The 5 Greatest Football Goalkeepers of All Time
The Best Goalkeepers in Football History
Goalkeepers are no longer simply shot-stoppers. The best Goalkeepers are also expected to distribute, command and coordinate their defence.
GKs are now also expected to understand the tempo of the play and know when to pass short to beat a press, or go long to exploit space between defensive lines.
As a result, the Goalkeepr can potentially make for a key figure at both ends of the pitch. Keepers like Man City and Brazil’s Ederson have shown us that switching ply from back to front can be a potent weapon.
In this article, we will discuss 5 of the greatest Goalkeepers of all time.
1. Peter Schmeichel
On August 7 1972, it’s highly unlikely that Peter Schmeichel knew he was playing a game that he was going to play many thousands of times during his life as this is when he played his first-ever game of football.
The goalkeeper for Denmark and Manchester United had a slight advantage over the other goalies on this list, due to his 6’3, 225-pound frame.
However, this is not as big of an advantage as it is in other sports, due to the fact that a goal is much wider than it is in other sports, such as ice hockey and basketball.
His large frame and his ‘star jump style’ ability to make saves helped him earn the number one goalkeeper status for Denmark in 1988. He learned this unique style from handball.
During his career, he had numerous clean sheets, which included 22 in the 1992-1993 season, helping to lead Manchester United to their first title in 26 years.
2. Pat Jennings
Pat Jennings took over for Bill Brown of Scotland, and while he only played in 50 games for his first year with Tottenham Hotspur, 15 of them were clean sheets and he even scored in a 1967 charity game against Manchester United.
The ball in this game went right over Alex Stepney, and it ended in a 3-3 tie.
In the 1971-1972 season, Jennings averaged just under one clean sheet every 2 games as he recorded 28 in 67 games, a season in which he won his first trophy.
In 1972-1973, he won back-to-back Cup Winners Cups and UEFA Cups.
The second of the two games included a 1-0 win over Norwich City and he also won footballer of the year.
3. Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas was a goalie for the Spanish team 167 times, including the 2010 World Cup, and he was chosen in the World Cup XI five times.
This is a current record, and it’s not like it took time for Casillas to see success as he became the starting goalkeeper for Real Madrid and he won the league championship twice in the first three seasons.
When hearing some people describe Casillas’ game, it almost sounds as if they are describing an ice hockey goalie, one that can save fast shots and has excellent overall athleticism.
4. Peter Shilton
When it comes to longevity, Peter Shilton puts NFL player Tom Brady to shame.
While his career ended at the same age, he started his professional football career at the age of 16 for Leicester City, and he became the youngest to ever play in a pro league.
He scored a goal at age 18 in a game against Southampton, and he joined Stoke City in 1974, playing with a club that won 42 games in a row.
Shilton played the longest part of his career for this English football team, playing with them from 1970-1990.
Some of his numerous accomplishments include winning the Rous Cup in 1986, 1988 and 1989 and winning the FWA tribute award in 1991.
This award is given by the Football Writers Association to a player that has made a large contribution to the game of football.
Will somebody ever play for longer than Peter Shilton? While it would certainly be a respectable feat, it’s not technically impossible.
Right now, Gianluigi Buffon, who plays for Parma seri B club in Italy, is still playing at age 42. More on him soon!
5. Gianluigi Buffon
In some ways, you could say that Gianluigi Buffon is the modern-day Peter Shilton, due to his longevity playing football, something that he is still doing today at the age of 42.
Buffon started his professional career at the turn of the century, playing for Parma in Italy. He won his first UEFA cup in 1999.
Buffon also played for the Italian national team from 1993 to 2018 and played in the World Cup for Italy in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010. He recently returned to Parma in Italy, where he first started.
Buffon has won the domestic league championship 12 times and played on the 2006 World Cup-winning Italy team. He goes down as one of Juventus’s greatest-ever players.
He was a 3-time world FIFA Pro World Champion, a 2006 FIFA World Cup all-star and he won the UEFA World champion five times.
He was also the 2002-2003 UEFA club footballer of the year.
So when will Buffon retire? It doesn’t appear to be anytime soon! As a matter of fact, it is suggested that he just signed a contract extension where he could play until 55 years of age.
