The 10 best goalies in history

Following on from our article on 10 best wingers of all time, here are the Top 10 best goalies in history.

The post of goalkeeper is a very special post in football. A simple mistake can have serious consequences for his team and change the course of the game. In addition to good physical condition and good reflexes, a goalkeeper must therefore have maximum concentration.

The best goalkeepers in football history have all been legends for their clubs and their countries. As the last bastion in front of goal, they have saved their teams on numerous occasions.

Discover our Top 10 best goalies of all time.

Top 10 best goalkeepers in history

10. Fabien Barthez

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Without a doubt the best French goalkeeper, Barthez first played for Olympique de Marseille and won the Champions League in 1993. In addition to being champion of France with Monaco and champion of England with Manchester United, he shines under the jersey of the France team.

Holder during the victory of the Blues at the 1998 World Cup, then at Euro 2000, he often relieved his defense thanks to his parades and his sometimes spectacular aerial outings. Fabien Barthez is also part of our Top 10 best French players in history.

9. Edwin van der Sar

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Elected 4 times best European goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar has had an extraordinary career in club. It all started at Ajax Amsterdam, where he collected a multitude of national titles, as well as a Champions League in 1995.

After stints at Juventus and Fulham, he will once again win a Champions League and 4 Premier League titles with Manchester United. Despite 130 selections with the Netherlands, he will not win any title with the national team.

8. Sepp Maier

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Legendary goalkeeper of Bayern Munich and the German team (FRG), Sepp Maier has won all the major national and international titles. With Bayern, where he played for 14 years, he won 4 championships, 4 German cups and 3 consecutive Champions League between 1974 and 1976.

In national selection, he first won the Euro in 1972, then lifted the World Cup at home in Germany in 1974. During the competition, Sepp Maier was one of the most important players in his team. Symbol of the domination of Bayern and Germany in the mid-1970s, Maier is one of the best goalkeepers in history.

7. Iker Casillas

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Iker Casillas’ record is impressive, both in club and in selection. Coming from the Real Madrid training center, he quickly established himself as a starter and won 5 Spanish championships, 2 King’s Cups and 3 Champions League with Casa Blanca. It is also present in our ranking of the best players in the history of Real Madrid.

Casillas is also the most capped player in Spain, with 167 games. He is one of the players who have won in quick succession Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. His saves are often decisive and allow Spain to often finish their matches without conceding a single goal.

6. Peter Schmeichel

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Peter Schmeichel is one of the best goalkeepers of the 90s. Discovered by the general public during Euro 1992, he played a major role in Denmark’s surprise victory thanks to his numerous saves. With 129 caps, he is the most capped Danish player in history.

Emblematic goalkeeper of Manchester United, he will accumulate titles during his 8 years with the Red Devils: 5 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups and above all a Champions League during his last year at the club in 1999. He ended his career with passages to Sporting CP, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

5. Oliver Kahn

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A very authoritarian goalkeeper with a very strong character, Oliver Kahn was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in his time. The German goalkeeper is a worker with a steel mind, able to always be at the maximum of his concentration during his matches. His incredible reflex saves and relaxation made him one of the best goalies of all time.

With Bayern Munich, he won 9 national titles, as well as 6 German Cups and a UEFA Cup. After a defeat in the Champions League final in 1999, he finally won the trophy in 2001. In the final, he notably stopped 3 shots on goal and played a large part in the victory of his team.

Oliver Kahn was voted best player of the 2002 World Cup (a first for a goalkeeper), despite losing to Brazil by Ronaldo in the final. However, he will never win an international competition with Germany as the holder. Kahn is also one of our Top 10 best German players in history.

4. Dino Zoff

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Dino Zoff is certainly one of the best goalies of all time. He is a goalkeeper who prefers efficiency and precaution rather than having to make spectacular saves, even if he was capable of it. He had an incredibly long career, which lasted from 1961 to 1983.

In club, he will first play in Naples for 5 seasons before joining Juventus in Turin. With the Bianconeri, Zoff will finally win his first club trophies. During his 11 seasons with Juventus, he won 6 championships, 2 Italian Cups and 1 UEFA Cup. However, Zoff would never win the Champions League, despite 2 finals in 1973 and 1983.

First winner of the European Cup with Italy in 1968, then finalist of the World Cup in 1970, he will finally be the oldest player to have won a World Cup in 1982 at the age of 40. . Dino Zoff has played 112 games for his national team, making him the 6th most capped player in Italy.

3. Gianluigi Buffon

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Now 40, Buffon is a legend and an example of longevity. His consistency at the highest level for more than 2 decades makes him enter the circle of the best goalkeepers in history. He made his debut in Parma, with whom he won the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup in 1999.

Then in 2001 he became the legendary goalkeeper of Juventus and will remain so for almost 17 years. Buffon will have won 10 Serie A and 4 Italian Cups with the Turin club, only the Champions League has escaped him, despite 3 finals in 2003, 2015 and 2017.

He is also the most successful player in the Italian selection (176 matches), with which he participated in 4 European Championships and 5 World Cups, including the one won in 2006 against France. It is also part of our Top 10 best Italian players of all time.

2. Manuel Neuer

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Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalies of this generation. He revolutionized the goalkeeper position by positioning himself very high and participating much more in the game. His outings outside the box and his ease with the ball in his foot almost make him look like a libero.

Neuer is still active, but he is already a legend of the German team and Bayern Munich, one of the best European clubs in history. With the Bavarian club, the German goalkeeper was crowned German champion 8 times and won the Champions League twice in 2013 and 2020.

Neuer is also enjoying a great career in the national team. After failing in the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010 and the Euro in 2012, he finally won the World Cup in 2014. With 10 high-level seasons at Bayern and 96 selections for the German team, we can say that Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in history.

1. Lev Yashin

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Lev Yashin is arguably the best goalie of all time. He is the only goalkeeper in football history to have won the Golden Ball (1963). He revolutionized the post of goalkeeper with his dazzling outings and new style, which earned him the title of the greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by FIFA.

Lev Yashin leads the USSR to final victory in the 1956 Olympics and in the 1960 euro. The Russian goalkeeper also helps his team reach the semi-finals of the 1966 World Cup. But Yashin also has a long career strewn with titles with his club, Dynamo Moscow.

“The black spider”, as it was called, took part in 365 matches with Dynamo Moscow and won the USSR championship 4 times. He holds a record of more than 150 arrested penalties and 270 clean sheets during his career. Lev Yashin was also voted European goalkeeper of the year 9 times between 1956 and 1966.

Honorable mentions:

Gordon banks : Certainly the best goalkeeper England has known, he is part of the team that won the famous World Cup in 1966. Banks is particularly known for having achieved what is considered the stop of the century, in 1970 against to Pelé.

Andoni Zubizarreta : A true legend in Spain, Zubizarreta is one of the best goalkeepers in history. Several times Spanish champion with Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, he also won the C1 in 1992 with the Catalans.

Peter Shilton : Author of an incredible career spanning more than 30 years, Shilton is an exceptional goalkeeper of unparalleled longevity. The Englishman holds the record for selections with the national team with 125 starts. Peter Shilton wins above all twice the Champions League with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980