Oscarine Masuluke – The Shortest Goalkeeper in FIFA 22
Standing at just 5‘7" (170 cm), Baroka F.C.‘s Oscarine Masuluke is the shortest playable goalkeeper in FIFA 22‘s current database. With a bronze 58 rating, Masuluke‘s lack of height clearly hampers his shot-stopping abilities. However, his 85 agility enables nimble mobility that many taller goalkeepers lack.
How Height Impacts Goalkeeper Performance in FIFA
A goalkeeper‘s height plays a major role in their capability to save shots in FIFA. Here‘s a breakdown:
Reaching High Shots
Taller goalkeepers have an easier time leaping and reaching top shelf shots. Shorter GKs may struggle to tip balls over the bar, allowing more goals.
Diving Range
With longer arms and bigger hands, tall goalkeepers also cover more of the net when diving. Shorter GKs may not be able to reach shots a 6‘5" player could.
Claiming Crosses
Height is also crucial for keepers when claiming crosses or corners. A 5‘7" GK will lose most aerial battles against towering center backs.
Presence in the Box
Bigger goalkeepers are more imposing coming off their line or challenging strikers. Shorter GKs are more easily rounded.
So while Masuluke can react quickly thanks to his 85 agility, his 5‘7" frame still puts him at a major disadvantage in key goalkeeping situations.
Using Short Goalkeepers In-Game
I tested out Oscarine Masuluke in net to see if his agility could help overcome his short stature. While he made some decent reaction saves, he struggled badly on crosses and corners, rarely coming out to claim the ball.
Many players on FIFA forums like Reddit have also tried shorter goalkeepers with mixed results:
"Masuluke lets in way too many goals at the near post. Taller keepers would easily save those."
"My 5‘9" pro clubs keeper has crazy reflexes. But corners are impossible to defend."
The consensus seems to be that while shorter GKs can make some incredible reflex saves, their lack of height leads to too many easily preventable goals.
Rating Shortest Goalkeepers in Recent FIFAs
Here‘s a look at some of the shortest goalkeepers in recent FIFA games and how their height has impacted their ratings and in-game performance:
| FIFA Game | Shortest GK | Height | Rating | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA 22 | Oscarine Masuluke | 5‘7" (170 cm) | 58 | Agile but really struggles on crosses and corners |
| FIFA 21 | Daniel Skretteberg | 5‘11" (180 cm) | 50 | Terrible handling (32), positioning (28) and diving (5) ratings |
| FIFA 20 | Kazuki Yamaguchi Hiroto Nakagawa | 5‘1" (155 cm) | 57-58 | Yamaguchi has better diving (42) than taller alternative (Nakagawa 31) |
| FIFA 19 | N/A | N/A | N/A | No notably short GKs |
| FIFA 18 | Oscar Perez | 5‘8" (173 cm) | 69 | Decent reflexes (76) and speed (74) but only 50 positioning |
A few clear patterns emerge:
- Short GKs universally have poor handling, diving and/or positioning ratings
- They often compensate somewhat with good agility, reflexes, and speed
- In-game, they make some great reaction stops but allow more soft goals
It‘s incredibly rare to see a short goalkeeper with even an average overall rating. Their lack of height simply compromises too many crucial goalkeeping attributes.
Why Don‘t We See More Short Goalkeepers?
When you consider the impact of height outlined above, it‘s not surprising that short goalkeepers are a rarity in real life and in FIFA.
The tallest active professional goalkeeper is Costel Pantilimon at 6‘8" (203 cm). The average for top European league starters remains around 6‘2" (188 cm).
Shorter keepers do emerge occasionally thanks to remarkable agility and/or pure shot-stopping ability. Real Betis starter Rui Silva stands at 5‘11" (181 cm). And 5‘9" Jorge Campos enjoyed a long professional career across Mexico and the USA.
But it‘s tough for many clubs to justify relying on an undersized keeper with clear aerially vulnerabilities rather than a taller alternative.
In FIFA franchise history, we‘ve never seen a genuinely world-class, short goalkeeper emerge as the consensus best option. Unless they receive a significant height boost via training, short youth academy GKs rarely pan out either.
Could Short Goalkeepers Become More Viable In FIFA?
For all their shot-stopping struggles, modern football has seen goalkeepers take on a greater role in build-up play and distribution.
Perhaps if FIFA began rating short GKs with superior foot skills, dribbling, vision, etc. they could carve out a niche role for certain playing styles. Imagine an agile, 5‘7" keeper adept at controlling loose balls and starting counter attacks.
Of course, they would still need major boosts in key goalkeeping attributes like diving (99), handling (99), and positioning (99) to overcome their height disadvantage.
In reality, we‘ll likely continue to see tall, athletic goalkeepers dominate. But it‘s fun to imagine what a new breed of quick, skilled, short stoppers could bring to FIFA!
Conclusion
From the data and analysis above, it‘s clear Oscarine Masuluke‘s diminutive 5‘7" frame makes him the shortest goalkeeper in FIFA 22. While he displays good agility, his lack of height severely limits his capability in net.
Short goalkeepers have emerged periodically throughout the FIFA series and real-life football. But their aerial and shot-stopping vulnerabilities ensure we‘re unlikely to ever see a truly top-class short GK thrive in the modern game.
That said, I had fun experimenting with Masuluke! Let me know if you give him or any other short goalkeepers a try in your FIFA 22 career modes or pro clubs.
