Top 5 goalies of all time soccer
Behind every great soccer team is a world class goalkeeper. They often get overlooked for the more glamorous outfield players, but these outstanding guardians of the net deserve the spotlight.
Whether through gravity defying saves or unbreakable consistency, these top 5 goalies of all time soccer have left their mark on the beautiful game.
Gordon Banks
The late Gordon Banks, OBE, was one of the finest goalkeepers of his time. He was known for his agility, shot stopping ability and pure reflexes. He revolutionised the position for goalies and inspired a generation of custodians. He is probably best remembered for ‘That Save’ at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico where he stopped a header by Brazil superstar Pele in what many still believe to be the greatest save of all time.
He was a product of the steel city of Sheffield, where hard manual labour as a coal bagger and hod carrier instilled in him the incredible physical strength that helped to set him apart from his contemporaries. He played for a number of local clubs before he was signed by Chesterfield in 1958, but it was at Leicester City where he really made his name, helping them to two FA Cup finals and a League Cup. His international career was also highly productive, winning 73 caps, although this would have been far more had he not suffered a car accident in 1972 that cost him the sight in his right eye.
He started every game of England’s triumphant 1966 World Cup campaign and reached even rarer heights when Alf Ramsey’s team tried to defend their crown in Mexico four years later. Banks was the hero of that tournament, not least for his breathtakingly acrobatic flip to deny Pele a seemingly certain goal in a match that went down as the best-ever World Cup final. He was a truly global figure at the height of his fame, a reputation that was further enhanced when he won six FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year awards during his career.
Petr Cech – Top 5 goalies of all time soccer
Petr Cech is arguably the best goalkeeper ever to play in the Premier League. He holds several impressive records, including most clean sheets in a single season (24 in Chelsea’s 2004/05 title winning campaign), and is the only goalkeeper to have won the Premier League Golden Glove award with two different clubs (he did so twice with Chelsea and once with Arsenal).
The Czech Republic international began his senior career at his hometown club Chmel Blany before moving to Sparta Prague, where he won the 2001–02 league championship. This success earned him a move to Ligue 1 side Rennes, where he was named the top goalkeeper in France’s L’Equipe for the 2002–03 season.
After a few seasons with Rennes, Cech was called up to the Czech Republic national team in 2004, and went on to win 124 caps over the course of his career. He was a regular in the team that finished third at the 2006 World Cup and was also an important part of the squad that won the 2007 UEFA Euro.
When Cech arrived at Chelsea, he was not initially the first-choice goalkeeper behind Carlo Cudicini. However, a pre-season elbow injury for the veteran allowed Jose Mourinho to promote Cech to the starting line-up. Cech made a perfect start to his Premier League debut, keeping a clean sheet in Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Sunderland.
During his 11 years at Chelsea, Cech conceded 392 goals in 633 appearances. He has now been at Arsenal for three seasons, and he has already kept 89 clean sheets in 107 games. This is a remarkable record, and it makes him the best goalkeeper in the history of Arsenal.
Rene Higuita
With a career that stretched over three decades, Rene Higuita is a legendary goalkeeper whose name has become synonymous with outrageous skill. Higuita grew up playing on the spirited streets of Medellin, Colombia, where he developed a distinct style that would become his trademark. His goalkeeping prowess is widely regarded as one of the greatest in football history.
In an era when goalkeepers were primarily defined by their shot-stopping abilities, Higuita dared to break the mold. He regularly ventured out of his area to anticipate opponents, play the ball out to defenders, and even undertake individual dribbling runs, and this helped him to be regarded as a true pioneer in revolutionizing the role of the modern goalkeeper.
He is also credited with inventing what is now known as the scorpion kick, an audacious technique that involves the goalkeeper jumping forward, positioning their legs over their head, and then flicking the ball away with their heels. This moment, which occurred during a match against England in 1995, is now considered to be one of the greatest saves ever made in the sport.
Despite his daring and eccentric playing style, Higuita was also a tremendously composed goalkeeper who was able to withstand the pressure of high-profile matches and the demands of long seasons. He was also a great a shot-stopper, and his reflexes have been described as exceptional.
During his time as the goalkeeper of Dynamo Moscow, Higuita was also renowned for his leadership skills, and he is considered to have played an important role in the development of Russia’s goalkeeping tradition. He is credited with inspiring young goalkeepers like Lev Yashin to pursue the game as a professional career.
Lev Yashin – Top 5 goalies of all time soccer
Lev Ivanovich Yashin (October 22, 1929 – March 20, 1990) was an outstanding Soviet football player who is widely considered to be the best goalkeeper of all time. He was renowned for his athleticism, positioning, stature, bravery and imposing presence in goal as well as his great distribution and acrobatic reflex saves. His technique was revolutionary at the time and now is a staple in goalkeeper training.
Throughout his career, Yashin won six domestic league titles with Dynamo Moscow, as well as three USSR cups and one European championship. He also appeared at four World Cups with the Soviet Union national team, winning a gold medal in 1956 and coming third in 1966. In his 74 international matches, he conceded just 70 goals. Yashin was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1963, becoming the first goalkeeper to win the award.
His acrobatic reflexes were perfected playing ice hockey as a child, and at 6ft 2in, he had the speed to dive low to make impressive saves. His incredible shot-stopping ability and consistency saw him claim over 150 penalty kicks and keep more than 270 clean sheets.
In addition to his individual accolades, Yashin led the Soviet Union to major trophies, including two Olympic gold medals and the 1960 European Championship. In 1967, he was awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest civilian award in the USSR, for his service to the country and sport.
After retiring from football, Yashin worked as a coach of the second national team of the Soviet Union and, for some time, children’s teams in Finland. He was named in FIFA’s “Century XI” in 1998 and passed away on 20 March 1990.
Dino Zoff – Top 5 goalies of all time soccer
The goalie position is perhaps the most stressful job in all of sports. And yet, Dino Zoff was one of the most consistent, calm and reliable goalies that the game of soccer has ever seen.
He is still the oldest goalkeeper to win a World Cup at the age of 40, captaining Italy in 1982. He holds a number of other records in Italian and global football, including the longest streak of minutes played without conceding an international goal (1,142 minutes) that he set between 1972 and 1974. This record has since been broken by a few lower division goalkeepers, but the fact remains that Zoff was one of the greatest keepers the sport has ever seen.
Despite the fact that Zoff only made his Serie A debut with Udinese Calcio in 1963, he was soon attracting attention from bigger clubs and earned a move to Mantova 1911. In 1966, he helped the club gain promotion back into the top flight and was soon picked up by Napoli in 1967. He remained in the top league for 11 seasons, never missing a single match and winning six scudettos, four Coppa Italia titles and a UEFA Cup during that time.
These are the top 5 goalies of all time based on their achievements with club and country. They have been ranked on their ability to improvise on a broken play, shot-stopping, distribution, cross-management and more. They have also been ranked on their performance in their SPECIFIC domestic leagues and the major European tournaments. This list is a celebration of the remarkable careers of these five goalies and an inspiration to aspiring ones to come. Stay tuned for our next installment, where we will unveil the best goalies in each of the Big Five European Leagues.
