Who Is...victor Nogueira

Why he may remind you of a guy who played indoor soccer 20 years ago
He is that guy. The 43-year-old star of the MISL's Milwaukee Wave is not only indoor soccer's greatest goalie ever but also the sport's Ironman. Last week he went over the 40,000-minute mark, which no other player has approached.

How he came to play a shrunken-down, sped-up version of the world's most popular sport
Nogueira, who's from Mozambique and played for England's Newcastle United, came to the North American Soccer League in 1979. "I wanted my kids to be educated in the U.S.," says Nogueira, who has two teenagers with his wife, Pam. When the NASL moved indoors in '84, so did he, and—despite being courted by European teams—he's been arena-bound ever since, playing for four teams in three leagues.

Why, at $30,000 a year, he's worth his weight in gold to the Wave
The eight-time Goalkeeper of the Year and indoor soccer's leader in saves (8,790) and wins (420), Nogueira has helped Milwaukee to a 7-1 start and leads the league in goals-against average (7.35).

Why he's still kicking around
Nogueira won't eat beef, is a fool for motivational books and believes in air freshener. "Every hotel, he's got his aerosol cans," says Wave coach Keith Tozer. "He's a mind guy, and he's weird too."