "best goalkeeper" poll? That's right, Ceni. Among the many praising comments were many that in one way or another claimed if his goalkeeping isn't enough "Rogerio is still the greatest goalkeeper marksman in the history of football". Excuse me if I sound a bit naive, but what exactly does being able to score goals have to do with being a great goalkeeper? Would it help a goalkeeper catch more crosses or make more saves if he could score? I just don't see how goalscoring ability can ever be used to measure goalkeeping ability.

The argument that Ceni's impressive goalscoring record (78, all for Sao Paulo F.C.) makes him a better goalkeeper is the type of illogical reasoning that made me associate his status with that of a cult classic movie. Like cult movie followers, Ceni's have become so enamoured by the uniqueness of his goalscoring ability that they are using it disproportionately to judge his overall goalkeeping quality. It's like watching your kid make an 'A' in math, a 'B' in everything else, but then telling all your friends that he or she is an 'A' student.

Goalkeeping is about more than just one talent, it is about having a complete set of fine-tuned abilities that are both mental and physical. Ceni has reached a high level of ability in many different areas, but take away the goalscoring and think to yourself, how does Ceni's shot-stopping compare to that of Gianluigi Buffon or Petr Cech? How about his handling? His ability to deal with crosses? His ability 1 vs. 1? I think you'll find that Buffon and Cech, by goalkeeping standards, are in a completely different league. Yet, in the FIFA.com poll "finishing a distant second was Gianluigi Buffon, winner of the Lev Yashin award for his efforts at Germany 2006".

The fact that Buffon finished a "distant" second is one of the hints at the fanatical nature of Ceni's following. He may not be your personal favorite, but I don't think anyone would say Buffon is a "distant" second to any goalkeeper on the planet right now. However, cult followings tend to share a type of mob mentality that subjectively judges competing figures, in Ceni's case the likes of Buffon, Cech, Jose "Pepe" Reina, Edwin Van Der Sar, etc. In essence, a cult classic in any category is something unique in a way that propels its fans to view it as having no competition. So, as previously mentioned, is Buffon really a distant second to any goalkeeper? Is your favorite goalkeeper so great that there is only a distant second? If you answered no to both of those questions that is good. That means you view goalkeeping objectively, not subjectively, and at least put thought into the claims you make about who the best goalkeepers are. Because, as we all know, there are constantly between 2 and 5 goalkeepers narrowly competing for that title.

Ceni's charismatic shock wave isn't just focused on online polls, either. The fanatical clout of Ceni's following has even sent tremors all the way to Dunga, the Brazilian national team coach, who has decided on Julio Cesar as Brazil's #1 in an upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Uruguay. The match is to be played at the Morumbi stadium, the home of Sao Paulo F.C., where Dunga and Julio Cesar seem be be anticipating a demonstration in favor of the left-out Ceni. In a Guardian interview, when asked about the probability of an active pro-Ceni crowd, Dunga wisely pandered to Ceni's fans and stood by his decision at the same time:

"I don't know what's going to happen at the Morumbi, but if there is a demonstration by the crowd in favour of Rogerio, it will be more than deserved. He's an excellent goalkeeper who is good enough to play for the national team. But some players are not here because of one small detail or another."

Later Dunga gave some more reasoning as to why he chose to leave out Ceni, by applauding Julio Cesar and Brazil's #2, Doni:

"Julio Cesar and Doni are here on merit. Doni was decisive at the Copa America and Julio is playing well in the qualifiers. Whoever plays for Brazil has to deal with this kind of pressure."

The fact that Ceni has been left out of the team to face Uruguay, coupled with his mere 16 international appearances at 34 years of age seems to supply another bit of evidence pointing toward his cult status. FIFA.com's online users claimed that Ceni is the best in the world, but how can a goalkeeper be the best in the world if he's not even the best from his country? Drawing on previously used examples, would anyone argue that Buffon is the best from Italy, or that Cech is the best from Czechoslovakia? Of course not, and those two don't even score goals.

Realize one thing about the hype that is currently surrounding Rogerio Ceni: it is just hype. I don't say that to diminish what he has done. He has won a lot for Sao Paulo F.C., is widely renown in Brazil for his scoring ability and respected for his goalkeeping ability. These elements coupled with his charismatic team leadership have created electric popularity, which is awesome, but should not be confused with goalkeeping ability. Once again, I would tell anyone that Ceni is a solid goalkeeper, even edging on great, but he has never approached the arena of contention for world's best goalkeeper based on goalkeeping standards. The lauded Rogerio Ceni you are hearing about is, in reality, cult stardom in the realm of goalkeeping.