The odyssey of the goalkeeper who wants to stop Barça

BarcelonaAfter a year to forget, Sevilla are smiling with the arrival of a goalkeeper who has brought hope to the club coached by Matías Almeyda. Despite going a season without playing a single minute, Odisseas Vlachodimos arrived on loan at Nervión and only needed three games to become the new reference between the sticks. This Sunday, he will be in charge of stopping Barça's attack, which arrives at the Pizjuán as leaders (4:15 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

The Greek goalkeeper made his debut at home against an Alavés side that barely troubled him. But he began to show what he is capable of against Villarreal, despite Sevilla ultimately losing that match. His triumph came on the final matchday in Vallecas, where he turned out to be a hero with six saves, one of them in the 94th minute, which was key to securing the three points against Rayo Vallecano.

That's three games and three goals conceded, albeit with one clean sheet and an average of four saves per match. This reflects the immediate impact of a goalkeeper who has returned hungry for prominence and with the reliability Sevilla desperately needed.

Meme meat

But the Greek goalkeeper's prominence isn't just explained by his performance. It's well known that Seville is a joke. However, his name has ignited social media, where fans have found fertile ground for wordplay. Vlachodimos is pronounced in Spanish similarly to "lachodimos" we screwed up, which means that every mention of it during match commentary inevitably brings to mind this expression. Social media has been filled with memes and tweets featuring this joke, and it has become a true viral phenomenon beyond the pitch.

It was already known that his name was a source of jokes. But, as if that weren't enough, it turns out that the goalkeeper has signed for Sevilla at a time when the Andalusians are going through one of the worst periods in their recent history. The coincidence between his name and the ironic expression seems to perfectly sum up the feeling of an odyssey that fans have been experiencing in recent years, with institutional instability, sporting irregularities, and many problems with signings, which left them out of the Champions League, and lost key income for complying with the fair play of the League. That's why many fans use the double meaning ofOdyssey and we screwed up as a reflection of the turbulent times the club has suffered.

Example of overcoming

Vlachodimos's story also has an element of personal growth. Trained at Stuttgart and established at Benfica, the goalkeeper endured difficult times last season, losing his starting place and going almost twelve months without playing a single official minute. Far from sinking, the Greek maintained his physical and mental fitness, and now Sevilla is the big beneficiary of his perseverance.

Odisseas will look to continue his streak this weekend against Barça, who will visit Seville hoping to maintain their lead. However, the Catalan side has failed to beat the Greek goalkeeper on any occasion they have faced. The Blaugranas failed to score a single goal in their 2021 European clash against Benfica at Da Luz, where the Greek was defending the eagles and they defeated Koeman's team 3-0.

The following match at Camp Nou ended in a goalless draw, and Vlachodimos showed his mettle. These four points helped Benfica advance to the knockout stages and eliminate Barça from the Champions League. This Sunday, player and team will face off again against a Barça side that tops the La Liga standings and a goalkeeper who is in extraordinary form. He is Sevilla's hope of grabbing a point against Hansi Flick's team.