If Madonna played soccer: goalkeeper, rated 86

Madonna as a soccer player: scouting report

Madonna goes in goal, and reinvention is the case for it. Goalkeeping has changed more than any other position in the modern game, from shot stoppers who stayed on their line to sweeper keepers who play like an extra defender, and nobody in this pool has built a career on changing with the times quite like she has. Goalkeeping is the best part of her card, so the basics come first: reflexes, angles and command of her area when the corners come in.

Her passing is the next best mark, and that is what makes her a modern keeper. She studied dance at the University of Michigan before moving to New York in 1978, and a dancer's footwork shows when a striker presses her: one touch to set, one to play the ball into midfield. Her physical strength lets her claim crosses in a crowded box, and her defending means she is happy to sweep up balls played over the top of her back line. Guinness World Records has recognized her as the best selling female recording artist of all time, and that kind of longevity is exactly what a manager wants from a goalkeeper.

Shooting is the soft spot, which matters about as little as it possibly could for a keeper; she will not be taking free kicks. Center back is a surprisingly solid second spot thanks to her strength and defending, and central midfield is close behind it. Pair her with center backs who are comfortable receiving the ball under pressure, and draft her among the first keepers off the board if you want to build out from the back.

Plays like A ball playing keeper who reinvents the build up every season

Put Madonna in your lineup

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