Best Goalkeepers of All Time: The Icons Who Turned Saves Into Art

Football has a way of giving credits to only the forwards and attacking midfielders for many years. However, the people within football communities and many ardent fans will tell you that this sort of reward system and way of thinking is not really fair. Some of the most influential members of the greatest soccer teams we’ve seen over the years are goalkeepers. In fact, many purists, including Jose Mourinho will tell you that winning teams are built from the back and everything starts with the goalie.

The best of goalkeepers do more than stop shots. They are in charge of organising defences, being the vocal leader in the team, and many of them have dragged their teams through finals, and pulled off saves that deliver world titles. A recent example is Emi Martinez for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final against France in Qatar. So who really belongs on a list of the best goalkeepers of all time? We have the answers for you here.

And for fans who love debating these rankings, and maybe backing a favourite for a clean sheet, you can do so at many bookmakers. In the UK,  plenty of betting sites now offer goalkeeper and clean-sheet markets alongside the usual match odds. This means apart from betting on the match outcomes, you can also back your favorite goalies to shut out the hottest attackers on a matchday.

What makes a goalkeeper one of the best ever?

Before going into the names, let’s talk about what we measure before adding anyone to this list. Of course, since that’s the most essential aspect of their trade, shot-stopping and reflexes are included. But beyond the spectacular flying saves that make the highlight reels, the top goalies must know how to read the game, command their box, and make the right decision under pressure again and again.

Then there’s consistency. Anyone can have one great game. Doing it across ten or fifteen seasons, at club and international level, is what separates a good keeper from a legend. Leadership matters too, since the best keepers run their back line like a conductor. And because the game keeps changing, judging keepers fairly means understanding the era they played in. A 1960s goalkeeper faced very different demands from a modern one.

Now, let’s look at the names that define their position.

Lev Yashin: the original goalkeeping legend

You can’t start anywhere else. Lev Yashin, the ‘‘Black Spider’’ in his famous all-black kit, changed what a goalkeeper was supposed to do. Before him, keepers stayed glued to their line. Yashin came off it, claimed crosses, barked orders at defenders, and even started attacks with his throws. That must sound familiar now, as that’s basically what the modern keeper does now. But the oldies will tell you that wasn’t always the case. Yashin was the first to do it in the 1950s.

The Russian remains the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or, back in 1963, a record that still stands today. His legacy with Dynamo Moscow and the Soviet Union, plus his sheer influence on the position, makes him the natural starting point for any list of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Gianluigi Buffon: longevity at the highest level

Talk about what it means to be a modern celebrity goalie, and Gigi Buffon will top the list. The huge Italian was an epitome of discipline, reflex, leadership and endurance. He started young, captaining Parma at such a young age, before moving to Juventus in a then world record fee, and establishing himself as the best Italian goalkeeper ever. He had a career that spanned close to three decades.

Everywhere he went; from Parma to Juventus, to PSG and the Italian national team, Buffon showed unmistakable bravery, composure, excellent positioning, anticipation, and an unmatched shot-stopping skill. The trophies followed too, as he clinched several league and domestic titles with Juventus and PSG, and the big one did arrive too: the 2006 FIFA World Cup for Italy.

And for the World title, Buffon wasn’t a spectator, he wasn’t a peripheral part of the team. He was the star of the show; pulling off massive and incredible saves from all angles. In the final against France, he pulled off several world-class saves, including a dangerous header from Zinedine Zidane that seemed destined for the net. And for his heroic performances, he made the team of the tournament and took the title of the best goalie in the world.

Manuel Neuer: redefining the modern goalkeeper

Go to any football academy today, and you will find goalkeepers taking part in the team buildup, spraying passes to their teammates as though they are midfielders. They call it playing out from the back, and the football world has Manuel Neuer to thank for that. For many years, goalies were expected to save shots and organize their backlines, but Neuer saw things differently and the rest is history.

They call him the sweeper keeper. He reads the through balls expertly by coming out of his box to take charge and pass to his teammates before the attackers can pounce on them. Sometimes, he is fully stationed outside his penalty box. That seems like something that couldn’t be imagined 15 years ago. But Neuer isn’t just a revolutionary who is good with his feet, he’s even better with his hands. It will be almost impossible to find a goalie who is better than him at stopping shots. Over his career, he pulled off so many incredible saves that people would have to wonder if he’s human.

He won several titles with Bayern Munich, including over ten league titles and a Champions league. But Neuer isn’t just great at the club level, he’s also a metronome at the international level. As an integral part of the German national team, he won the FIFA World Cup title in 2014 in Brazil. He won the Golden Glove and was nominated for the Ballon D’Or that year. And, if not for the ridiculous numbers Messi and the eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo had, he could have become the first goalkeeper to win the Ballon D’Or since Lev Yashin. Many believe he should have won it till today.

Gordon Banks and England’s goalkeeping heritage

For English fans, Gordon Banks is where the conversation lives. He was the man between the posts when England won their only World Cup in 1966, a cornerstone of that historic side. But he’s most famous for a save he made in a game England lost.

At the 1970 World Cup, Pelé headed a ball down and towards the corner, already wheeling away to celebrate, when Banks somehow scrambled across and flicked it up and over the bar. Pelé later called it the greatest save he’d ever seen. That single moment sums up why Banks sits so high among England goalkeepers, and he’s far from the only great English name. Peter Shilton earned a record number of England caps and enjoyed remarkable longevity, keeping himself elite into his forties. The tradition of strong English goalkeepers runs deep.

Peter Schmeichel and the Manchester United giants

If you’re talking Man Utd goalkeepers, one name towers above the rest. Peter Schmeichel was a wall in the United goal, a huge physical presence who dominated his area and terrified strikers in one-on-ones. He was the last line of the treble-winning side of 1998-99, arguably the greatest season in the club’s history, and he’d already written himself into folklore by inspiring unfancied Denmark to their shock Euro 1992 triumph.

United found a worthy successor years later in Edwin van der Sar. Among Premier League goalkeepers of his era, the calm Dutchman was regarded as arguably the best, only rated slightly below Chelsea’s magical Petr Cech. Van der Sar brought superb distribution and composure, qualities that suited the modern game perfectly, and his penalty save in the 2008 Champions League final sealed another European crown. Between them, these two Manchester United goalkeepers set a standard the club spent years trying to match. It’s a reminder that at the biggest clubs, from United to the great Liverpool goalkeepers and Arsenal goalkeepers who defined their own eras, the keeper is every bit as important as the star striker.

Iker Casillas and Spain’s golden generation

When talking about the greatest names to have played between the goalposts in football history, only few can match what Iker Casillas won. ‘‘San Iker’’ was the captain and last line of the greatest run any national side has ever had, as Spain won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012 back to back. Behind all that possession football, someone still had to make the crucial stops, and Casillas did, time after time.

His reflex saves in big games became his trademark, none more famous than his last-gasp toe on Arjen Robben in the 2010 World Cup final. Alongside a trophy-laden career at Real Madrid, he stands as arguably the finest of all Spanish goalkeepers. He’s the man the Zamora-honouring tradition of great Spanish keepers points to as its modern peak.

The modern masters: Cech, Alisson and Courtois

For any serious list, at least three more modern names should make the list. Chelsea’s Petr Cech deserves maximum respect for what he did in his time at Stamford Bridge. The 24 clean sheets the Czech got in the 2004/2005 season when his team won the title has still not been matched by any other goalie more than 20 years after.

Alisson Becker is another name no one can neglect. He’s like the new coming of Manuel Neuer and Lev Yashin. To tell you of what he has done in such a short time, whenever discourses about the greatest Liverpool goalkeepers of all time take place, many put his name at the top of the list.

And for Thibaut Courtois, he is proof that good old shot-stopping is still a thing. We don’t have to think too far to see any example of how. The Belgian pulled off nine saves to give Real Madrid the UCL in 2022.

And we should still talk about a few more legends before closing. How can we forget Oliver Kahn and his intensity, or Dino Zoff who lifted the World Cup as Italy’s captain at 40? Many fans will also remember José Luis Chilavert, the Paraguayan who became popular for scoring free kicks and penalties.

Best goalkeepers of all time compared

Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the icons above.

How goalkeeping has evolved over the years

Like every other aspect of football, and indeed our lives, the way this position is viewed has changed significantly over the years. At the start, all you need to do is to know how to save the ball from going into the net. Study how to do that expertly, and you will definitely become a legend.

Over the years, the Lev Yashin and Manuel Neuer of this world have shown that shouldn’t be the case anymore. Now, a goalie has to be super good at saving shots, be a vocal leader, an orchestrator and be able to play out from the back like a midfielder. Some even go as far as taking set pieces. The likes of José Luis Chilavert scored many direct free kicks and penalties for his teams. Alisson also scored for Liverpool, and the likes of Neuer and Ederson have recorded assists at some points in their career. That’s what this position demands now.

Final Thoughts: Who is the best?

So who is the greatest goalkeeper ever? Honestly, there’s no clean answer, and that’s what makes the debate fun. Yashin brought that personality and ended up with a Ballo D’Or. Buffon has longevity, Neuer was famous for playing out from the back, and others brought their uniqueness. The truth is that different eras demanded different skills, so a lot of it comes down to what you value most. The one certainty is that the role keeps evolving, and every generation seems to produce someone who redefines what a goalkeeper can be.

FAQs

Who is the greatest goalkeeper of all time?

Most football people think the title belongs to Lev Yashin.

Who is the best English goalkeeper ever?

Since Gordon Banks is the only goalie to have helped the Three Lions to win a world title (the 1966 World Cup), many see him as the best ever to come from England. Again, this is not a settled debate.

Who is the best Manchester United goalkeeper?

Most people will say it’s between Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar.

What makes a modern goalkeeper different?

The major difference is that they are expected to do far more than stop shots. Apart from being able to save shots, they must also be able to play out from the back and act as a sweeper.