Okay, this is awesome.
Following his penalty save against Aston Villa at the weekend, watch above, Tim Howard has openly admitted his PK saved didn’t come from any powers of goalkeeping… but instead it was his bushy beard that made all the difference.
As Christian Benteke strode up confidently to the spot kick Howard guessed the right way but dove down too low. Benteke lifted the ball off the ground, and as the ball looked to be speeding past Howard, the U.S. national team star flicked his hand out to knock it over the bar and celebrate with gusto and bravado.
Speaking to Everton FC’s website afterward, Howard hailed his furry companion.
“I think I’ve gained most of my strength from it [the beard],” Howard laughed.
There you have it folks, looks like that beard will be sticking around for quite some time, and Howard was sporting his fine beard for NBC Sports whilst calling Chelsea vs. Manchester City on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. It looks good in a suit and a soccer jersey. Versatile.
Now, as often seems to be the case these days, things have gotten a little out of hand and there’s been a Twitter handle devoted to Howard’s luscious locks on the end of his chin since just before the USMNT beat Mexico last month. Plenty of banter has been flying around about the USMNT ‘keepers affection for his facial hair, and it seems like the small forest growing on the end of Howard’s face may well become folklore. Expect to see plenty of young ‘keepers desperately applying rogain to their chin in the neext few weeks as they aim to get ‘the Howard effect.’
But Howard did have some serious words to say about his tremendous PK save.
“Benteke is a strong boy and very powerful so I thought he might go to the right. For a right-footer, that’s his power side,” Howard said. “To be honest, I didn’t get it quite right as he went high but I got a little bit of luck, reacted and kept it out.”
Bravo Tim… and you know, the beard.
