If Charlie Chaplin played soccer: goalkeeper, rated 86

Charlie Chaplin as a soccer player: scouting report

Charlie Chaplin would play in goal, because nobody in film history was better at falling, spinning and landing exactly where he meant to. As the Tramp he tumbled down stairs, dodged policemen and skated blindfolded near a sheer drop in Modern Times, all with perfect control. That is a goalkeeper's body control, and his goalkeeping is the best part of his card. He gets across his line in a flash and turns a shot around the post with a dive that looks half accident, half ballet.

His dribbling is right behind, which makes him a keeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. A striker who presses him will find him ducking past with a little shuffle, like the famous dance of the bread rolls in The Gold Rush. He started out as a boy performer in the London music halls and later toured with Fred Karno's comedy troupe, so his timing was sharpened in front of live crowds long before cameras came along. His pace is strong too, so he can rush off his line to snuff out a through ball.

Physical strength is the weak spot. In a crowded box on a corner he will get bumped, so put a big, commanding center back in front of him to win the aerial battles. Fullback and winger are his next best spots, both built on that quickness and footwork. He also wrote the music for many of his own films and cofounded United Artists, so he likes to run the whole production himself. For a drafter, he is a sweeper keeper with real flair. Take him if you want a goalkeeper who helps build from the back.

Plays like An acrobatic, agile keeper who makes impossible saves look funny

Put Charlie Chaplin in your lineup

11 rolls, a starting eleven, 38 matches. Can you go 38-0? Free, no account.