After Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana was spotted using Vaseline on his gloves on Sunday, the seemingly bizarre act has now been explained.
United held Premier League title-challengers Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on Sunday, a result that saw their quest for a potential UEFA Champions League spot take another hit as they are now 11 points adrift of the qualifying positions.
It was also another busy day for Red Devils No. 1 Onana as he faced seven shots on target from Liverpool, who attempted 28 shots on goal during the match.
With many eyes on Onana during the tie as a result, there was one moment in the first half that sparked a widespread reaction on social media.
After saving a shot from Mohamed Salah, the Cameroonian was seen applying Vaseline to his gloves as he prepared for a Reds corner.
Why Onana Applied Vaseline on his gloves when Manchester United was playing Liverpool yesterday? pic.twitter.com/fQeRHmbNJl
— Ben?? (@KenOmenyi) April 8, 2024
Many were left confused by this, with some believing the petroleum jelly could make handling the ball a lot harder.
However, former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster has since offered an explanation for Onana's act.
"It's hard to explain, but if we were in a training session, I could tell which one had Vaseline on their gloves, because as soon as you caught the ball, it does feel grippier," the former United keeper said, as reported by The Athletic.
Foster also claimed ex-England 'keeper Joe Hart was the first goalkeeper he saw taking the approach, at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
"He [Hart] put Vaseline on his gloves and he said 'Fozzy, honestly, it is a game-changer!'"
Hart has previously explained, during an interview in 2022 with goalkeeper coach Conor O'Keefe, how he was introduced to the Vaseline method by former Leicester City shot-stopper Kasper Schmeichel.
"I had finished with Umbro and I was trialling new gloves in pre-season, and this Vaseline rumour was around. I thought it can't work, it doesn't make any sense," Hart said at the time.
"But Kasper said 'put Vaseline on them' and I trust him because I'm close to him, so I did it and I've never looked back.
"I've known lads not to do it out of principle, but as soon as I did it in training, I'd see them go to the ball and start rubbing their hands on the ball to get the Vaseline on their gloves."
Onana has kept the joint-third-most clean sheets in the 2023/24 Premier League season, trailing only Everton captain Jordan Pickford in second place and Arsenal shot-stopper David Raya in first.
Furthermore, despite much criticism earlier this season, the Cameroon star's position as the No. 1 at Old Trafford is uncontested, having started all 31 Premier League games for the club so far.
