Keeping us on the edge of our seats

Saturday’s football was a reminder of how unfair it is that top goalkeepers earn less money than top players in other positions and are almost never considered for individual awards, even though they contribute more to the drama of football than any other type of player.

It’s an essential ingredient of any exciting match that at least one of the goalkeepers plays well. Partly it has to do with the aesthetics of a great save, which is something anyone who has ever played three-and-in can appreciate. From a spectator’s point of view, the most important thing about good goalkeepers is that they protect the value of goals, which is the key to football’s appeal as a spectator sport.

There’s nothing in sport like a goal. I watched the 100m final at the London Olympics from a front-row seat next to the finish line. I’ll never forget the long hush that erupted into a roar with the starter’s pistol, the huge sprinters pounding up the track, a sight that looked close-up more like a cavalry charge than something created by human athletes, the cheers from everyone around me as Usain Bolt powered through to win in an Olympic record, the stadium glittering with thousands of flashes as 80,000 people simultaneously tried to capture the moment.