People Think This Clip Of A Penalty Kick In Blind Soccer Is Pretty Freakin’ Cool

You will not believe this clip from a blind soccer match — or at least that’s the consensus on social media.

NBCpublished a clip Tuesday on the X social media platform from the 2024 Paris Paralympics that shows “how a penalty kick works in blind soccer.” The clip comes from a match between Brazil and France on Monday at the Eiffel Tower Stadium. 

In the clip, a blindfolded Jardiel Vieira Soares of Team Brazil is awarded a penalty kick. But before he can attempt to score a goal, a guide taps both side posts of the goal so Jardiel can hear where they are located. After figuring out where his target is, Jardiel then slams the ball past France’s goalie. 

Jardiel was apparently so pleased with his performance that he posted a clip of his penalty kick to his own Instagram account. Users on X, formerly Twitter, were amazed by Jardiel’s skill as well — or were impressed with the accessibility of blind soccer, calling it “dope.”

“I have definitely been sleeping on blind soccer,” one user said. 

“You can’t tell me this isn’t more impressive than regular penalties dawg,” another X user said.

Others had similar thoughts:

There were also a few X users who were a bit cautious about the game’s rules.

Blind soccer, which is known in most parts of the world as blind football, is akin to traditional soccer but has some very cool tweaks for players who have varying degrees of blindness or low vision. 

Blindness is a spectrum, and some people who are legally blind have some sight. So to make things fair, every outfield player wears a blindfold, per the International Paralympics Committee (IPC). Goalkeepers do not wear blindfolds and must be at least partially sighted. Teams are also allowed to have sighted guides to assist players, as seen in the clip above.

Due to players’ total blindness, they have to rely on two key senses: touch and sound. 

Touch is utilized in a pretty simplistic way: Once a player feels the ball on their feet, the idea is to keep it there. 

To enhance the sense of sound, the ball used in the game is filled with bearings that make it rattle as it moves. Fans are asked to keep quiet during play so that the players can hear the ball. Players also yell “Voy!” (Spanish for “I’m going”) as a warning when they think they’re about to collide with another player, according to The Guardian.

The pitch, or field, is surrounded by low boards so that the ball doesn’t get lost, according to the IPC.

Team Brazil has dominated the sport since it was introduced at the Paralympics in Athens 2004 and has won gold at each Paralympic Game, according to the IPC.

This year looks no different. Brazil won its match Monday against France and beat China on Tuesday. Team Brazil will move on to play Argentina at the men’s semifinals Thursday. 

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