Behind every successful team there is a world-class goalkeeper pulling off extraordinary saves, but who are the greatest ever male goalkeepers to have played between the sticks?
Due to playing in one of the most underrated positions on the football pitch, goalkeepers are often overlooked in favour of the more exciting and ?amboyant out?eld players. You’ll often see players like Pélé, Diego Maradona, Johan Cruy?, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lionel Messi regarded as some of the greatest ever players to have graced the football pitch, but what about the goalkeepers? Shouldn’t the likes of Gianluigi Bu?on, Manuel Neuer, and Lev Yashin at the very least be a part of this conversation?
Well, I certainly think so, and this is my take on the best goalkeepers of all time, and once you’re done with this, head over to my list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.
Lists like these are often based on subjectivity, how one perceives the game, and their understanding of the di?erent eras and the evolving nature of the playing styles of this beautiful game. Thus, it is quite possible that you might not agree with a few or any of my picks. Either way, I’d love to know who you consider the greatest goalkeeper of all time and why.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into it and take a look at the all-time top 10 best goalkeepers in the world.
| S. No | Name | Country | Club | Matches | Clean Sheets | Goals Conceded | Saves** | Save %** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lev Yashin | The USSR | Dynamo Moscow | 420 | 207 | 323 | - | - |
| 2 | Iker Casillas | Spain | Real Madrid Porto | 1048 | 440 | 960 | 2407 | 75.2 |
| 3 | Manuel Neuer | Germany | Schalke 04 Bayern Munich | 772 | 360 | 656 | 1642 | 76.5 |
| 4 | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | Parma Juventus/PSG | 1133 | 500 | 942 | 2251 | 77.5 |
| 5 | Oliver Kahn | Germany | Karlsruher SC Bayern Munich | 870 | 332 | 879 | 1075 | 76.6 |
| 6 | Dino Zoff | Italy | Udinese/Mantova Napoli/Juventus | 949 | 446 | 771 | - | - |
| 7 | Edwin van der Sar | Netherlands | Ajax/Juventus/ Fulham/ | 950 | 440 | 805 | 1576 | 79.2 |
| Manchester United | ||||||||
| 8 | Petr ?ech | Czech Republic | Chmel Sparta Prague Rennes Chelsea/Arsenal | 905 | 397 | 811 | 1975 | 78.2 |
| 9 | Peter Schmeichel | Denmark | Gladsaxe-Hero/Hvidovre/Brøndby/Ma nchester United/Aston Villa/Sporting FC/Manchester City | 667 | 268 | 613 | 958 | 76.5 |
| 10 | Gordon Banks | England | Chesterfield Leicester City Stoke CIty/ Cleveland Strokers/Hellenic Fort Lauderdale | 259 | 74 | 362 | - | - |
| Strikers/St. Patrick’s Athletics |
*Lack of recorded data
**No. of saves and save percentage are subject to the recorded data availability.
She?eld-born Gordon Banks is widely regarded as the greatest English goalkeeper of all time. He made 679 appearances in 20 years of professional football, earning 73 caps for England and featuring in every match for the Three Lions during their 1966 World Cup-winning run.
However, despite all of his above-mentioned achievements, it is that save against Brazil from the 1970 FIFA World Cup that cemented his place among some of the best goalkeepers of all time in the world, for which he will be remembered forever: Banks produced the “Save of the 20th Century” as he denied Pélé from near-point-blank range.
Banks was an excellent shot-stopper, known for his handling, awareness, composure, and mental strength, as well as his speed, quick re?exes and agility that made him produce such jaw-dropping saves like the one against Pélé.
Born in Gladsaxe, Copenhagen, the legendary Peter Schmeichel made 648 professional appearances—129 of them for Denmark’s national team—from 1981 to 2003, winning 24 major trophies.
A courageous and ?erce competitor, Schmeichel was a vocal presence in front of the goal. Known for his unique shot-stopping abilities, he also possessed great positional awareness, handling, and had the ability to command his area authoritatively. Schmeichel was an excellent reader of the game, also adept with the ball at his feet.
Unusual for a goalkeeper, the Dane scored 11 goals in his career (including one internationally) as he would often go up for corner kicks in the opposition’s box in the dying embers of a game were his team trailing.
Petr ?ech is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in Premier League history. He began his senior career at Chmel Blšany before becoming a ?rst-team regular at Sparta Prague where he got his big break. He played for Ligue 1 club Rennes for nearly two seasons before Chelsea and José Mourinho poached him for a then club-record fee for a goalkeeper — £7 million
During his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, ?ech registered 494 senior appearances for the Blues, making him the club’s highest-capped overseas player, sixth overall. The Czech Republic international also won four Premier League titles, seven domestic cups (FA Cups and League Cups) and the 2012 UEFA Champions League.
The man famous for his head cover spent the ?nal four seasons of his professional career with city rivals Arsenal, winning the Golden Glove in his ?rst season with the Gunners.
?ech has multiple records to his name, including most clean sheets in the Premier League (202), most clean sheets in a season (24), and requiring the fewest appearances to reach 100 career clean sheets.
The current CEO of AFC Ajax and a legend of Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar showcased his best goalkeeping and shot-stopping abilities towards the latter half of his career, especially during his days at Fulham which were followed by a six-year stint at Old Tra?ord.
In his 21-year-long career, van der Sar made 605 senior professional appearances (representing his nation at the senior level 130 times) — the most by any player, before Wesley Sneijder crossed that mark in 2017. He won 26 trophies in his long career, mainly at Ajax and Manchester United, and in the 2008/09 season set a world record by not conceding a league goal for 1,311 minutes.
Van der Sar was a tall and athletic goalkeeper who commanded his area exceptionally well. He also had great re?exes, while his positional awareness and composure were key in prolonging his career at the highest level. The Dutchman was also renowned for his spot-kick-stopping abilities, while his composure on the ball and distribution only added more glitter to his all-around goalkeeping skills.
Dino Zo? is one of the best goalkeepers the world has ever seen. Period.
The 79-year-old is famous for his stints with the Italian giants Juventus and Napoli, while he is also the only Italian player in history to win both the FIFA World Cup (1982) and the European Championship (1968).
Zo?’s greatest success came during his spell with the Old Lady, where he won six Serie A titles, two Coppe Italie, one UEFA Euro Cup and also made it to two UEFA Champions League ?nals in 1972-73 and 1982-83 while also ?nishing runner-up in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup.
In a career that spanned over 22 years, Zo? made 642 senior professional appearances, winning 112 caps for the Azzurri. The IFFHS named Zo? the third greatest goalkeeper of the 20th Century, behind Gordon Banks (2nd) and Lev Yashin (1st), while he still holds the record for the longest playing time without conceding a goal at the international level (1,142 minutes), which he set between 1972 and 1974.
A well-rounded goalkeeper and a leader of men, Dino Zo? was awarded the second-best European Goalkeeper of the 20th Century award, behind only the great Lev Yashin.
One of the most successful German players in the modern era. Oliver Kahn is the pioneer of the modern goalkeeper role.
Best remembered for his fourteen-year spell with German giants Bayern Munich, Der Titan made 630 senior professional appearances (429 for Bayern) and won a total of 86 caps for Germany.
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world ever, Kahn won a record four consecutive UEFA Best Goalkeeper awards as well as three IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper awards. He is the only goalkeeper in FIFA World Cup history to win the Golden Ball for his exceptional performances at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Known for his eccentricity and charismatic leadership from the back, Kahn was a formidable and commanding presence inside the 18-yard box. His aggressive and no-nonsense style of play earned him the nickname “King Kahn” throughout his playing career.
Gianluigi Bu?on is arguably the greatest Italian goalkeeper of all time, even ahead of the great Dino Zo?. He is one of the select few to have racked up over 1,100 professional club appearances, and at 44, he is still going strong with his second stint at his ?rst professional club, Parma.
Afier making his club debut for Parma in 1995, Bu?on quickly cemented his place as the No. 1 and helped his team win the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Cup, and the Supercoppa Italiana in 1999. In 2001, Juventus bought him for the then-world record fee for a goalkeeper of €52 million, with him having proved himself to be the best in the world in his position.
Despite playing second ?ddle to Wojciech Szcz?sny during the latter stages of his Juventus career, Bu?on was able to break Paolo Maldini’s 647 Series A appearances record, while with 176 appearances, he remains the most-capped player in the history of the Italian men’s national team.
Bu?on was the ?rst-ever goalkeeper to win the Golden Foot award, while he was named the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper a record ?ve times (alongside Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer).
The 35-year-old is arguably one of the best goalkeepers of all time in the world. Renowned for his sweeper-keeper abilities along with his imperious ball control and top-notch re?exive saves, the German is one of the most decorated players in world football.
A leader of men, Neuer led his nation to a World Cup victory in 2014, winning the Golden Glove for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Besides, since moving to Bayern Munich, Neuer has won a total of 26 trophies with the Bavarians, including two UEFA Champions League titles, both of which were part of Bayern’s treble-winning campaigns of 2012-13 and 2019-2020.
Neuer’s consistency, concentration levels and ability to read the game are what make him stand out from the rest. He is a complete modern goalkeeper, with many experts and publications describing him as “the best goalkeeper afier Lev Yashin”.
Be it league titles, Champions Leagues, the European Championship, or the FIFA World Cup, Iker Casillas has won it all. The Spaniard broke into the Real Madrid set-up as a young promising goalkeeper but was quick to showcase his breathtaking shot-stopping abilities, soon becoming the youngest goalkeeper to ever play in a Champions League ?nal, which he won.
Casillas’s sixteen-year spell with Los Blancos was a period laden with silverware. He won 18 major trophies with the club, including three UEFA Champions League trophies. Casillas joined Portuguese club FC Porto in 2015 on a free transfer and won a couple of trophies, while he broke the record for most consecutive seasons played in the UEFA Champions League by a player (20).
As captain, Casillas led Spain during their golden era as he lifted the 2008 Euro Championship and the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophies before Spain became the ?rst nation in history to retain the Euros trophy as they lifted it in 2012 as well.
Casillas won the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper award a record ?ve times, while he was selected for the UEFA Team of the Year from 2007-2012, which is a record for a goalkeeper.
Sadly, following a heart attack that he su?ered during a training session with Porto in May 2019, Casillas spent nearly a year on the sidelines before announcing his retirement from football in February 2020.
Lev Yashin is, without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game. One of football’s true legends, Yashin spent his entire professional career playing for Dynamo Moscow, but it was his performances at the international stage with the Soviet Union that caught the world’s attention.
Nicknamed the “Black Spider” or “Black Panther”, Yashin was known for his athleticism, positioning, concentration level, acrobatic re?ex saves, and his imposing stature in front of the goal. Lev is known for revolutionising the goalkeeping position with his imposing authority on the entire defence, coming out to punch or collect crosses/long balls and running out to meet onrushing attackers in an era where keepers barely acted proactively until called into action.
According to FIFA, Yashin saved more than 150 penalty kicks during his playing career—more than any other goalkeeper—while he also kept 270 clean sheets in just 420 appearances (including internationals), which would be outstanding for any modern keeper. However, given he played in an era where clean sheets were considered a rare commodity, Yashin’s appearance-to-clean sheets ratio looks all the more impressive.
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