Zuberbühler: Goalkeepers must play like midfielders now
Swiss legend and FIFA analyst Pascal Zuberbühler says the pure shot-stopper is dead—today’s keepers need elite footwork to survive the 2026 World Cup’s tactical demands.
The pure shot-stopper is extinct. Pascal Zuberbühler, the 51-cap Swiss goalkeeper turned FIFA analyst, says the 2026 World Cup has buried the era of goalkeepers who exist solely to stop shots. Today’s keepers must be sweepers with midfield-level ball skills, or risk becoming liabilities in a game that demands constant progression from the back.
Zuberbühler’s diagnosis is blunt: the modern goalkeeper is now an outfield player in gloves. High pressing, aggressive defensive lines, and tactical systems that prioritize buildup through the goalkeeper have made the traditional role obsolete. “The game has moved on,” he says.
