Lloris, Martínez and the penalties

Hugo Lloris, 36 years old and 145 internationals with France, announced this week his departure from the French team, of which he has been captain in this last World Cup (and in the last six major tournaments played by France), in which the Gauls fell in the final in a penalty shootout.

Lloris completes, in addition to those impressive 145 games, a record that brings together a World Cup, a League of Nations and two runners-up, one world-wide, the other European.

Come on, a showcase full of trophies and achievements at the national team level and an excellent competitive level in the top competition of national teams and clubs.

With Tottenham he has played in the Champions League final and has maintained a magnificent level, always serious, always competitive, without an extra tick, without a fuss, always correct, always polished, always reliable.

In the interview for

in which he announced his resignation, Lloris was questioned about that penalty shootout in which Argentina beat the French by the hand and took the trophy to Buenos Aires.

Among the questions there was one comparing his style in the decisive round, serious, focused, always on the ball (the one that according to Luis Aragonés never cheats), respectful of the rival, respectful of classic football, with the style of

Martínez, goalkeeper from Argentina who resorted to all the tricks there were and could be to get the French shooters out of their concentration to make them doubt their convictions, perhaps opening a loophole for each one of them to think about what was the best option instead of arriving with a fixed idea and executing it.

Lloris answered, more or less, that there are things that he does not know how to do;

for example, fooling around in goal, ostensibly destabilizing the rival by playing with the limits.

And he explained it by confessing that he is too rational, too honest to play in that field.

And what do you want me to tell you, yes, I felt portrayed in that description of the French goalkeeper, I recognized myself in that portrait and in that way of thinking.

To complete his reasoning, I would say that the problem with wanting to destabilize the rival, the shooter, is that in the process, in the gesture and the word used to cause doubt to settle in the shooter's brain, at that very moment, your concentration of serious goalkeeper goes down the drain and the one who is misplaced is you.

And that surely the final round of a World Cup final is not the place to start changing your style.

If you think about experimenting, these things should be done, what do I know, in a summer tournament, in a minor competition and surely little by little you won't drift in the attempt.

Although, having seen the results, there was already speculation in the French sports press about the advisability of having a goalkeeper on the next list for a major competition who has a special ability for penalties.

Which would mean that you have to save a change until the last minute of extra time in the style of those players who come out only to take a penalty in the final round.

That is, the specialist of the specialist.

I have also experienced that in the first game in which Juan Carlos Unzué and myself shared a dressing room at Barça.

It was the tournament in Mallorca and Johan took Juan Carlos out for the penalty shootout.

Still neither Unzué nor I know how to describe our faces, our looks, when we cross paths: Surprise?

Comprehension?

Perplexity?

Good luck?

I have nothing to do with this?

Everything and none of it.

And yes, we won and played the final.

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