As a complete goalkeeper of modern football, Andre Onana has a long way to go to reach the position where Ederson is standing.
When asked about Ederson, the first thing that his senior, who is also the current reserve goalkeeper at Man City - Scott Carson - thinks of is: "He really likes physical sports. He really likes mixed martial arts and UFC tournaments."
Carson (left) and Ederson at Man City's training ground. Photo: Reuters
Tonight's Manchester derby sees Ederson face Onana again, after facing each other in last season's Champions League final. When Ederson was playing for Man City, Onana was Inter's former goalkeeper. The Blues won that match 1-0, with the Brazilian helping the Brazilian.
But while Onana only made an impression with a last-minute penalty save in the Champions League win over Copenhagen in midweek, after a difficult start to life in England, Ederson has cemented his place in the City team after six years, and is on the verge of making history. If City win the Premier League again this season, Ederson will become the most successful goalkeeper in the history of the competition with six trophies, surpassing Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel.
Growing up in Sao Paulo, Ederson's hero was goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni - who scored 65 goals from free kicks and penalties in his career. When Ederson joined Benfica, the team's experts exploited him as "weirdly" as Ceni's career. He was taught to play... as a midfielder, something Ederson admitted when recalling: "I was very confused".
But since joining City in 2017, Ederson has been known for his long passes that even professional midfielders would envy. So when Ederson is compared to Schmeichel, Carson's opinion is clear: "The previous generation thought foreign goalkeepers were good with their feet, while English goalkeepers were usually just good at blocking. But for me, Eddie is an exception. Not only is he good with his feet, he is also very brave, he dives in to tackle high balls, and makes great saves."
Carson is not the only goalkeeper he has spoken to who has said the same about Ederson. "Even when we watch from the bench, we are amazed when he makes a long pass to someone," Carson continued. "His fighting spirit is so strong. If the opponent is close, on the next ball, he will actively make contact more fiercely. I grew up in the Schmeichel era, so it's hard to say who is better, because football is different in each era. But I'm not sure Schmeichel can do what Eddie is doing. If you notice, in many matches, when the team is attacking, Ederson is standing in the center circle instead of staying in the penalty area."
Ederson's ability to play with his feet is an important advantage in Man City's playing style. Photo: Reuters
Experts say Edwin van der Sar was the first goalkeeper to unleash the skill of distributing the ball, but Ederson is the one who took it to the top. That is why Erik ten Hag asked Man Utd to spend more than 50 million USD to recruit Onana from Inter, who Ten Hag worked with at Ajax, and knew the potential of his student with his feet. In this skill alone, everyone saw that Onana was better than his predecessor David de Gea. But the start in England was difficult when the Cameroonian goalkeeper made mistakes against Brentford and Galatasaray. Onana also did not contribute significantly to the game. 11 goals in nine Premier League matches of Man United did not have the mark of this goalkeeper.
"The main job of a goalkeeper is to save goals," Ten Hag defended his player. "Of course, football today requires goalkeepers to participate in building the game, but the Premier League is super fast and intense. The league is so different from the rest that everyone needs time to get used to it."
Onana (blue) celebrates after saving a penalty at the end of the Copenhagen Champions League match. Photo: AP
Man Utd fans will hope Onana has come through his toughest times. His last-minute penalty save against Copenhagen and his incredible save from Jacob Larsson's spot-kick on Tuesday could be his turning point in a red shirt.
Onana will have another important test against Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez tonight, all the more so after David De Gea made a mistake in last season's FA Cup final against Man City that led to Ilkay Gundogan's decisive goal. Onana needs to prove his talent against Ederson, and that he is worthy of replacing De Gea in goal.
Hieu Do
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