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Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki's strange prematch ritual

Many, many professional footballers harbour strange prematch superstitions, be it putting on their socks in the same order every game, flicking the dressing rooms lights on and off or even kissing the forehead of a bald teammate for luck.

Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki is one such fellow, though the Swiss stopper's routine is a little odder than most.

You perhaps wouldn't notice it in isolation, but the Bundesliga Youtube channel have spotted a distinct pattern to Burki's prematch ritual, which involves repeatedly stealing the match ball from the officials while the two opposing captains shake hands before kick-off.

Quite why he feels the need to do it is anybody's guess -- perhaps to get a preemptive feel of the ball -- but then again we guess sporting superstitions aren't really supposed to make any sense.