List of All Time Top 10 Best Goalkeepers in the World

“Being a good person is like being a goalkeeper. No matter how many goals you save, some people will only remember the one you missed. – Iker Casillas”. Indeed, a very true line said by Spanish legend Casillas. Goalkeepers are the backbone of any team. They are the last line of defense and probably the toughest position to play in. The team’s striker may be very lethal and, in the attack, or they might have a maestro midfield and a solid defense backline, but an orthodox keeper between the posts can change the course of a season. Here are the top 10 best goalkeepers in the world’s history of football.

List of top 10 best goalkeepers in the world

Gianluigi Buffon

Gigi Buffon is unarguably the best shot-stopper in the 2000s and is considered one of the best goalkeepers in the world by many football critics. Even at the age of 44, he still is playing like a 25-year-old goalkeeper. The Italian has played more than 1100 games, both for club and country. Currently, he has joined Seria B side Parma, after enjoying great career spells in Juventus and PSG. 

Iker Casillas

The Los Blancos legend, Iker Casillas is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Be it the world cup or European championships, Casillas has won it all. The Spanish stopper had a stellar 16-year senior career at Real Madrid and has won numerous accolades. He has been the first-choice keeper of Spain’s national team. The stopper later was forced to leave Madrid and eventually moved to FC Porto in 2015.

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Petr Čech

Famous for his helmet, Petr Čech was Premier League’s best goalkeeper in the world. The former Czech Republican had quite a career with the Blues as he won the Champions League and four League titles. Petr Čech is also the only goalkeeper to have won the Premier League Golden Glove with two separate clubs. The stopper then went to Arsenal in 2015 thus signing a four-year contract. The 40-year-old is currently back at Chelsea as a technical director and was also named as an emergency goalkeeper in the 2020/2021 season’s official squad. 

Edwin Van Der Sar

The Flying Dutchman or also known as The Jolly Green Giant, Van Der Sar is arguably the greatest goalkeeper of all time. The Dutchmen started his career at Ajax in 1990 and later enjoyed his spells at Juventus, Fulham, and then hung his boots in Manchester United. Currently, he is the chief executive of Ajax and closely monitors their transfers and youth academy. 

Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel is also considered as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the Premier League along with Van Der Sar. He is regarded as the greatest Scandinavian footballer in history. The Dane keeper has won five Premier League titles and a European championship with Man Utd. Then he completed his career with a few clubs including Sporting CP, Aston Villa, and then to Utd rivals Manchester City. His son Kasper Schmeichel followed the footsteps of his father and is another prominent goalkeeper at OGC Nice.

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Manuel Neuer

Also known as the sweeper-keeper, Manuel Neuer surely tops the list of best goalkeepers in today’s era. It’s not typical to see a 36-year-old playing so brilliantly as a sweeper-keeper who is normally seen 30 yards or more off his line, which makes him one of the boldest and most fearless goalkeepers ever seen. The 6’4 German was a key figure in the modernization of the goalkeeping stance, and he is still regarded as one of the top sweeper-keepers in today’s era of football. The German has lifted a world cup and two European Championships with the Bavarians Bayern Munich.

Best goalkeepers in the world: Jan Oblak

Jan Oblak is still the gold standard in goalkeeping. The Slovenian is Atletico’s no-one shot stopper and is still considered as the no-one. The Jumpman has won five Zamara trophies. He helped Diego Simeone’s side win La Liga for the 2020-21 campaign.

Best goalkeepers in the world: Allison Becker

Allison Becker is another name that is taken by many football critics. The Brazilian completed his record club signing of €72.5 million from AS Roma to Liverpool, thus making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time. The stopper enjoyed a brilliant campaign at Liverpool and helped them win their long-awaited League title and a Champions League. He is one of the best goalkeepers in football.

Best goalkeepers in football: Marc-André ter Stegen

The German who is also known as ‘Messi with gloves’, is known for his outstanding ability on the ball and also for his one-on-one duels. After staying at Borussia Mönchengladbach, for four seasons, Ter Stegen completed his move to Barcelona in 2014. Ever since then he has established himself as Catalan’s first-choice goalkeeper. The German has enjoyed a few successful campaigns with Barcelona thus helping them win four league titles, a treble, and European Championship. 

Best goalkeepers in football: Ederson

Ederson is another Brazilian who has established a great name for himself in the premier league. He has an excellent ball-throwing ability and helps blindly in Pep’s attacking football. He is famous for his long shots and pinging the ball at the opposition’s penalty box, which has also helped him bag a few assists to his name. The stopper completed his record move from SL Benfica to Manchester City for €40 million.

Conclusion

Hence these are the top 10 greatest goalkeepers of all time. Of course, the list of best goalkeepers goes long. But these stats do prove that a job of a goalkeeper is tough and very challenging. When you are a striker, there’s a midfielder behind you, when you’re at midfield, you have a defensive back, and even behind the defensive line, stands a fearless wall. Indeed, there’s no place for a goalkeeper to hide. 

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