Active viewership of over 2 billion makes Football the most popular sport worldwide. In the long history of football, Football fans have witnessed some great goalkeepers who did an incredible job for their teams in pressure situations. Due to the incredible performance of strikers, the job of goalkeepers becomes more arduous, that is why every team wants to have quality goalkeepers in their team. Goalkeepers are as essential as outfield players but are often overlooked. They left an indelible mark on the match by their performances. Goalkeepers are talented footballers who require agility, concentration, speed, composure, and focus. Let’s take a look at the top 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time.
Top 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time
We have curated a list of football’s 10 best goalkeepers of all time.
Gianluigi Buffon
- Full Name: Gianluigi Buffoun
- Date of Birth: 28 January 1978
- Age: 49 years (as of 2024)
- Nationality: Italian
- Last/current team as a player: Parma
- Career Honours:
Gianluigi had a successful career, winning numerous honours.
- European Under-21 Champion x1
- Coppa Italia x5
- Serie A x10
- Ligue 1 x1
- Italian Footballer of the Year x1
- Italienischer Zweitligameister x1
- UEFA Cup x1
- Italian Super Cup x7
- French Super Cup x1
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
The former goalkeeper of Italy is regarded as the best goalkeeper of all time by football experts. He holds the record for most appearances in Serie A and is one of the few players who appeared in 1100 professional matches. Gianluigi Buffoun was named in “FIFA 100 World’s Greatest Living Players in 2004” by Pele. He also played for Italy in five World Cups in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. Buffon won numerous career honours, including a Golden Glove in 2006. He represented Italy in 176 international matches from 1997 to 2018. His incredible success as a Goalkeeper makes him one of the top 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time.
Iker Casillas
- Full Name: Iker Casillas Fernandez
- Date of Birth: 20 May 1981
- Age: 42 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: Spanish
- Last/current team as a player: Real Madrid
- Career Honours:
- La Liga x5
- Supercopa de España x4
- Copa del Rey x2
- UEFA Champions League x3
- UEFA Super Cup x2
- Intercontinental Cup x1
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
The Spanish Footballer and current commentator, Iker Casillas played for Spain from 2000 to 2006. With 167 appearances, he has the second most appearances for Spain. He was famous for his athleticism, speed and shot-stopping abilities. Legendary Spanish Goalkeeper Iker Casillas achieved significant success for Spain, which is why he is one of the top 10 best goalkeepers of all time.
Lev Yashin
- Full Name: Lev Ivanovich Yashin
- Date of Birth: 22 October 1992
- Age of Death: 20 March 1990
- Aged: 60 years
- Nationality: Russian
- Career Honours:
Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper ever to win a Ballon d’Or award.
- Soviet Cup x3
- Soviet Champion x5
- European Champion x1
- Olympic Gold Medalist x1
- Ballon d’Or x1
The legendary footballer, Lev Yashin ranks 3rd in our list of 10 best goalkeepers of all time. The Soviet footballer appeared in 4 FIFA World Cups. He was known as the “Black Panther” and the “Black Spider” due to his black dress, which enhanced his personality and popularity. He received numerous awards worldwide. FIFA chose him for “FIFA World Cup All-Time Team” in 1994, “World Team of the 20th Century” in 1998, and “FIFA Dream Team” in 2002.
Dino Zoff
- Full Name: Dino Zoff
- Date of Birth: 28 February 1942
- Age: 81 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: Italian
- Last/current team as a player: Juventus
- Career Honours:
The Italian star goalkeeper ranks at number 4 of the 10 best goalkeepers of all time. Here are his honours details.
- La Liga x5
- Supercopa de España x4
- Copa del Rey x2
- UEFA Champions League x3
- UEFA Super Cup x2
- Intercontinental Cup x1
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
Dino Zoff became the oldest captain to win the World Cup after winning the FIFA World Cup in 1982 at 40 years and 4 months. One of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Zoff won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award for his outstanding performance in the 1982 World Cup. Zoff’s career lasted for 15 years, from 1968-1983. The 81-year-old Dino Zoff have an implausible career as a goalkeeper, making him one of the top 10 best Goalkeepers of all time.
Manuel Neuer
- Full Name: Manuel Peter Neuer
- Date of Birth: 27 March 1986
- Age: 37 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: German
- Last/current team as a player: Bayern Munich
- Career Honours:
- German Under-19 Cup x1
- European Under-21 Champion x1
- German Footballer of the Year x2
- DFB-Pokal x6
- Bundesliga x9
- UEFA Champions League x2
- UEFA Super Cup x2
- German Super Cup x5
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
Manuel Neuer is a professional footballer from Germany who plays for the national team and captains Bayern Munich. He ranks at 5 of the 10 best goalkeepers of all time. Neuer was in the winning World Cup team in 2014 and won the Golden Glove for outstanding performance throughout the tournament. He debuted for Germany in 2009, and to date, he has appeared in 177 matches. His excellent goalkeeping skills led Germany to win the FIFA World Cup 2014. He also earned the “WORLD’S BEST GOALKEEPER 2014” award for his sensational performance in 2014.
Petr Cech
- Full Name: Petr Cech
- Date of Birth: 20 May 1982
- Age: 41 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: Czech
- Last/current team as a player: Arsenal
- Career Honours:
- European Under-21 Champion x1
- Czech Footballer of the Year x7
- English League Cup x3
- FA Cup x5
- English Premier League x4
- Europa Cup x1
- UEFA Champions League x1
- English Super Cup x6
The former professional goalkeeper of Czech currently plays Ice Hockey as a goaltender. Cech is the most capped player in the Czech Republic’s history with 124 appearances. He played for the Czech Republic from 2002 till 2016. Petr Cech achieved the milestone of having the cleanest sheets in the Premier League, making him one of the top 10 best goalkeepers of all time in the English Premier League. Check out the top scorer of Premier League 2023-24. Petr Cech has done an excellent job for his team as a goalkeeper, which makes him one of the top 10 best goalkeepers of all time.
Oliver Kahn
- Full Name: Oliver Rolf Kahn
- Date of Birth: 15 June 1969
- Age: 54 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: German
- Last/current team as a player: Bayern Munich
- Career Honours:
Oliver Rolf Kahn is best remembered for his contributions to Bayern Munich for 14 years.
- DFB-Pokal x6
- Bundesliga x8
- UEFA Cup x1
- UEFA Champions League x1
- Intercontinental Cup x1
Kahn is known as the best goalkeeper in Germany. He played for Bayern Munich for 14 years and contributed to 8 Bundesliga wins. Oliver Kahn was the runner-up with Germany in the World Cup 2002, where he won the Golden Ball Award. He played a pivotal role in German football from 1995 to 2006. Kahn is the 7th best of the 10 Best Goalkeepers of all time.
Peter Schmeichel
- Full Name: Peter Boleslaw Scheichel
- Date of Birth: 18 November 1983
- Age: 60 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: Danish
- Last/current team as a player: Manchester City
- Career Honours:
- English League Cup x1
- FA Cup x3
- English Premier League x3
- UEFA Champions League x1
Peter Boleslaw Schmeichel ranks 8 on the list of the 10 best goalkeepers of all time. He was among the most regarded legendary goalkeepers of the English Premier League. The Danish player was with the national team when Denmark won the UEFA Euro 1992.
Edwin van Dar Sar
- Full Name: Edwin van Dar Sar
- Date of Birth: 29 October 1970
- Age: 53 years (as of 2023)
- Nationality: Dutch
- Last/current team as a player: Manchester United
- Career Honours:
The Dutch star Edwin Ven Dar Sar had shone brightly and brilliantly during their last years with Manchester United.
- Eredivisie x4
- Dutch League Cup x3
- Dutch Super Cup x3
- English League Cup x2
- English Premier League x4
- English Super Cup x4
- Intercontinental Cup x1
- UEFA Champions League x1
- UEFA Cup x1
- UEFA Super Cup x1
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
Edwin van der Sar was one of the 10 best goalkeepers of all time in his era. Edwin played for the Netherlands national football team from 1995 to 2008. He ranks second last in our list of 10 best goalkeepers of all time.
Gordon Banks
- Full Name: Gordon Banks
- Date of Birth: 30 December 1937
- Date of Death: 12 February 2019
- Age: 81 years
- Nationality: English
- Last/current team as a player: St Patrick’s Athletic
- Career Honours:
He was the greatest goalkeeper England ever produced. His career honours are:
- English League Cup x2
- FIFA Club World Cup x1
The great late English goalkeeper was regarded as among the best of the 10 best goalkeepers ever. In his 20-year career, Gordo Banks represented England in 679 matches and won 73 national caps. He also was one of the most instrumental players in the 1996 World Cup victory.
