Best Goalkeepers of all Time
If there is a penalty is to be taken, people only see from the perspective of the striker. But, very few are there who see the pressure through which the goalkeeper goes through. One can assume that the pressure is equal on both the players when the penalty is taken. If the goalkeeper saves the penalty, he will be considered as the supremo for a long time.
Goalkeepers are the only players who can support the team with his hands and can provide the tightest line of defense. In current day football, we have seen goalkeepers who have created a buzz because of their stupendous performances and hefty transfer fees. However, those were the days when goalkeepers’ contributions were acknowledged very little.
In the past, goalkeepers job was a bit less compared to that of modern-day. However, it was very difficult to keep the post considering the fact that there were fewer safety measures and strength of the players. Moreover, it is a difficult job to compile a list of the top 5 goalkeepers of all time. Considering many parameters, we have made a list of best goalkeepers of all time;
#5) Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon, one of the legends of the game to ever grace the pitch, is known for his loyalty towards Old Lady when they were relegated to Serie B in 2006 after the player had won the World Cup with Italy in the same season. In the World Cup, the player had let only an own goal and a penalty. The player had frustrated almost all the strikers and midfielders of the time.
The Italian international made his Serie A debut against AC Milan as a teenager and led the Bianconeri to seven successive Scudetto. His greatest rival, Iker Casillas, once said;
“It’s impossible to find any weaknesses in his game.”
However, the player has one thing missing from his portfolio. That is a Champions League title. He came agonisingly close until Ronaldo snatched it away from Juventus in 2016. However, the player will go down as one of the best in the world.
#4) Dino Zoff
Best goalkeepers of all time: The player is always considered as the testament to both professionalism and excellent positioning capability in the game. He is always one of the prime examples to tell that age never matters when it comes to achieving something. The player was 40 years old when he won the World Cup with the Italian international team in 1982.
Dino Zoff is also known for his quiet and unassuming character apart from he is cool in the pressure situations. He also gave attention to every single thing in detail because of which he is among the list of best. The player has also won six Serie A titles with Juventus apart from winning the European Championship on the home soil in 1968.
#3) Gordon Banks
Considered as one of the best English goalkeepers, Gordon Banks has ranked always among the top three goalkeepers of all time. For England, the goalkeeper has made 73 appearances during 1958 and 1972. Also, the player has 628 appearances at the domestic level during his 14 years of a professional football career.
Gordon Banks’s most notable achievement is winning the 1966 World Cup with the England national team. In the World Cup, the player played in all the matches and conceded only three goals. At the club level, Banks has won League Cup with Leicester City and Stoke. However, the player had a sad ending to his career when he lost his eye in a car accident.
#2) Peter Schmeichel
Best goalkeepers of all time: The Manchester United legendary captain and goalkeeper was a real nightmare for the strikers. He had an extra height, strength and agility compared to that of the other goalkeepers of that time. The goalkeeper was a pure winner who won 15 trophies in total with Manchester United and set Denmark to the landmark victory in 1992 by winning the European Championship in Sweden.
Players and strikers struggled to put the ball past the Denmark international and was always the inspiration for all the young goalkeepers. He was also known for his throws which used to set the counter-attack with a higher devastating attack. Apart from these qualities, he was a total leader who led the team from the front. The player is also known for his iconic “star jump” celebration.
#1) Lev Yashin
The goalkeeper of all time and the only goalkeeper to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or, Lev Yashin was the backbone of USSR defense during the 20th century, He was the first among the goalkeepers to rush forward and collect the ball when others stuck to their lines.
The USSR goalkeeper was known for his bravery, sportsmanship, spirit and for his extra-acrobatic saves on the pitch. He earned the nickname of “The Black Spider” because of the iconic black strip he used to carry which looked like an extra limb.
The player was of revolutionary nature in terms of short throws, punching the ball away, rushing out of the goal line. The player became the yardstick for all the other goalkeepers and others were judged comparing with him. Since 1994, the best goalkeeper award in any World Cup is given under his name i.e, Lev Yashin Award.
A revolutionary in terms of punching the ball away and short throw-outs, Yashin became the standard by which all other goalkeepers were judged and it is only fitting that, since 1994, the best goalkeeper at any World Cup is presented the ‘Lev Yashin Award’.
