r.vivian literary agency

Synopsis

The book tells the story of a goalkeeper from his youth to the first team.

We discuss elements of an athlete's footballing life that are a metaphor for our own individual lives: predisposition, talent, training, and dedication. We focus in particular on one aspect: "intuition," which we follow when faced with alternative choices.
This intuitive ability is both a talent and the result of mental, personal, and character growth.

The development of this ability is recounted by following the young athlete's evolutionary steps and culminates in a surprising ending that condenses his entire journey: at the crucial point of his career, the goalkeeper finds himself face to face with his opponent during a penalty kick that will determine his team's victory or defeat in the final of a crucial tournament. For the first time in his career, the goalkeeper waits for his intuition to tell him which direction to dive to save the penalty (an intuition that, once developed within him, has always guided him psychologically and physically, making him an astonishing champion), but it doesn't come. The opponent begins his run-up, and the goalkeeper waits for the intuition to save the penalty, waiting at every step of the opponent, waiting until the moment he is about to kick. But no intuition comes to his aid, and so he stands motionless on the goal line in despair. The player opts for an arrogant chip, and the ball simply flies into the goalkeeper's arms. No intuition, no choice: they were the right thing to do.