As a kid I hated running, which is how I ended up starting my goalkeeping career. At 6, I figured: Stand in one place for an hour and block a ball a few times? Let’s get it!!! Unfortunately for me, I quickly learned keepers were actually supposed to be in the best shape of everyone. With time, I fell in love with the position, the high-flying and semi-mind-reading art of it, eventually dedicating seven nights a week to training; the summer camps at nearby universities and 1-on-1 keeper sessions at the local Nike field became some of the most beloved and vivid memories of my tween-to-teen years.

All that hard work came with a perk, though — being the flyest on the pitch. My padded keeper pants always had, hands-down, a better cut than any leisure pants I’ve ever worn, with the added strong stirrup feature making me feel extra secure. I loved the long-sleeved jerseys with insane patterns and the fact that I could rock a completely different color than everybody else on the field. But the thing I most looked forward to was choosing a pair of nice-ass keeper gloves. I was infatuated with them — poring through sports equipment catalogs to find the right pair, or running my hands over their textured outsides at the soccer specialists shop. I was always searching for the coolest bumpy geometric detailing, the perfect smooth-yet-sticky palms, and bright colors that would artfully clash with my keeper kit.

Today, as the fashion world and general cool-clothes-appreciating population gets hip to the magic of soccer jerseys, it’s been surprising to me that the beauty of the glove, the most striking aspect of a goalie’s getup, has been mostly slept on. To celebrate a summer full of soccer, we chose a few of the most aesthetically inspiring new models from Reusch, Adidas, Aviata, Uhlsport, and Nike, and took them for a spin anyway.

1-3. Aviata, Stretta Light Bright V6 Goalkeeper Gloves
4-5. Uhlsport, Eliminator Starter Soft Goalkeeper Gloves
6-8. Nike, off-white x World Cup Mercurial Touch Elite Gloves
9-10. Nike, GK Vapor Grip3
11-12. Reusch, Serathor Pro G2 Evolution
13. Adidas, ACE Fingersave Replique
14. Adidas, ACE Training
15-16. Storelli, ExoShield Gladiator Elite Goalkeeper Gloves
17-18. Aviata, Light Bright Solar Shield Club Goalkeeper Gloves
19-21. Reusch, Prisma Prime R3 Finger Support
22. Aviata, O2 Control Touch Pro
23-24. Nike, Premiere SGT Goalkeeper Gloves

Special thanks to Upper 90 soccer store, Reusch USA, Nike, and Adidas.