Gianluigi Buffon on avoiding goalie fails

Arsenal's man between the sticks, David Ospina, made a real clanger in the Champions League this week, dropping the ball into his own net upon catching a corner. But it happens to the best of them. Which is why we asked legendary Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon to tell us five surefire ways to avoid goalkeeping fails.

1. Staying quiet

“I made my Serie A debut as a 17-year-old for Parma against Milan, the champions that year and had Paolo Maldini, George Weah and Roberto Baggio. It would have been easy to stay quiet, but that is not your job. If you don’t organise your defence you are asking for mistakes."

2. Showing Fear

“The Brazilian Ronaldo [Luís Nazáriois] is the best player I have ever faced. At his peak he had no equal, but you cannot allow yourself to show fear. Players of that quality will feed off it."

3. Failing to become a Masochist

“To be a goalkeeper you must be a bit of a masochist. There has to be a part of your brain that knows you will be humiliated and deflated, but keeps telling you to carry on. Once you get through that, it builds you as a player."

4. Letting the occasion get to you

“Whether it’s the World Cup or Champions League final, you treat them like any other game. People always ask me: “What is your best save? It must be the one against Zidane in the World Cup final.” It isn’t my best. The most important, yes, but not the best. They don’t remember the save in a pre-season friendly, but as a goalkeeper you can’t make a distinction between the two."

5. Not accepting you will (eventually) mess up

“No matter how talented a goalkeeper is they will make mistakes. If you go into the next game worrying, the reality is that you are more likely to make one. Accept that you’ve made a mistake, accept that they happen to the best and move on."