Finding analogies between the style of play of soccer nations and the characteristics of character attributed to the people of that country is a widespread occupation during major soccer tournaments.

Often enough, however, the theses that arise from such considerations are a bit weird.

The old stories of the relentlessly efficient Germans, the dancing Brazilians or the flighty French have been refuted many times over. However, the thoughts of the Swiss writer Pedro Lenz on the abundance of exceptionally strong goalkeepers in the small country are worth a closer look.

Lenz once tried to explain the amazing talent for goalkeeping in his home country by stating: "Avoiding mistakes is one of our main national virtues." Other performers have linked the Swiss ability to keep banking secrets with the guarding of football goals brought.

Even Patrick Foletti, the goalkeeping coach of the national team, who on this Sunday evening (6:00 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship and on MagentaTV) has a chance of reaching the round of 16 with a win against Turkey despite the poor performance so far, spoke across the street the Neue Zürcher Zeitung once from a "mentality of reliability and security" of his compatriots.

Permanently great goalkeepers

Such considerations can never be fully proven, too many factors are relevant to the training of good goalkeepers.

It is indisputable, however, that the football nation produced great goalkeepers not just for a historic moment, but permanently.

At Borussia Dortmund, three Swiss people are currently under contract for this position: Roman Bürki, Marwin Hitz and Gregor Kobel, who has just been signed up by VfB Stuttgart;

where Bürki is looking for a new club.

The 23-year-old Kobel is the new number 1 at BVB and a highly talented keeper who “built his career very cool and clever,” says former national goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler.

"What I notice about him is his will, he's actually very calm, but in the action he's there, he's an animal."

Yann Sommer, who guards the gate at Borussia Mönchengladbach and is number 1 in the "Nati", as the national selection is affectionately known, is a little quieter.

However, Sommer flew home last Thursday to help his wife with the birth of their second daughter, Nayla.

But he was a little late.

“Of course I wished that I could do it in time,” he said, adding: “For me, the joy outweighed when I got to the hospital.

Then the other thing was already forgotten. "Sommer described the situation as follows:" I was able to take my wife and my little one in my arms.

That was really nice.

Our children met for the first time.

There is nothing much nicer. "