#18. Ricardo Zamora
You probably don’t know who Zamora is, as he played professionally from 1916-1938, and he did it while wearing a cloth cap and a white polo-neck jumper. Do i need to say anything else? Okay, well the award for the best goalkeeper in La Liga is called the Ricardo Zamora Trophy, and that’s because he was an absolute force for Espanyol, Barcelona and Real Madrid. He was also Spain’s most capped player for 45 years, until being surpassed by fellow Spanish legend Jose Angel Iribar.
#17. Dida
Standing at 6-5, it should come as no surprise that the big Brazilian made a name for himself as an unrivaled penalty kick-saving specialist. Dida won two Champions League titles and a Scudetto with Milan. Although he was a backup to Marcos at the 2002 World Cup, Dida conceded just two goals in five games as Brazil’s No. 1 at the 2006 event.
#16. Fabian Barthez
“The Divine Bald One,” the 5-11 Barthez wasn’t the most physically imposing of keepers, but his record speaks for itself: a clean sheet in Marseille’s 1993 Champions League Final victory over Milan, a two-time EPL champion with Manchester United, a European Champion with France in 2000 and, most convincingly, the 1998 World Cup, when Barthez was named the tourney’s top keeper after conceding only two goals in seven games. With 10 World Cup clean sheets, Barthez is the joint-leader all time.
#15. Andoni Zubizarreta
Zubizarreta won La Liga twice with Bilbao before transferring to Barcelona for $2 million in 1986 — the most expensive transfer ever for a goalkeeper at the time. He then helped Barca lift its first European Cup in 1992. The Basque native represented Spain 126 times, including at four consecutive World Cups between 1986 and 1998.
#14. Walter Zenga
A three-time winner of the prestigious IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper award, Zenga was a legend of Inter Milan — appearing in 328 matches for the club and capturing the 1989 Serie A title — while also keeping 41 clean sheets in 58 appearances for the Azzurri. He also set a World Cup record back in 1990 after going 518 minutes without conceding a goal, a record which still stands to this day.
#13. Jose Luis Chilvaert
A three-time winner of the World Goalkeeper of the Year award, Chilavert has the distinction of having scored 67 goals in his career, including eight from his 74 appearances with Paraguay. He was a free kick and penalty specialist, but he also led Paraguay to two World Cups and was named to the ’98 Team of the Tournament because of his renowned shot-stopping ability.
#12. Oliver Kahn
A legend for both Bayern Munich and Germany, “The Titan” was perhaps the most intimidating goalkeeper in the history of the game. He won eight Bundesliga titles, six DFB-Pokals, the 2001 Champions League, and he became the first goalkeeper ever to win the World Cup Golden Ball after leading Germany to the final in 2002.
#11. Peter Shilton
With a career spanning from 1966 to 1997, Shilton’s record of 1,390 official appearances stands as the record in world football. He won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest and was capped 125 times by England. His record of 10 clean sheets from 17 World Cup matches is equal with Fabien Barthez for the most ever. He also helped England finish in fourth place at the 1990 finals, the country’s best showing since winning it all in ’66.
#10. Edwin van der Sar
A winner of the Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and with Manchester United in 2008, Van der Sar is one of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time with 27 major trophies. At the international level, Van der Sar’s 130 international caps is the second-highest total in Netherlands history. The Dutchman just got better with age as he’s the oldest player to ever win the Premier League and the Champions League. What’s more, he holds the world record for most minutes without conceding a league goal — during the 2008-09 EPL season, he went 1,311 minutes without being beaten.
#9. Petr Cech
With 201 clean sheets over the course of his time with Chelsea and Arsenal, no Premier League goalkeeper comes close to matching Cech. His performances in England have also earned him four EPL titles and five FA Cups. At the international level, Cech is the most capped player in Czech Republic history with 124 appearances. Accordingly, he’s been named the Czech Footballer of the Year nine times.
#8. Sepp Maier
Maier is about as close as you can get to the human embodiment of a cat — his reflexes, agility and flexibility saw him play 536 games for Bayern Munich and 95 for West Germany. Most notably, he won four Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals, the 1972 European Champions and the 1974 World Cup, where he was named to the All-Star Team. In a country stacked to the teeth with world-class outfield players, Maier’s total of three German Footballer of the Year awards is simply sensational.
#7. Dino Zoff
After winning the 1968 European Championship with Italy and being named goalkeeper of the tournament, Zoff accomplished the same feat at the 1982 World Cup — just now he was 40 years, 4 months and 13 days old, making him the oldest ever winner of the World Cup.
Apart from a storied international career that included 112 caps, Zoff was a six-time Serie A winner with Juventus and also came in second in voting for the 1973 Ballon d’Or, a remarkably rare achievement for a goalkeeper.
#6. Peter Schmeichel
A legend at Manchester United where he played 292 games, won five Premier League titles and the legendary 1999 Champions League Final, Schmeichel was also capped 129 times by Denmark and was named the Danish Footballer of the Year on three occasions.
It was Schmeichel who was in goal for Denmark’s improbable triumph at the ’92 European Championship, where he was named to the UEFA Team of the Tournament.
#5. Gordon Banks
A six-time FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year, Banks led England to glory at the 1966 World Cup, where he was named to the All-Star team, and third place at Euro 1968, but the Leicester City legend is perhaps most famous for the save he pulled on Pele’s header at the 1970 World Cup, a fingertip reaction that many believe to be the greatest in the history of the game.
#4. Manuel Neuer
A six-time Bundesliga champions and four-time DFB-Pokal winner, Neuer was also Germany’s No. 1 during its 2014 World Cup win. He’s a four-time FIFA World XI selection, and at the tender goalkeeping age of 32, he’s already amassed 76 caps with Germany. Although he didn’t invent the role, there’s probably never been a better sweeper-keeper in the history of world football.
#3. Iker Casillas
A five-time La Liga winner, three-time Champions League victor and Spain’s No. 1 for the 2010 World Cup and 2008 and 2012 European Championship triumphs, Casillas also holds the records for most appearances in the Champions League and most clean sheets in the competition.
#2. Lev Yashin
One of the first keepers to ever rush out to meet attackers as opposed to staying on the line, Yashin revolutionized the position while earning the nickname “The Black Spider” due to his agility and penchant for wearing all black. According to FIFA, his total of having saved over 150 penalty kicks is the most in the history of the game, and in 1963, he became the first and only keeper to ever be awarded the Ballon d’Or.
He appeared in four World Cups, helping the Soviet Union to fourth in 1966 while also helping his nation to victory at the 1960 European Championships and the 1956 Olympic Games.
#1. Gianluigi Buffon
An 11-time Serie A champion, five-time Coppa Italia winner and Italy’s No. 1 during its 2006 World Cup triumph, Buffon is also the most capped player in the history of the Italian national team with 176 appearances. He also holds the record for the most clean sheets in Serie A history and once went 974 minutes without conceding a goal in Italy.
