The FIFA World cup 2022 facilitated by Qatar is without a doubt the main occasion of this current year, with 32 nations going head to head against one another to win that sparkling gold prize.We will find out which nation takes everything in the coming days.
Many people will remember this world cup with sadness because they might see their favorite players play for the last time. This is the 20th article in a series where I discuss the best athletes to ever grace different sports. This time, I focus on football and the top 10 all-time goalkeepers! Enjoy!
10. Bert Trautmann (GER)
Trautmann endured several chants from the stands during his career as well as competition from opposing strikers since he served in the German army during World War II. He relocated to England after the war and started playing football.
His eventual acceptance and even idolization by some fans, especially those of Manchester City, where he rose to fame, says something about the calibre of his performances.
9. Pat Jennings (NIR)
Pat Jennings played more than 1,000 top-flight games over the course of his 22-year career and holds the record for most caps for Northern Ireland with 119 appearances. He is one of only a select few players to have earned the respect of both Arsenal and Tottenham fans.
In addition, Jennings won the League Cup twice, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Cup once in 1972 while playing for Tottenham. He won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1973 and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in 1976.
8. Gianluigi Buffon (ITA)
Buffon must make do with eighth place for the time being, but by the time his career is complete, he may very well be among the top five. He moved to Juventus after making an impression at Parma, where he displayed extraordinary loyalty by sticking with the team even after they were demoted to Serie B.
More often than any other goalkeeper, Buffon has been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year seven times and the IFFHS Best Goalkeeper four times.
7. Peter Shilton (ENG)
He forced Gordon Banks, the World Cup winner and then-No. 1 player for England, out of the club as a youngster from Leicester who had not yet proven himself at the highest level by threatening to leave if he didn’t get playing time. His potential was so great that the club concurred.
Shilton played for Brian Clough’s unbeatable Nottingham Forest team, which won two European Cups, a League Cup, and one League title. He received the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for himself in 1978.
6. Oliver Kahn (GER)
Oliver Kahn is one of the most decorated German players in history, so it’s no surprise that he was recognised and awarded everywhere he travelled. Kahn won eight Bundesliga championships, six German Cups, six League Cups, a UEFA Cup, and a Champions League during his time at Bayern Munich.
The national team carried on the winning tradition. Among his 86 appearances was for the 1996 Euro-winning team. He has won the titles of Best Bundesliga Goalkeeper seven times, Best IFFHS Goalkeeper three times, and German Footballer of the Year twice.
5. Dino Zoff (ITA)
At 40 years old and still serving as the Italian team’s captain, Zoff holds the record for the oldest player to ever win a World Cup. He once set an international tournament record by going 1142 minutes without giving up a goal.
His 112 Italy appearances rank third all-time, and they include victories in the 1968 European Championships and the World Cup as well as the 1982 World Cup. He won six Serie A championships, two Italian Cups, and one UEFA Cup while playing for clubs.
4. Sepp Maier (GER)
The third German goalkeeper on this list, Maier played for just one club and spent a long time playing alongside players like Franz Beckenbauer. Maier became one of the most decorated players of his time as a crucial component of this heyday for both Germany and Bayern Munich.
He won three straight European Cups, a Cup Winners’ Cup, the Bundesliga, and the German Cup four times each. His 95 international appearances included a World Cup champions medal and a 1972 European Championships champions medal.
3. Gordon Banks (ENG)
Because of his World Cup 1970 save against Pele, Banks will live in infamy. Despite the fact that his career wasn’t precisely filled with awards, his quality was acknowledged as being the greatest in the world during his tenure.
The fact that Banks is the only English goalkeeper to ever win a World Cup gives him a special distinction. His career was prematurely ended when a car accident caused him to lose vision in his right eye. Despite his best efforts, he was never the same player again.
2. Peter Schmeichel (DEN)
The domination of Manchester United during the 1990s was largely due to the commanding presence of Peter Schmeichel in goal. But before that, he was a success at Brondby, where he helped the team win four league championships and a Danish Cup.
He gained recognition on a global scale during the 1992 European Championships, where his achievements enabled Denmark to shock everyone by taking home the title. Schmeichel won five Premier League championships, three FA Cups, a League Cup, and a Champions League crown while playing at United.
The 1999 Champions League final, which the Great Danes won, served as their final game for the team and helped them complete an unheard-of treble. In Portugal, another league title soon after. He received two IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper awards as an individual.
1. Lev Yashin (USSR)
Lev Yashin, known as the “Black Spider” for what appeared to be eight limbs, was a ferociously committed goalie with incredible reflexes and mind-blowing agility.
He was a one-club player who only ever for Dynamo Moscow. Yashin played 812 career games and earned 74 caps for the USSR, amassing a remarkable record of over 150 penalty saves and nearly 500 clean sheets.
In a IFFHS poll from 2000, he was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century. I’ll go one step further and declare him the best goalkeeper in history.