Captains have traditionally played in central defence or in the heart of midfield.
Managers would usually prefer a skipper to be in the thick of the action. And that cannot be said about goalkeepers.
But over the years, there have been many inspirational 'keepers who have led from the back and captained their teams to important victories.
Here, a look at some of the most famous goalkeeper captains from the men's game...
32. Luis Arconada
One of Spain's all-time great goalkeepers, Luis Arconada was key as La Roja reached the final of Euro 1984 and is unfortunately remembered for a mistake which cost his side a goal in the loss to France.
A legend at Real Sociedad, Arconada was captain of the San Sebastian side between 1983 and 1989 and a hero in the Basques' back-to-back La Liga wins in 1981 and 1982. He was also Spain skipper in 48 matches between 1980 and 1985.
31. Keylor Navas
Keylor Navas was in goal for Real Madrid's three consecutive Champions League wins under Zinedine Zidane between 2016 and 2018.
Instrumental in Costa Rica's passage to the quarter-finals of the 2014 World Cup, Navas has captained the Central Americans on a regular basis since Bryan Ruiz's retirement in 2022.
30. David Seaman
David Seaman is an Arsenal legend and it is perhaps fitting that, in his final appearance for the Gunners, he was made captain for the day.
After making a famous save in the semi-final win against Sheffield United on his 1,000th club appearance as Arsenal defended a 1-0 lead, the goalkeeper led out the team in the final and lifted the trophy – together with the injured Patrick Vieira – after a 1-0 win over Southampton. Seaman also captained England in qualifiers against Moldova in 1997 and Finland in 2000.
29. Santiago Cañizares
Santiago Cañizares made over 400 appearances for Valencia in a 10-year spell at Mestalla between 1998 and 2008 and also won 46 caps for Spain.
A losing finalist in two Champions League finals with Valencia, Cañizares captained the club for two seasons after Gaizka Mendieta left for Lazio in 2001 and was skipper in the team's La Liga-winning season in 2001/02. Rubén Baraja and David Albelda took over the role in 2003.
28. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Gianluigi Donnarumma succeeded Gianluigi Buffon as Italy's first-choice goalkeeper, was part of the team which won the Euros in 2021 and was named as Player of the Tournament after helping the Azzurri beat England on penalties in the final.
That same year, Donnarumma became Italy's youngest captain since 1965 when he took the armband at the age of just 22 in the absence of skipper Leonardo Bonucci. He has gone on to captain his country on a number of occasions since.
27. Kasper Schmeichel
Kasper Schmeichel's father was one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, but the younger man has carved out an impressive career in his own right.
Like his dad Peter, Kasper has gone on to win 100 caps for Denmark. He is also a Premier League and FA Cup winner, having helped the Foxes to both trophies in a long spell at the club. He was captain for the 2021 FA Cup final win over Chelsea and was also Denmark's skipper for several years.
26. Roman Weidenfeller
Roman Weidenfeller was a terrific servant for Borussia Dortmund, playing in over 450 games for the club after a brief spell at Kaiserslautern early in his career.
Weidenfeller regularly captained BVB, including in 30 games en route to the Bundesliga title in 2010/11 and in the Champions League final loss to Bayern Munich in 2013. He was also back-up goalkeeper to Manuel Neuer in Germany's World Cup win in 2014.
25. Stevan Stojanovic
Stevan Stojanovic was the Red Star Belgrade (Crvena zvezda) goalkeeper as the Serbian club (Yugoslavian at that time) won the European Cup in 1991.
Stojanovic saved a penalty from Hugo Sanchez as Red Star beat Real Madrid in the quarter-finals and went on to lift the trophy as captain after victory over Marseille on penalties. Suprisingly, he never won a full cap for Yugoslavia.
24. Justo Villar
Justo Villar won 120 caps for Paraguay in an international career spanning almost 20 years and is considered one of the nation's best-ever goalkeepers.
Instrumental in Paraguay's passage to the final of the 2011 Copa America, Villar was named as the tournament's best goalkeeper. He also played for Paraguay in two World Cups.
23. Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final when he parried John Aldridge's spot-kick in Wimbledon's win over Liverpool at Wembley in 1988.
Beasant also lifted the trophy as Wimbledon captain and was the first goalkeeper to skipper his side to victory in an FA Cup final since 1875.
22. Claudio Bravo
Claudio Bravo made his debut for Chile back in 2004 and in 2016, he became the first player to win 100 caps for the South American nation.
Bravo was captain as Chile beat Argentina on penalties to win the Copa America, their first ever international honour, in 2015. And he was the skipper as they repeated that victory in the Copa America Centenario the following year.
21. Vitor Baia
Vitor Baia won 80 caps for Portugal between 1990 and 2002 and the former Porto goalkeeper was captain for exactly half of those appearances.
Baia was also Porto's skipper under Mourinho until Jorge Costa's return from a loan spell at Charlton. With a vote to take place on which player should be the captain, Baia told his coach that it should be the defender and together, they went on to win the Champions League in 2004.
20. Jan Oblak
When your goalkeeper is also your best player, it makes sense for that man to be the team captain as well. And that's the case with Slovenia and Jan Oblak.
After years of impressive performances at Atletico Madrid in La Liga and in European competition, Oblak became captain of his country in 2019.
19. Guillermo Ochoa
Guillermo Ochoa made his Mexico debut way back in 2005 and the emblematic goalkeeper has been to five World Cups with El Tri – in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Far from winding down his career in his late 30s, Ochoa was handed the captaincy by new coach Jaime Lozano in 2023.
18. Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar won 130 caps for the Netherlands between 1995 and 2008, with 36 of those coming as national team captain.
The former Manchester United, Ajax, Juventus and Fulham goalkeeper first captained his country in 1999 and retired from international duty after leading the Dutch to the quarter-finals at Euro 2008.
17. Essam El-Hadary
Essam El-Hadary won 159 caps for Egypt and played for the Pharaohs until the age of 45, becoming the oldest player to feature at a World Cup when he started against Saudi Arabia at Russia 2018.
A four-time Africa Cup of Nations winner with Egypt, El-Hadary captained his country later in his career, including in the 2017 AFCON final defeat to Cameroon.
16. Rogerio Ceni
Rogerio Ceni spent virtually his entire career at Sao Paulo and made over 1,000 appearances for the Brazilian club between 1993 and 2015.
Ceni was a superb shot-stopper and a set-piece specialist, who scored over 100 career goals. He was also club captain, lifting the Copa Libertadores in 2005 and the Club World Cup later that year. Mainly a back-up goalkeeper for Brazil, he was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2002.
15. Jose Luis Chilavert
Jose Luis Chilavert is a legendary figure in Paraguayan football and one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
Chilavert scored goals from set pieces throughout his career and was also an excellent shot-stopper. He captained Paraguay at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
14. Petr Cech
Petr Cech made almost 500 appearances for Chelsea and was a hero in the club's Champions League win over Bayern Munich in 2012 as he saved a penalty from Arjen Robben in extra time.
Cech captained Chelsea in 33 matches. After leaving the Blues, he was named skipper at Arsenal and also often wore the armband for the Czech Republic.
13. Fabien Barthez
A World Cup winner and European champion with France in 1998 and 2000, respectively, Fabien Barthez also enjoyed spectacular success at club level with Marseille and then in a five-year spell at Monaco between 1995 and 2000.
Barthez captained Monaco to two Ligue 1 titles in that time and also helped the club reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 1998, knocking out Manchester United along the way. He would later sign for the Red Devils in 2000.
12. Andoni Zubizarreta
Andoni Zubizarreta won two La Liga titles with hometown side Athletic Club and was Barcelona's goalkeeper in their successful period under Johan Cruyff in the early 1990s.
One of Spain's best ever in the position, the Basque captained La Roja between 1994 and 1998, with 50 of his 126 caps coming as skipper. He retired from international football following a costly error against Nigeria at the 1998 World Cup.
11. František Plánička
One of the legendary figures in Czechoslovak football, František Plánička won 73 caps for his country and was captain of his national team at the 1934 World Cup.
Czechoslovakia played Italy in the World Cup final, which was unique in that both captains were goalkeepers. Unfortunately for Plánička, though, it was Italy's Gianpiero Combi who would go on to lift the trophy after a 2-1 win for the Azzurri.
10. Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn won 86 caps for Germany and was captain for 49 of those matches, helping his side to the World Cup final as skipper in 2002 and winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.
Kahn won eight Bundesliga titles and a Champions League crown in a hugely successful club career with Bayern Munich. He succeeded Stefan Effenberg as club captain in 2002.
9. Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer is one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history and a modern-day sweeper-keeper who has helped the position to evolve during his career.
Neuer has also captained both Bayern Munich and Germany. Club captain since 2017, he lifted the Champions League trophy in 2020. For his national side, he was in goal for the World Cup win in 2014, but became captain two years later. After breaking his leg in 2022, he was replaced in the role by Ilkay Gundogan.
8. Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel was Manchester United's goalkeeper for their treble triumph in 1998/99 and the Dane is considered one of the greatest of all time in the position. With Roy Keane missing through suspension, he captained United in their epic win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 1999.
At international level, Schmeichel's saves helped Denmark win Euro 92 against all odds and he went on to captain his national team in 30 of his 129 caps.
7. Gianpiero Combi
Gianpiero Combi spent his entire career at Juventus and won five Serie A titles – including four in a row between 1931 and 1934.
Combi finished his career that year, but only after captaining Italy to victory at the 1934 World Cup. He was the first goalkeeper to lift the trophy as skipper and it did not happen again until compatriot Dino Zoff held the cup as captain in 1982.
6. Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin is widely considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time and he remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or.
The legendary former Spartak Moscow goalkeeper won an Olympic gold medal and a European Championship with the Soviet Union. He later captained the team at the 1966 World Cup.
5. Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton retired from international football with a record 125 caps for England, but played on until the age of 47, appearing in over 1,000 professional matches.
Shilton was in goal for both of Nottingham Forest's European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980. And with Bryan Robson out injured, he captained England at both the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.
4. Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon won 176 caps for Italy and the legendary goalkeeper was captain of the Azzurri for 80 of those matches. More than any other player.
Although not the skipper in 2006, Buffon was instrumental in Italy's World Cup win, conceding only twice en route to the final and making a huge save from Zinedine Zidane in the win over France.
3. Hugo Lloris
Hugo Lloris lifted the World Cup trophy for France in 2018 as Les Bleus beat Croatia 4-2 in the final in Moscow.
Lloris had been given the captaincy ahead of Euro 2012 after skippering the side on an interim basis. He was also captain of Tottenham Hotspur between 2015 and 2023.
2. Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff was 40 years old when he helped Italy to win the 1982 World Cup and he became only the second goalkeeper to captain a team to the trophy – after his compatriot Giampiero Combi in 1934.
The legendary former Juventus and Napoli goalkeeper eventually retired at the age of 41 in 1983 and remains the only Italian player to have won both a European Championship (in 1968) and a World Cup.
1. Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas is the first Spanish player in history to have lifted the World Cup trophy, having captained La Roja to their 2010 triumph in South Africa.
Casillas was also skipper for Spain's Euro 2008 and 2012 wins and kept over 100 clean sheets in an impressive international career. He was captain for 104 of his 167 caps. At Real Madrid, he became captain after Raul left in 2010 and lifted the 2014 Champions League trophy as skipper before departing in 2015.
