Ederson’s weird secret: The Manchester City goalkeeper has played in the same pair of boxer shorts all season

June 5, 2023 Sports 1 Views

Ederson has performed exceptionally in goal this season, with Manchester City needing just one win – against Inter Milan in the Champions League final – to secure a historic treble.

There could be reason behind City’s success, too, with the Brazilian keeper having played in the same boxer shorts all season. While generally not a fan of unfounded belief, Ederson explains it’s a different situation when it comes to his undies.

“I’m not that superstitious, to be honest,” Ederson tell FourFourTwo. I’ve had just one superstition for a long time now. I play every match with the same boxers…”

When FFT asks him how old those boxers really are, Ederson clarifies.

“No! Every season I get some new ones. Then, when the season ends, I thank them for their work and they go straight into the bin.”

When coupling his lucky pants with the fact he has to face Erling Haaland in training everyday, it’s no wonder Ederson has conceded just 39 goals in 47 games in all competitions for Manchester City this season.

Having to save shots from the most prolific goalscorer in Europe this season in training will certainly improve any goalkeeper, and Ederson alludes to the Norwegian striker being even more deadly in front of goal away from the glare of TV cameras and watching fans.

“Take the matches as examples,” Ederson says. “If he’s so cold-blooded on huge occasions in packed stadiums, imagine him in training sessions when there’s no pressure on him at all!

“He’s such a dedicated guy, who trains extremely hard and looks after himself. It was the only piece missing in our jigsaw and he fitted in perfectly. He doesn’t talk loads, but just look at his goals tally.”

Unfortunately for Ederson, though, is that he has to compete with Alisson for the Brazil No. 1 shirt, arguably the most hotly contested goalkeeping position in world football.

The Manchester City man has regularly had to settle for a place on the bench, accumulating just 19 appearances for Brazil compared to his Liverpool counterpart’s 61. Ederson doesn’t see this as huge rivalry, though, instead focusing on what he can do to hopefully force his way into the starting XI.

“I’m a persistent person who knows to wait for my chance to come,” Ederson explains. “A similar scenario happened to me in Portugal, at Rio Ave, then at Benfica.

“Now it’s happening with the Brazil national team, but that doesn’t impact my work ethic or dedication. Regardless of being a starter or not, I always practise as if I’ll be in the starting XI, and having that mindset helped me to be ready when the opportunity came up at Rio Ave and Benfica.

“I have to be patient. It’s down to the manager and the backroom staff to pick what team they think is best for each match.”