The best goalkeepers in football history are crucial to the success of any team. They are often the reason for a team’s victories and trophies. Here’s a look at the greatest goalkeepers ever.
Top 10 Best Goalkeepers in Football History
Determining the top 10 goalkeepers is always up for discussion. However, SportsBoom has compiled its list of the best ever. The IFFHS, a respected organization established in 1984, tracks football’s history, records, and statistics.
Using a point-scoring system for professional players, here are SportsBoom’s top 10 greatest goalkeepers of all time. Each of these goalkeepers has won major trophies with their clubs or national teams. While many goalies deserve recognition, factors such as the number of trophies, individual awards, longevity, and historical impact influenced the final rankings.
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All-Time Best Goalkeeper Ranking
This list celebrates the outstanding careers and achievements of these legendary goalkeepers.
| Rank | Goalkeeper | Clubs | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lev Yashin | Dynamo Moscow | Soviet Union (USSR) |
| 2 | Gianluigi Buffon | Parma – Juventus – PSG | Italy |
| 3 | Iker Casillas | Real Madrid | Spain |
| 4 | Thibaut Courtois | Atletico Madrid – Chelsea – Real Madrid | Belgium |
| 5 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 6 | Walter Zenga | Inter Milan | Italy |
| 7 | Oliver Kahn | Bayern Munich | Germany |
| 8 | Peter Schmeichel | Brondby – Manchester United – Sporting CP | Denmark |
| 9 | Jose Luis Chilavert | Velez Sarsfield | Paraguay |
| 10 | Petr Cech | Chelsea | Czech Republic |
Lev Yashin (1929 – 1990)
Lev Yashin is widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper in history. Although the role has changed significantly since his time, the basic skills required remain the same. Being a goalkeeper is often seen as the toughest job in football. Today’s keepers must also be skilled with their feet, unlike in the past when they mainly focused on stopping shots and catching crosses.
Early Life and Career
Yashin was born in Moscow in 1929. He started playing professionally with Dynamo Moscow in 1948, and his senior career spanned 21 years, from 1950 to 1970. Yashin was a one-club player, a rarity in modern football but common in earlier times. Fans affectionately called him the “Black Spider” because of his distinctive all-black uniforms.
He played 326 matches for Dynamo Moscow and represented the Soviet Union 74 times, including six appearances for their Olympic team. Yashin is credited with changing the way goalkeepers play, known for his strong presence, athleticism, excellent positioning, and incredible reflexes.
Achievements
Yashin was a commanding and vocal presence on the field, often directing his defenders and challenging attackers. He was among the first goalkeepers to confidently claim crosses. He played in four World Cups between 1958 and 1970, gaining international fame during the 1958 tournament, which was the first to be broadcast globally.
He won five Soviet Top League titles and three Soviet Cups with Dynamo Moscow. In addition, he earned a gold medal at the 1956 Olympics and was a champion at the 1960 European Championships. Yashin is believed to have saved over 150 penalties and remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or. An award for the best goalkeeper in the world, the Yashin Trophy, was first presented in 2019 in his honor.
In 2020, Yashin was posthumously included in the Ballon d’Or Dream Team, a compilation of the best players in history. He was also recognized as the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS), which named him in the All-time Men’s Dream Team in 2021. France Football voted him the greatest goalkeeper ever in 2020.
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