Tag Futebol

Football goalkeepers arguably have one of the most important roles on the pitch and can go down as the hero or the villain in one moment.

The role of a goalkeeper has evolved over time, and now, being a world-class shot-stopper isn’t enough. Having a ‘keeper with ability on the ball is just as crucial for the top sides, which starts with their No. 1.

There have been some great ‘keepers throughout history, with Man City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma regarded as the current best in the world.

Here is a look at 20 of the greatest goalkeepers in footballing history, factoring in their longevity, consistency at the highest level, while also highlighting team and personal accolades.

20 Greatest Goalkeepers of All Time

Rank

Name

Country

1

Lev Yashin

Soviet Union

2

Gianluigi Buffon

Italy

3

Manuel Neuer

Germany

4

Iker Casillas

Spain

5

Peter Schmeichel

Denmark

6

Oliver Kahn

Germany

7

Gordon Banks

England

8

Petr Cech

Czech Republic

9

Edwin van der Sar

Netherlands

10

Dino Zoff

Italy

11

Sepp Maier

West Germany

12

Pat Jennings

Northern Ireland

13

Peter Shilton

England

14

Frantisek Planicka

Czechoslovakia

15

Andoni Zubizarreta

Spain

16

Dida

Brazil

17

Alisson Becker

Brazil

18

Amadeo Carrizo

Argentina

19

David Seaman

England

20

Thibaut Courtois

Belgium

20 Thibaut Courtois

If club trophies are what you’re after when looking for a goalkeeper, then Thibaut Courtois’s cabinet is full from his time in Spain and England.

A regular for Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Real Madrid since 2011, Courtois, who stands at 6ft 7, also has more than 100 caps for Belgium.

He has multiple Champions League, La Liga and Premier League crowns to his name and has been a dependable shot-stopper on the biggest stage.

19 David Seaman

Known best for his time as Arsenal’s number one, David Seaman made over 500 appearances for the Gunners and was hailed by Arsene Wenger during his time at Highbury.

Also England’s first choice for 11 years, Seaman was a consistent performer and made some world-class saves. He will be remembered for his iconic FA Cup save against Sheffield United and, unfortunately, being lobbed by Ronaldinho at the 2002 World Cup.

18 Amadeo Carrizo

One of the first goalkeepers to make the decision to wear gloves was Argentine legend Amadeo Carrizo, who played until the age of 44.

A River Plate icon was one of the first shot-stoppers to venture out of the area and play as a sweeper keeper, something which would catch on in time. Carrizo was recognised a year after his death in 2021 by being named in IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team.

17 Alisson Becker

One of the best modern day goalkeepers in recent times has been Alisson Becker, who helped transform Liverpool back into Premier League and Champions League winners.

The second most expensive ‘keeper of all time at £67m, Alisson has proven to be worth every penny for the Reds, with his commanding presence and incredible shot-saving ability seeing him become a regular for Brazil.

16 Dida

Arguably the greatest Brazilian goalkeeper, Dida was a star in an iconic AC Milan team in the 2000s and won 93 caps for his country.

Named FIFPro Goalkeeper of the Year in 2005 and IFFHS Best Brazilian Goalkeeper of the 21st Century, Dida won two Champions League titles.

15 Andoni Zubizarreta

Before Iker Casillas became Spain’s most recognised goalkeeper, they had Andoni Zubizarreta, who played more than 1,000 games during his career.

A club career with Athletic Club, Barcelona and Valencia, Zubizarreta won back-to-back La Liga titles with Athletic Club in the 1980s and four in a row in the 1990s with Barcelona, starring in Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’.

14 Frantisek Planicka

One of the first ‘keepers who made themselves a superstar was Frantisek Planicka, who captained Czechoslovakia at the World Cup in 1934 and 1938, making the final in the former.

Interestingly, Planicka never picked up a card in his career and was a vital member for club and country, winning eight titles with Slavia Prague.

13 Peter Shilton

Making his debut just before England’s 1966 World Cup triumph, Peter Shilton remains England’s most capped player of all time with 125 appearances for the Three Lions.

In his prime, Shilton was one of the best, and his 31-year career, starred in Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest side that won back-to-back European Cups.

Diego Maradona scored the famous ‘Hand of God’ goal against Shilton, and the goalkeeper was named in the World XI on six separate occasions.

12 Pat Jennings

Loved by supporters of both Tottenham and Arsenal, Pat Jennings spent there majority of his club career in north London while also enjoying a 22-year international stint with Northern Ireland.

Winning the FA Cup with Spurs and the Gunners, Jennings made more than 1,000 top level appearances and was even nominated for the Ballon d’Or on three occasions across 13 years.

11 Sepp Maier

The early 1970s was dominated by Bayern Munich and West Germany, with Sepp Maier the top goalkeeper during that era.

Maier, named German Footballer of the Year on three occasions, helped Bayern to three straight European Cups between 1974 and 1976 while also winning Euro 1972 and the 1974 World Cup.

Top reflexes and quick for a ‘keeper, Maier had a crazy personality alongside his ability over an 18-year career.

After a decade spent enduring questions from a vocal band of doubters, South Africa’s captain stepped up and let his bat speak for him

Firdose Moonda09-Dec-2024It’s taken 10 years but finally, Temba Bavuma can just talk about his cricket. Or rather, let his cricket do the talking about him.As Player of the Series against Sri Lanka, with 327 runs at an average of 81.75, and as captain of a team that is now one win away from the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Bavuma, for the first time in a long while, does not have to defend either himself or his team in a post-match engagement. Instead, he can soak in the admiration that four back-to-back fifty-plus scores have earned him and the awe of a third successive series win, which has set South Africa up to have their most successful WTC cycle.Related

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That’s a remarkable feat considering that South Africa effectively conceded a series earlier in the year when they sent a makeshift side to New Zealand because their front-liners were contractually bound to the SA20. And that’s not the only reason it’s extraordinary. Of all the underdogs at the start of this WTC cycle, South Africa were the runts. Their reputation had diminished from the glory days of the early 2010s, and they were perceived to have lost interest in the longest format because they only had two-Test series scheduled. Bavuma was questioned as a leader because of his persistent run-ins with injuries. Of their eight Tests before this Sri Lanka series, he had only played in three and batted in two. Of the five matches he missed, three were because of injury, and he came into this contest relatively cold, having not played competitive cricket for two months.Against that backdrop, Bavuma reeled off an innings-saving 70 and match-winning 113 at Kingsmead and an energetic 78 and 66 at St George’s Park. What does he say to those who doubted him?”I’m not a vocal person,” he said afterwards. “I believe in letting your bat do the talking, or if you’re a bowler, letting the ball do your talking. I don’t think that will ever change.”When he was out of action with his elbow injury, Bavuma sought out AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan for advice•AFP/Getty ImagesBavuma’s personal victories in this series were the result of a kind of preparation which was “a lot different to what I’ve been accustomed to”, he explained. After hurting his elbow when completing a run in an ODI against Ireland on October 4, Bavuma’s first focus was “rehab, proper rehab”, which he described as “quite painful” when he got back to South Africa. He also reached out to “guys like AB [de Villiers] who I know later part of his career had injuries that he had to deal with”, as well as “Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan to just understand how they do things differently.” De Villiers also had an elbow injury in the last year of his international career while Gayle and Sarwan are players Bavuma knows from touring West Indies, and he wanted their perspective.Then, because he continued to feel discomfort from the impact of ball on bat, he couldn’t immediately get into the best rhythm but had to find other ways to get ready for a must-win series. “From a mental point of view, I tried to find time in between the day, sitting, visualising myself when I’m playing well, how things feel, and then finding a way to live in that feeling and in that energy. And then trusting that when you’re able to hit balls, things will come as they should.”Initially, they didn’t. When Bavuma first picked up his bat, he was still unsure. “My first couple of nets weren’t that great, to be honest,” Bavuma said. “I was quite doubtful of myself, not just physically but also from a pure form point of view. And I think then you’ve just got to trust yourself, you’ve got to trust what you’ve done.”The problem, perhaps, is that when people think about what Bavuma has done (before this series), they look at things like a 10-year career with an average that has never reached 40, and an 8.7% conversion rate of fifties to hundreds. They don’t consider how many of those half-centuries were scored under extreme pressure, with a brittle batting line-up around him. So when Bavuma needed reminding of what he is capable of, he had to look inwards, to the small group of people who know him best.”For support, I lean on my family. They are my source of strength. They are people who see me as Temba the person, not Temba the cricketer or Temba the captain,” he said. “It also about having good guys around you within the team from a coaching and a playing perspective; guys who give you that belief in what you want to do.”Against Sri Lanka, Bavuma batted with an assertiveness that he hadn’t always shown earlier in his Test career•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesTest coach Shukri Conrad has repeatedly called this “Temba’s team”, and kept him in the touring party in Bangladesh even when he was ruled out of the second Test and could have returned home early. Keshav Maharaj, who took his 11th Test five-for in Sri Lanka’s innings in Gqueberha, repeatedly pointed to Bavuma in celebrating his wickets and explained that as an acknowledgement of their shared strategies working. Among his peers, who call him Malume (the isiXhosa word for uncle), there is no doubt that Bavuma is highly regarded. What this series did was also enhanced that regard for him within himself and outside of the change room as he lived up to his batting potential in particular.”It probably just strengthened the belief that I have in myself as a player,” he said. “What helped me is that there was a lot of hunger and desire from my side to put in winning performances for the team. Fortunately, the opportunity was there throughout the series and I was able to make use of it.”After a hard grind in stabilising South Africa in the first innings in Gqeberha, the rest of Bavuma’s innings took place in what felt like pockets of sunshine. He was more assertive in his strokeplay and drove, swept and hooked with confidence. As a result, his scoring rates were higher than usual and he never got into the kind of rut that had previously caused so many of his innings grind to a halt. In Durban, he said he felt he had worked out a formula to push on past fifty and all his innings seemed to show that.The next question (perhaps an unfair one in the immediate aftermath) is how does he keep that going into the festive season when South Africa take on Pakistan and beyond? “It’s also respecting the space that you’re in,” Bavuma said. “Don’t take it for granted, but also kind of enjoy it. Something that I’m also trying to learn is that even when things are not going well, to still find ways to keep enjoying your bad performances. Then, the good performances don’t shoot your emotions through the roof. Easier said than done, but that’s something that I’m trying to do.”But no one will begrudge Bavuma if he allows himself this time to feel the high as South Africa summit the WTC rankings (albeit perhaps temporarily) and soak in their success. They’ve already made sure they enjoyed the first win of the summer for as long as possible. Five hours after the Gqeberha Test ended, the team bus was still parked at the ground and the happy sounds of spontaneous whooping could be heard. It will likely go on long into the night, with the Test players off for two weeks before their next assignment, when they can start to think of how much more they can achieve.

Manchester United are now rivalling Liverpool for the signature of a “brilliant” forward, who has been in impressive form so far this season.

Man Utd eyeing new forward ahead of January

Man United’s recruitment has been questionable over the years, but Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have certainly made promising starts to life at Old Trafford, with Paul Merson singling them out for high praise earlier this season.

The former Arsenal man said: “Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha look good. Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole used to be an unbelievable partnership and these two could become a success like that duo at Manchester United.”

“Mbeumo and Cunha will always create problems for opponents, it’s just that they have to do it consistently.”

With Ruben Amorim’s side looking to get back into Europe next season, however, they may need to bring in additional options in attack, and they are now looking to sign a Liverpool target.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Man United have now joined the race for RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande, who is being targeted by a whole host of Europe’s top clubs, and Jurgen Klopp is a big fan.

With Liverpool scouts pushing for FSG to get a deal done, United may have to move swiftly to secure his signature, and it could be very expensive, with the German club set to demand the full £87m release clause included in his contract.

A TEAMtalk source adds: “In terms of talent level, Red Bull has not experienced an interest like this since Erling Haaland. The ceiling for this kid is that high.”

“However, it has to be pointed out there is no for sale sign attached to him – Leipzig do not want to let him leave.”

Man Utd submit £24m bid for "powerful" midfielder with shades of Adam Wharton

United have now made an opening offer for a new midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Dec 4, 2025 "Brilliant" Diomande impressing for club and country

Scout Jacek Kulig was full of praise for the Ivorian earlier this season, praising the impact he has made for both club and country.

The 19-year-old is certainly making an impression in his first season in Germany, having already chipped in with eight goal contributions in all competitions, while he has also showcased his defensive qualities.

That said, £87m would be a huge fee to shell out on a player yet to prove himself over a sustained period of time, especially considering Man United are planning to shell out over £100m on a new midfielder.