Goalkeepers see the world differently.
Goalkeepers see the world differently to the average person
It is a well-worn football cliche that the man in between the posts is crazy and scientists have revealed the "first solid evidence" that players in the position show "fundamental" differences in terms of perception.
This helps them to make quick decisions based on "limited or incomplete sensory information" that can determine if a team wins or loses a match.
The study has been led by Michael Quinn - a retired professional goalkeeper and psychology graduate from Dublin City University in Ireland - who said: "Unlike other football players, goalkeepers are required to make thousands of very fast decisions based on limited or incomplete sensory information.
"This led us to predict that goalkeepers would possess an enhanced capacity to combine information from the different senses, and this hypothesis was confirmed by our results."