Best Soccer Goalkeepers of All Time

Former Spain and Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas won his first Champions League title just days after his 19th birthday.

Check out the best soccer goalkeepers of all time. / IMAGO/ABACAPRESS

Goalkeepers might not get the same recognition as soccer's best goalscorers or even the sport's elite defenders, but they play as integral role as any other position in leading a team to championship glory. From current goalkeepers taking over the game like Alisson and Thibaut Courtois to legendary figures like Lev Yashin and Sepp Maier, the all-time greats between the posts have the ability to singlehandedly change the course of a match. The best of the best, though, did so for both club and country.

Here's the 15 greatest goalkeepers in history.

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15. Dino Zoff

Dino Zoff won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy. / IMAGO/Varley Media

Dino Zoff announced himself as one of Europe's best goalkeepers in the 1970s with his success at Juventus. The Italian won six Serie A titles and two Coppa Italia titles in an 11-year span.

He truly left his mark on the pitch, though, for Italy. After falling short at the 1970 FIFA World Cup to Brazil, Zoff got his chance at redemption 12 years later at the age of 40. The goalkeeper led Italy to its third World Cup and its first since 1938.

Like another Italian goalkeeper on our list, Zoff never secured a Champions League title.

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14. Gordon Banks

Gordon Banks might have only won one EFL Cup with Leicester City and one with Stoke City in his domestic career, but his time with England is what makes him one of the all-time greats. The goalkeeper was between the posts for every one of the Three Lions' matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup that ended with England winning its first and only World Cup.

Banks and England could not repeat their success at the 1970 World Cup, but he still left his mark on the tournament; Banks's save against Brazil's Pelé is a highlight of his career.

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13. Thibaut Courtois

Thibaut Courtois won two Champions League titles with Real Madrid. / IMAGO/PanoramiC

Without Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid would not have won the 2022 Champions League final. The goalkeeper put forth one of the best performances in UCL final history against Liverpool, recording nine saves and keeping a clean sheet. The Belgian became just the third goalkeeper to ever be named Man of the Match in a UCL final.

Courtois also won the 2024 Champions League with Los Blancos and three La Liga titles. He also became a Spanish champion with Atlético Madrid and topped the Premier League twice with Chelsea.

Although he never managed to secure any international trophies, Courtois did take home the Golden Glove from the 2018 FIFA World Cup after Belgium finished third.

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12. Sepp Maier

Sepp Maier is the first of several German legends on our list. The goalkeeper won Euro 1972 with West Germany and then the World Cup just two years later. Maier received the German Footballer of the Year award for his efforts in 1975 before claiming the honor again in 1977 and 1978.

Maier's international achievements joined his long list of domestic successes with Bayern Munich. He made 709 appearances for the German giants, a club record that Thomas Müller eventually surpassed in 2024. The German was a four-time Bundesliga champion, a three-time Champions League winner and a four-time DFB-Pokal champion.

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11. Andoni Zubizarreta

Andoni Zubizarreta is remembered as one of the best Spanish goalkeepers in history. Although he enjoyed a majority of his success with Barcelona, he won two La Liga titles, a Spanish Super Cup and a Copa del Rey with Athletic Club before he even made the move to Catalonia.

Once he joined the Spanish giants, he built his long-lasting legacy. He secured four La Liga titles, one Champions League, two Spanish Super Cups and two Copa Del Rey trophies all within seven years at the club.

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10. David Seaman

David Seaman might not have been a member of The Invincibles, but he still contributed to plenty of Arsenal's biggest accomplishments. The former England international won three Premier League titles with the Gunners, four FA Cups and one EFL Cup.

He also made the second-most appearances for the Three Lions in history with 75 caps. His international career did not bring any silverware, though, and his blunder against Ronaldinho in the 2002 FIFA World Cup marred his time in an England shirt.

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9. Alisson

Alisson won the 2019 Champions League with Liverpool. / IMAGO/Sportsphoto

Alisson is the first active goalkeeper to make the top 10. The Brazilian shows up for Liverpool time and time again, pulling out heroic saves that helped the Reds claim the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League one year later.

The shot-stopper also emerged as one of the only constants for an up-and-down Brazil team over the years. His efforts between the posts helped the Seleção win the 2019 Copa América, Brazil's first in over a decade.

Alisson could very well move up our rankings if the goalkeeper manages to snag more silverware with Liverpool or Brazil.

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8. Oliver Kahn

Before Manuel Neuer, there was Oliver Kahn. The German made 86 appearances for his country and walked away with the Golden Ball at the 2002 FIFA World Cup despite falling short to Brazil.

For Bayern Munich, the goalkeeper won just about all there is to win. With eight Bundesliga titles, a Champions League and six DFB-Pokal titles, Kahn remains one of the most successful German goalkeepers in history.

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7. Edwin van der Sar

Edwin van der Sar was a four-time Dutch champion and a Champions League winner with Ajax all before he transferred to Manchester United. Then, under Sir Alex Ferguson, the goalkeeper won four Premier League titles and another Champions League.

Titles aside, Van der Sar holds the world record for the longest time without conceding a goal in a league match. The Dutchman went 1,311 minutes without letting in a single goal for United between Nov. 2008 and Mar. 2009.

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6. Petr Čech

Petr Čech's illustrious career at Chelsea makes him one of the best Premier League goalkeepers in history. Despite a serious head injury, Čech still delivered great performance after great performance, helping the Blues win four Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Europa League and four FA Cups. He remains the seventh-most capped player in Chelsea history with 494 appearances.

Even when Čech transferred to Arsenal, he still added more titles to his trophy cabinet, winning the FA Cup in 2017. His lack of international silverware has him just out of our top five.

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5. Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel helped pull off one of the biggest upsets in history at Euro 1992. The goalkeeper kept a clean sheet against Germany, leading Denmark to its first and only European championship.

The international achievement alone etched Schmeichel in the goalkeeping history books, but his time at Manchester United made him one of the best goalkeepers of all time. The former Red Devil won five Premier League titles, one Champions League, three FA Cups and more with United before enjoying spells at Sporting CP, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

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4. Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It goes without saying that Manuel Neuer redefined the position forever as he emerged as the best sweeper keeper in the game. The German international cemented his legacy at the 2014 FIFA World Cup when he helped Germany win the tournament, taking home the Golden Glove for his heroic efforts. The goalkeeper also finished as a Ballon d'Or finalist later that year.

Neuer also topped the Bundesliga 11 times and the Champions League twice in 2013 and 2020 with Bayern Munich. So much of Bayern Munich's success comes from Neuer's performances between the posts; the former German international has most clean sheets in Bundesliga history, a statistic he is still adding to till this day.

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3. Lev Yashin

Lev Yashin has something no other goalkeeper has—a Ballon d'Or. The goalkeeper took home soccer's most prestigious award in 1963 and no other player at his position has since matched the feat.

Beyond the individual honor, Yashin won Euro 1960 with the Soviet Union and became a five-time Soviet Champion with Dinamo Moscow. He took home an Olympic gold medal as well.

Yashin's groundbreaking career led to the Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper every year at the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

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2. Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon's reputation precedes him. The goalkeeper won a staggering 10 Serie A titles with Juventus, along with six Coppa Italia titles and seven Italian Super Cups. Even when he left the Italian giants, he still racked up silverware, winning Ligue 1 and the French Super Cup with PSG.

Of course, one of the highlights of Buffon's career came at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played an integral role in Italy's campaign that ended with the country's fourth World Cup.

Buffon was never able to claim a Champions League trophy, though, leaving him just behind our pick for the best goalkeeper of all time.

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1. Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas made 725 appearances for Real Madrid. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Not only is Iker Casillas the best goalkeeper to ever represent Real Madrid and Spain, but he is also the one of the best soccer players of all time. The Spaniard was the pillar of La Roja's four-year dominance from 2008 to 2012 that ended with two European Championships and a World Cup.

His trophy cabinet also contains three Champions League titles, including the one he won just days after he turned 19 years old. He collected five La Liga titles, four Spanish Super Cups and two UEFA Super Cups with Real Madrid as well.

Casillas remains the goalkeeper with the most Champions League appearances of all time (177) and is second to only Raúl in Real Madrid appearances with 725.

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