Goalkeeper: it's the most high-pressure position on a football pitch but one in which heroes are made.
These guys performed the role of their respective teams' last line of defence better than any, and our ranking of the greatest custodians in history ranges from pioneers of the early 20th century to modern-day shot-stopping superstars.
We should probably get cracking, so just click any of the arrows over on the right to start the countdown!
One of the Republic of Ireland’s best ever players in any position, Shay Given provided his national team with an exceedingly safe pair of hands for more than a decade, helping them to the last 16 of the 2002 World Cup.
At club level, Given made the vast majority of his career appearances for Newcastle, making it into the PFA Premier League team of the Year twice during his 11-year stay at St. James’ Park. He later won the 2010/11 FA Cup with Manchester City.
Arguably the greatest Costa Rican footballer of all time, Keylor Navas firmly established himself as a top goalkeeper through his heroic performances at the 2014 World Cup – including a decisive penalty shootout save against Greece as the Central American nation reached the quarter-finals for the very first time.
Signed by Real Madrid off the back of that tournament showing, Navas won three straight Champions Leagues with Los Blancos under Zinedine Zidane. He then reached a fourth final with PSG.
Africa’s finest goalkeeper, Thomas N’Kono starred for the Cameroon side which, at Italia ’90, became the first team from their continent to reach the last eight of the World Cup.
Capped 63 times in all, N’Kono was among the first African players to establish themselves in Europe, enjoying an eight-year spell at Espanyol in which he helped the Spanish outfit to the 1988 UEFA Cup final.
An unused squad member as Brazil lifted the World Cup in 2002, Dida went on to establish himself as firm first choice between the sticks for his country – thanks in no small part to his top-quality displays for Milan.
A two-time Champions League winner with Carlo Ancelotti’s Rossoneri, Dida possessed fantastic reflexes and athleticism, racking up more than 300 appearances for the Italian giants overall.
Save for a short stint in MLS with the Tampa Bay Mutiny at the back end of his career, Thomas Ravelli never played for a club outside his native Sweden – but plying his trade outside Europe’s top league took nothing away from his goalkeeping abilities.
One of the best in his position during the first half of the 90s, Ravelli amassed 143 international caps and shone en route to a third-placed finish at the 1994 World Cup, saving two penalties in the quarter-final shootout win over Romania.
Paraguayan great Jose Luis Chilavert was everyone’s favourite type of goalkeeper: a goalscorer. Over the course of his 22-year career, ‘El Buldog’ (no translation needed) found the net 54 times for club and country.
National team skipper at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups – almost scoring from free-kicks at both – Chilavert – who played for clubs in South America, Spain and France – was also one of the best of his era at doing that thing ‘keepers are primarily paid to do: make saves.
The first recipient of the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) World’s Best Goalkeeper award, Belgian legend Jean-Marie Pfaff was up there with the standout shot-stoppers of the 80s.
A Euro 1980 runner-up and 1986 World Cup semi-finalist, the eccentric and acrobatic Pfaff spent most of the decade with Bayern Munich – who he helped to three straight Bundesliga titles between 1985 and 1987.
Inter’s number one for 11 years, winning the 1988/99 Serie A title and, later, two UEFA Cups, Walter Zenga was named World’s Best Goalkeeper by the IFFHS three years running from 1989 to 1991.
First choice in goal as Italy finished third at their home World Cup of 1990, Zenga was an superbly well-rounded ‘keeper blessed with surprising pace for the role.
Easily the greatest player in Slovenia’s relatively short footballing history as an independent nation, Jan Oblak established himself as one of the world’s best goalkeepers with Atletico Madrid in the latter half of the 2010s.
A LaLiga champion and Europa League winner for Diego Simeone’s Atleti, Oblak is an imposing physical presence between the sticks with a knack for producing top-drawer saves.
Another of the finest goalkeepers of his generation, Alisson played a major part in Liverpool’s sustained success under Jurgen Klopp, collecting winner’s medals in the Premier League, Champions League and more.
Brazil’s number one at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Alisson is an elite sweeper-keeper renowned for his superb ability in one-on-one situations. He’s proved his worth at the other end too, memorably heading in a crucial stoppage-time winner for Liverpool against West Brom in 2021.
The towering Belgian who can be as good as impossible to beat, Thibaut Courtois will go down as unquestionably one of the best goalkeepers of the 21st century.
A gloved hero for Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Belgium, the six-foot-seven custodian has won all of the biggest honours in the game, as well as helping his nation to third place at the 2018 World Cup.
Brazil’s best ever goalkeeper, Gilmar served as a supremely reliable last line of defence as Pele and co. won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups.
A two-time Copa Libertadores winner with Santos, Gilmar was a shot-stopper with excellent reflexes who stood out for his laid-back approach to surely the most high-pressure job on a football pitch.
Arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in the mid-80s, Neville Southall was the man between the sticks for one of Everton’s most glorious eras – winning two First Division titles, two FA Cups and the Cup Winners’ Cup.
Recipient of the prestigious FWA (Football Writers’ Association) Footballer of the Year award in 1985, ‘Big Nev’ – who was capped 92 times by Wales – was an intimidating ‘keeper who took a studious approach to the art, reading up on golf and boxing to improve his balance and spring.
Acknowledged as the best goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup, Michel Preud’homme is yet another Belgian all-time great in the position.
An exceptionally classy custodian who also represented his country at Italia ’90, Preud’homme earned the nickname ‘Saint Michel’ for his regular heroic performances for Benfica – where he spent the last five years of his career, reaching the quarter-finals of the 1994/95 Champions League.
A highly consistent and efficient goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta amassed more than 1,000 appearances for club and country, earning 126 caps for Spain and turning out for some of the country’s biggest clubs.
Having won two LaLiga titles with Athletic Bilbao in his native Basque Country, ‘Zubi’ joined Barcelona in 1986 and firmly established himself as one of the finest custodians in the game, notably starring as Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ lifted the 1991/92 European Cup. He captained both Barca and the national team.
The first player ever to reach the astonishing landmark of 1,000 English league games, Peter Shilton made his professional debut two months before England won the 1966 World Cup; he continued playing for another 31 years.
Regarded as one of the world’s best goalkeepers in his prime, Shilton racked up a record 125 caps for England – featuring at three World Cups and two Euros – and starred in Brian Clough’s back-to-back European Cup-winning Nottingham Forest team of the late 70s and early 80s.
Very few players can claim to be fan favourites on both sides of the North London divide – but Pat Jennings is one of them, enjoying legendary status at Tottenham and Arsenal, both of whom he helped to FA Cup glory (as well as lifting the UEFA Cup with the former).
Moving directly between the two in 1977 after Spurs thought he was entering the twilight of his career, the 119-cap Northern Ireland international kept producing top-class performances at the highest level for the best part of a decade, cementing his legacy as an all-time goalkeeping great.
A proper pioneer of the goalkeeping position, Argentine icon Amadeo Carrizo was among the first ‘keepers to wear gloves and patrol beyond the confines of his penalty area – an early sweeper-keeper, then.
An inspiration to Jose Luis Chilavert and Manuel Neuer, among others, Carrizo represented Argentina at the 1958 World Cup and made the bulk of his club appearances for River Plate.
Caped 91 times by the Soviet Union between 1979 and 1990, Rinat Dasayev was among the finest goalkeepers on the planet during the 80s, standing out for his impressive one-armed saves and counterattack-launching long throws up the pitch.
Aptly nicknamed ‘The Iron Curtain’, the Spartak Moscow legend – who also had a short spell with Sevilla at the end of his career – captained his country to the final of Euro 1988, a year in which he was named IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper.
Voted the top goalkeeper in the Bundesliga on no fewer than seven occasions and IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper three times, Oliver Kahn is an absolute legend of the German game.
An eight-time domestic champion and 2000/01 Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, the charismatic and commanding Kahn captained an unfancied Germany team to the final of the 2002 World Cup – where he became the first ever ‘keeper to win the Golden Ball as player of the tournament.
The greatest Dutch goalkeeper of all time and arguably the best in the world for a number of years, six-foot-six giant Edwin van der Sar starred for Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United (and, more surprisingly, Fulham) during a long and trophy-laden career.
Among the most well-rounded ‘keepers ever to pull on the gloves, Van der Sar – who, from 1995 to 2008, earned 130 international caps – was an agile shot-stopper with excellent ball-playing ability who was integral to Champions League glories at Ajax and United – both of whom he also helped to multiple league titles.
Revered for his world-class shot-stopping abilities and impeccable sportsmanship – never receiving a single card – Frantisek Planicka was the first goalkeeping superstar, captaining Czechoslovakia at the 1934 and 1938 World Cups.
An icon in the history of Slavia Prague, where he won eight top-flight titles, Planicka was inspirational in his country’s run to the 1934 World Cup final – and arguably even more so far years later, where he played in on their quarter-final defeat to Brazil despite breaking his arm, an injury which, unfortunately, ended his career.
Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning skipper at the age of 40, making him the oldest player ever to lift the trophy, Dino Zoff was among the very best goalkeepers on the planet for the best part of two decades.
A six-time Serie A champion and a UEFA Cup winner with Juventus, Zoff was a calm and composed custodian who instilled great confidence in his defence.
A daunting presence between the sticks, Peter Schmeichel had to wear specially made size XXXL shirts during his career – and his incredible goalkeeping abilities matched his immense stature.
Integral to Manchester United’s dominance of the 90s – leaving the club on a high by helping them to 1998/99 treble success – Schmeichel also famously starred in the Denmark team which won Euro 92 having failed to initially qualify. Blessed with excellent reflexes and ability, he had a decent goalscoring record too, finding the net 10 times over the course of his career.
Holder of the record for the most Premier League clean sheets, recording 202 clean sheets in 443 appearances for Chelsea – where he won every major trophy on offer – and Arsenal, Petr Cech goes down as a modern master of the goalkeeping position.
As good as unbeatable at times, the 124-cap Czech Republic legend remained an elite shot-stopper even after suffering a life-threatening head injury in 2006 which saw him wear a rugby-style scrum cap for the rest of his career.
The ultimate veteran goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon played for almost 30 years, racking up more than 1,000 appearances – including 656 for Juventus and 176 for Italy – finally retiring in 2023 at the age of 45.
A star of his country’s 2006 World Cup triumph and a perennial Serie A champion with Juve, Buffon has been cited by a number of his contemporaries – among them Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho – as the best ‘keeper they ever faced.
Combining great reflexes, agility and speed, Sepp Maier played a major part in Bayern Munich and West Germany’s 1970s successes.
Dubbed Die Katze von Anzing (The Cat from Anzing [the part of Bavaria he came from]), Maier helped Bayern to three straight European Cups between 1974 and 1976 – and his nation to Euro 1972 and 1974 World Cup glory. He was named German Footballer of the Year on three occasions.
An immensely influential goalkeeper, Ricardo Zamora was just about the best in the world during the 1920s and early 1930s, demonstrating outstanding athleticism and bravery between the sticks.
A silver medallist with Spain at the 1920 Olympics and part of their 1934 World Cup team, Zamora – the man after whom LaLiga’s yearly best goalkeeper award is named – starred for both major clubs in his home city of Barcelona, Barca and Espanyol, as well as Real Madrid – lifting the Copa del Rey with the first two and helping the latter to two LaLiga titles.
A prodigiously gifted goalkeeper, Iker Casillas established himself as Real Madrid’s number one while still a teenager – and it wasn’t long until he made the equivalent jersey his own for the Spanish national team, either.
Spectacular saves seemed to come naturally to Spain’s 2010 World Cup- and two-time Euros-winning ‘keeper, who starred in three Champions League triumphs at Real and scooped the accolade of IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper five years running from 2008 to 2012.
At the 1970 World Cup, England’s Gordon Banks made the greatest save of all time. You know the one, from Pele – who could scarcely believe that his header hadn’t nestled in the corner.
But that was no isolated moment of brilliance; it summed up what a incredibly special goalkeeper the 1966 World Cup winner was. A complete custodian, the Leicester and Stoke City legend was said to have hands ‘as safe as the Bank of England’. And if you’ve watched footage of him in action, you can see exactly why.
The finest sweeper-keeper there has ever been, Manuel Neuer was undoubtedly one of the very best custodians in world football at his peak.
There really wasn’t a weak area of prime Neuer’s game, as he demonstrated time and time again in sweeping up major trophy after major trophy with Bayern Munich – and winning the 2014 World Cup with Germany. In 2020, he was bestowed with the honour of IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Decade.
To date, the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d’Or, collecting the game’s ultimate individual prize in 1963, Lev Yashin was one of a kind, the finest Russian footballer of all time and an inimitably world-class operator between the sticks.
Starring for the Soviet Union at all four World Cups from 1958 to 1970 – and helping them to victory at the inaugural European Championship of 1960 – the Black Spider (his kit was actually very dark blue, but hey) wowed the world with his shot-stopping heroics. And that included his fellow pros: Portuguese great Eusebio described him simply as “the peerless goalkeeper of the century”.
