Selecting the best five goalkeepers to have ever played soccer is difficult. Football is rich in history, which includes legends who stood guard between the posts, defying logic with their saves. For decades, goalkeepers have been playing crucial roles in the sport, evolving with the game to save their teams from certain defeats eventually. It can be challenging to figure out the top five out of that lot, considering different eras and styles of football. However, when talking about the best soccer goalkeepers of all time, only some names can surface based on their longevity, achievements and special skills.
Greats of the game, Lev Yashin, Gianluigi Buffon, Peter Schmeichel, Gordon Banks, and Oliver Kahn, rewrote goalkeeping into an altogether different art and left behind legacies that have stood the test of time.
5 Best Soccer Goalkeepers of All Time
Lev Yashin: The Black Spider
Lev Yashin was born in Moscow in 1929. He had a 22-year-long career from 1950 to 1970, all of which was spent at Dynamo Moscow. He got the nickname “The Black Spider” because of his iconic all-black kit and his incredible reach. Still, Yashin is the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or (1963). His reflexes, agility, and tactical understanding allowed him to change the pattern of the goalkeeper into an active participant in directing defenders and initiating attacks with accurate throws.
Yashin was an international; indeed, he was one of the most important players for the Soviet Union, as he helped them win Olympic gold in 1956 and the first-ever 1960 UEFA European Championship. He also had a decent club career, adorned with five Soviet Top League titles. Aggressive and very proactive, Yashin’s playing style allowed him to dominate the penalty area, which kept him on top. He was often hailed as the best goalkeeper of all time and probably the best ever.
In 1994, FIFA established the LEV YASHIN award for the best goalkeeper in the final of world cup football. Nowadays, it is known as the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Award, given to the best goalkeeper during the tournament for his innovative services to the position.
Gianluigi Buffon: The Icon of Consistency
Gianluigi Buffon is just that one thing in football, and it has always been a sign of longevity and resistance. Born in 1978, Buffon made a professional start with Parma at the tender age of 17 years, marking the beginning of a career path that would make him one of the most titled goalkeepers in history. The 26-year-long career of Buffon has seen him serve for Parma, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain, and his stay with Juventus was for the longest period from 2001 to 2018.
Over the years, his style of play changed. In his young days, he was much more an aggressive goalkeeper who was often seen coming off his line to confront the attackers. Later in life, he focused on positioning, footwork, and anticipation, which helped him remain near or at the top into his 40s. The incredible consistency of Buffon throughout his glittering career, which won 10 Serie A titles with Juventus and the 2006 World Cup with Italy, sealed him a place among the 5 best soccer goalkeepers of all time. His extraordinary saves at crucial moments in campaigns sealed that for him.
Peter Schmeichel: The Great Dane
Few goalkeepers have commanded the penalty area like Peter Schmeichel. Born in Denmark in 1963, the most important period of Schmeichel’s career was his long and successful spell at Manchester United between 1991 and 1999. With an imposing presence, along with an unorthodox “star jump,” the result of previous handball training- Schmeichel was a master of one-on-one situations.
True moments of definition came with Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and one UEFA Champions League in 1999, helping United famously to a historic treble. Schmeichel was an international shot-stopper for Denmark during their surprise Euro 1992 win. Famed for his short fuse and unparalleled reflexes, he was considered one of the finest goalkeepers in history.
Gordon Banks: The World Cup Hero
The first name that strikes everyone’s mind concerning that “save of the century” against Pelé in the 1970 World Cup is Gordon Banks. But his career was packed with quite a few laurels. Born in Sheffield in 1937, Banks had an illustrious career with Leicester City and Stoke City, winning two League Cups. But it was with the England national team that Banks gained his greatest fame.
Regarded by many as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Banks was the goalkeeper of England’s World Cup-winning team in 1966. The calm, fantastic saves saw Banks gain 73 caps for England with a further six FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year awards. His mastery of positioning and his fearlessness make him one of the top 5 best goalkeepers of all time, his name forever linked with that stunning save against Brazil.
Oliver Kahn: Bayern Munich’s Titan
Oliver Kahn, born in 1969, is best known for his fierce and passionate displays on the pitch. His twenty-year-long career saw him rise from a young keeper at Karlsruher SC to a legend at Bayern Munich, staying with the team for 14 seasons from 1994 until 2008. Kahn was highly respected for his shot-stopping ability in critical moments of any match.
Kahn’s career has been punctuated with eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, and even a 2001 win in the UEFA Champions League, where in the final shootout, he saved three penalties against Valencia. He also won the UEFA Best Goalkeeper award three times. Kahn’s intensity often intimidated opponents, and his leadership on the field helped Bayern and Germany to numerous victories. Their performances at the 2002 World, Where he was named the tournament’s best player despite Germany’s defeat in the final at the time, sure to have placed him as one of the best goalkeepers of all time ranking.
The Changing Role of the Goalkeeper
The modern-day goalkeeper’s role is different from how things used to be. These days, modern goalkeepers need to be brilliant with their feet and, at times, are fielded as an outfield player on the field. But notwithstanding these tactical changes, the aforementioned keepers will remain special because each of the goalkeepers brought something different into the game, whether it was the agility of Yashin, the longevity of Buffon, or the intense leadership of Kahn.
While today’s keepers might be faced with different demands, the contributions of these legends will forever signify their place as the best soccer goalkeepers of all time and lock their history in football.
