Best Goalkeepers Of All Time: Legendary Players Who Defined Football

A goalkeeper is the heart of the defense, a position that carries the pressure of being the last line between glory and disappointment. The role of the goalkeeper in football is indisputable, and it is a position that is constantly under the spotlight. Every mistake, every failure, is marked in the game’s history.

In addition to dedicating themselves to catching and defending the ball to prevent their teams from conceding goals, they also need to have quality when playing the ball with their feet, reflexes, and a remarkable ability to anticipate.

Standing out in this position is difficult, but some names have already made history on the pitches they have played on. This selection highlights the greatest goalkeepers of all time in football.

Jean-Marie Pfaff 

The Belgian goalkeeper, affectionately nicknamed “El Simpatia” in honor of his almost constant smile, spent most of his career with the clubs Beveren and Bayern Munich.

He was almost an innovator among the goalkeepers. His positioning skills were perfect. Standing at 1.80m tall (short by today’s standards, but normal for those of his time), he would literally close the goal. He would not give the striker any space or angle to shoot. 

Pfaff was capped 64 times playing for Belgium and participated in the 1982 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup tournaments. With Bayern, he won three Bundesliga titles (from 1985 to 1987) and two German Cups (1984 and 1986).

In 1978, he won the Golden Boot. Less than ten years later, he was elected the IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year in 1987 (the first player to receive the award). Pelé, one of the best football players in the world, selected him for the FIFA 100 in 2004.

Peter Schmeichel

At 1.93m, Peter Schmeichel was a giant in the goal, not only because of his size but also because of his bravery and especially because of his great class, which made him one of the very best goalkeepers of all time and probably the best of his era. 

The guy started out in the amateur clubs of his home country, but with so much talent and dedication, he quickly rose to the Danish national under-21 team (when he was already playing for Hvivdovre). But his talent really came to the fore when he was transferred to Brøndby. He helped the team win the national championship four times and reached the national senior team. He participated and was a key player in the sensational conquest of the 1992 European Championship. 

In 1991, he was signed by Manchester United, where he enjoyed the best and most glorious years of his career. He was part of a team that won everything there was to win, having been one of the most important and charismatic members. During his eight seasons at the English club, he won 15 trophies, including five Premier League titles and three FA Cups. 

He also captained the club to victory in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final to complete the Treble. He was twice named the best goalkeeper in the world and ranked among the 10 best goalkeepers of the 20th century by IFFHS. 

In 1999, after winning the Champions League, he felt his time at United had ended. Schmeichel signed a two-year contract with Sporting, where he was instrumental in winning the unforgettable 1999/00 title. That achievement ended an 18-year drought in which the club had not won the league and a Super Cup the following season. In 2001, he returned to England, finishing his career playing for another two years, first at Aston Villa and then at Manchester City.

Thibaut Courtois

Courtois is renowned for his remarkable performances in Europe’s top clubs and his national side. The Belgian’s career is characterized by dexterity, fantastic reflexes, and an imposing physicality while in the goal.

Courtois began his career at Genk and became their first-choice goalkeeper, winning the Belgian league. In 2011, he signed for Chelsea but was loaned to Atlético Madrid, where he won La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Europa League and reached the Champions League final. Returning to Chelsea in 2014, he won two Premier League titles and the EFL Cup. In 2018, Courtois transferred to Real Madrid for a “symbolic” fee of £35 million, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in La Liga, where he has won three league titles and two Champions Leagues.

For the Belgian national team, Courtois has played over 100 games, taking part in five major tournaments. His greatest moment came at the 2018 World Cup when he was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper and helped Belgium to a third-place finish, the country’s best ever. 

Courtois has also won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy three times, the Premier League Golden Glove once, and was named the third-best goalkeeper of the decade 2011-2020 by the IFFHS.

Manuel Neuer

The finest sweeper-keeper there has ever been, Manuel Neuer is known for his incredible close-range saves, strength, precision passing, box control, and a quick style that gets ahead of attackers. Yes, he needed to be on this list.

In the Bundesliga, he made history and broke several records:

• Fastest player in Bundesliga history to reach 100 clean sheets (achieved in just 183 appearances)
• Only goalkeeper in Bundesliga history with over 100 appearances to have conceded fewer goals than games played
• Record holder for most clean sheets in Bundesliga history with 224
• Holds the record for most clean sheets in a single Bundesliga season (21 in the 2015-16 campaign)

Recently, the goalkeeper who plays for Bayern Munich announced that he will no longer play for the German national team. In total, he has played 124 games for the country. Neuer has played four times in the European Championship (2012, 2016, 2021, and 2024) and four times in the World Cup (2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022), winning the tournament in Brazil and the European Championship (2012, 2016, 2021 and 2024). The icon was considered the best goalkeeper of the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2020 seasons by the IFFHS. He has also been awarded the Best European Goalkeeper five times. 

Neuer has, without a doubt, been one of the most consistent goalkeepers of the modern era. His spectacular saves and ability to act as a sweeper have played a key role in many victories, making him a key player in German football and leaving his mark on the goalposts for his country.

Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas is a living legend of Real Madrid and the World Champion with the Spanish national team from 2010. And what’s even more fantastic is that he was the winning team’s captain that year! After the victory, and quite rightly so, he was voted the best goalkeeper of the World Cup, winning the Golden Glove!  

IFFHS has declared him the best goalkeeper in the world five times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012). And no wonder: he has 19 titles under his belt at the Real Madrid club: three European Cups, three  Club World Cups, two European Super Cups, five Leagues, two Copa del Rey, and four Spanish Super Cups.  

In Portugal, with Porto, he won two Champions Leagues, one Cup, and one Super Cup. For the Spanish national team, he won two European Cups and one U20 World Cup in addition to the World Cup. 

He won countless titles, won the hearts of the Spanish people, and made history at the clubs he played for. There is no list of the best goalkeepers of all time without Iker Casillas’ name on it!

Walter Zenga

With a lot of charisma and a different nickname – “Spider-Man” – because of his excellent reflexes, Walter Zenga made his mark on the era between the 1980s and 1990s in Italy with his unparalleled performance.

Zenga stood out for his skill between the posts and the elegance of his interventions. He was most famous for  his stay at Inter, where he played 473 matches in 12 years, winning a Serie A, an Italian Super Cup, and two UEFA Cups.

He made 58 appearances for the national team, participating in two World Cups (Mexico 1986 and Italy 1990) and one European Championship (West Germany 1988). During the 1990 World Cup, in which he finished third, he kept a clean sheet for 517 consecutive minutes, an absolute record for the competition. He also played in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 1986 European Under-21 Championship.

On an individual level, he was voted IFFHS Goalkeeper of the Year three times in a row and by the same institution as the Best Goalkeeper of the Decade in 1997 (this placed him in 20th position on the list of the strongest goalkeepers of the 20th century). He was the first goalkeeper to be included in the Milanese club’s Hall of Fame.

José Luis Chilavert

Defined by many as having a strong personality and a temperament, the Paraguayan Chilavert went down in history both at club level and with his country’s national team. He played for some important teams like Sportivo Luqueño, Guaraní, San Lorenzo, Real Zaragoza, Vélez Sarsfield, RC Strasbourg and Peñarol. 

His career was characterized by considerable titles and awards, including the Copa Libertadores and the 1994 Intercontinental Cup. 

Chilavert was voted the best goalkeeper in the world three times by the IFFHS. In addition to his incredible saves, he was renowned for his talent in saving free kicks and penalties. He scored an impressive 67 goals in his career, eight in international competitions, placing him second in the goalkeeper’s history, behind only Rogério Ceni. He even achieved the unique feat of scoring a hat-trick, something few goalkeepers have achieved. 

The player was a true leader for the Paraguayan national team, playing 74 matches between 1989 and 2003, including the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, where he was the captain. He also participated in three editions of the Copa América. The goalkeeper was selected for the 1998 World Cup squad, cementing his position among the great goalkeepers in history.

Oliver Kahn

Known for his leadership and intensity on the pitch, the German star was most notable for Bayern Munich, where he won eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, and the 2001 UEFA Champions League. 

His work has earned him a record four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards, three IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year awards, and two German Footballer of the Year trophies.  

At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Kahn became the only goalkeeper in the tournament’s history to win the Golden Ball award. He also came fifth in the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century and Best Goalkeeper of the Last 25 Years polls. 

He is widely admired for his resilience, mental strength, and calm demeanor, which have helped him consistently overcome the pressures and challenges of high-stakes matches throughout his playing career.

Alisson Becker

There are thousands of goalkeepers worldwide, but only a few like Alisson Becker. The Brazilian plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Liverpool and is a regular for the Brazilian national team. He began his career representing Brazil at various youth levels before making his senior debut in 2015. 

Becker has participated in the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and the 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024 Copa América, winning the title in 2019. At Liverpool, he has a wealth of experience and has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup. 

In 2019, he was named FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper and awarded the inaugural Yashin Trophy. He also received the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper award. Alisson has been selected twice in the FIFA FIFPRO Men’s World Cup.

Petr Čech

The Czechoslovakian began his career at Chmel Blšany in 1999, playing sporadically for two seasons before moving to Sparta Prague in 2001. At 19, he went to Rennes in France. He quickly made a name for himself in France, and in 2004, he moved to Chelsea. 

In his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, he made 494 appearances and helped the club win four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League, and one Europa League. In 2015, he moved to Arsenal, where he won another FA Cup before retiring in 2019.

Čech made his debut for the Czech Republic in 2002 and is the most capped player in the Czech national team’s history, with 124 appearances. He represented his country at the 2006 World Cup, as well as the 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 European Cup.    

He was named in the Euro 2004 All-Star team after helping the Czechs reach the semi-finals and served as captain of the team. Čech also holds the record for the best Czech Player of the Year and Czech Ballon d’Or awards. He was voted the Best Goalkeeper in the World by the IFFHS in 2005 and received the Best Goalkeeper award in the 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2007-08 editions of the UEFA Champions League.

When it comes to breaking records, this guy is a master:

• At 19, he set a league record with 903 minutes without conceding while playing for Sparta Prague.
• Čech holds Chelsea’s record with 228 clean sheets.
• He reached 100 Premier League clean sheets in just 180 games, the fastest ever.
• Holds the Premier League season record with 24 clean sheets.
• Čech is the Premier League’s all-time leader in clean sheets with 202.
• Only goalkeeper to win the Premier League Golden Glove with two clubs, winning it four times.
• Set a Champions League record in 2004–05 with 1,025 minutes without conceding.
• Ranks third in clean sheets among all goalkeepers since 2000.

Gianluigi Buffon

When it comes to football, Italians tend to be among the biggest and best rankings. This case is no different, and again, another Italian name is here on this list. Considered by many the greatest goalkeeper of all time, Gianluigi Buffon has made history in many matches. 

Having brought much happiness to the Italian people throughout his career, Buffon’s career features numerous highlights, but we can try to name a few of his most outstanding achievements:

The goalkeeper started out at Parma in 1995, where he won the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup, and Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. In 2001, he moved to Juventus and, in his first 17-year stint, won nine Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, and five Supercoppa Italiana. Buffon was also the first goalkeeper to win the Serie A Footballer of the Year award and was voted Goalkeeper of the Year 12 times. He was also a Champions League runner-up in 2015 and 2017, being named in the Squad of the Season in both editions. 

In 2018, he signed for Paris Saint-Germain, winning Ligue 1 and the Trophée des Champions. Upon returning to Juventus, he broke Paolo Maldini’s record of 647 Serie A appearances and claimed his tenth league title. Buffon also won his sixth Coppa Italia before returning to Parma in 2021, ending his career in 2023.

With 176 caps, Buffon is the most capped player in the history of the Italian national team and the goalkeeper with the most appearances for Italy. He captained the team that won the 2006 World Cup, where he won the Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

Buffon has also appeared in five World Cups and four European Championships and was named the best goalkeeper of the 21st century by the IFFHS. He is the only goalkeeper to have won the UEFA Footballer of the Year award and has been included in the UEFA Team of the Year five times, as well as being runner-up for the Ballon d’Or in 2006.

Lev Yashin

This list would not exist if it did not include the name of the Russian and greatest idol of Dynamo Moscow. The “Black Spider” (nicknamed after wearing a very dark blue jersey from head to toe in the 1958 World Cup), the iconic and unique: Lev Yashin. 

Yashin was loyal to his club throughout his professional career, and loyal to the pitch when it came to creating history. 

He won five Soviet Union league titles and three USSR Cups. On the international stage, he shone with the Soviet national team, winning the gold medal at the 1956 Olympic Games and the European Championship in 1960. He also played in three World Cups, in 1958, 1962 and 1966. He was credited with four goalless games in the 12 matches he played in the World Cup finals. He received numerous individual awards, some of the most notable being that he was named USSR Goalkeeper of the Year in 1960, 1963, and 1966. He was also honored internationally with the FIFA Order of Merit and included in the All-Time FIFA World Cup Team. 

The Russian icon is considered by many to be the best goalkeeper in history, being the only goalkeeper in football history to have won the Ballon d’Or in 1963. According to official FIFA data, he saved goals in 270 matches (and went an impressive five consecutive years without conceding a single goal). Even more noteworthy is the fact that he saved 150 penalties, a record that will never be broken in modern football. After all this, it’s only fair to agree that he really is one of the finest goalkeepers on the planet, right? 

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