Top 30 Greatest Goalkeepers of All Time
Who is the most decorated GK of all time? Which goalkeeper has the most clean sheets? Who is the highest-rated GK Ultimate Team? Also, Who is better, Buffon or Neuer? Who is better, Neuer or Casillas? Again, Who is better, Casillas or Buffon? Moreover, Who is the greatest goalkeeper ever lived? Is Buffon the best goalkeeper in the world? Is Neuer the greatest goalkeeper? Who is the most fat goalkeeper? Many questions often bite you about history’s greatest glovemen. Well, this content is all you need and want. GoalTheBall leaks the list of the top 30 greatest or best goalkeepers of all time.
Who is the Goat Goalkeeper?
Answering just 1 name is too easy. But when you wanna make a proper list of 20+ goat keepers, you need to study the facts and stats very well. There was no good content available on the internet regarding this topic. Thus we brought in something where you can not only find the proper ranking but also each and every keeper’s achievement. Thus before going to the direct rank, let’s check out the list featuring the previous century’s top 10 keepers and IFFHS’s best goalie ranking since 1987. These 2 charts will simplify things for you to understand the overall ranking of each keeper in the list of eternity.
The World’s Best Man Goalkeeper of the Century (1901–2000)
| Goalkeeper | Points | Period | Nationality |
| Lev Yashin | 1002 | 1950–1970 | Soviet Union |
| Gordon Banks | 717 | 1963–1972 | England |
| Dino Zoff | 661 | 1968–1982 | Italy |
| Sepp Maier | 456 | 1966–1979 | West Germany |
| Ricardo Zamora | 443 | 1920–1936 | Spain |
| José Luis Chilavert | 373 | 1989–2003 | Paraguay |
| Peter Schmeichel | 291 | 1987–2001 | Denmark |
| Peter Shilton | 196 | 1970–1990 | England |
| František Plánička | 194 | 1926–1938 | Czechoslovakia |
| Amadeo Carrizo | 192 | 1954–1964 | Argentina |
World’s Best Goalkeeper Ranking (since 1987)
| Goalkeeper | Points | IFFHS Awards | Nationality |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 357 | 5 (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2017) | Italy |
| Iker Casillas | 260 | 5 (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) | Spain |
| Manuel Neuer | 219 | 5 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020) | Germany |
| Petr Cech | 218 | 1 (2005) | Czech Republic |
| Edwin van der Sar | 201 | N/A | Netherlands |
| Peter Schmeichel | 179 | 2 (1992, 1993) | Denmark |
| Oliver Kahn | 162 | 3 (1999, 2001, 2002) | Germany |
| Thibaut Courtois | 150 | 2 (2018, 2022) | Belgium |
| José Luis Chilavert | 146 | 3 (1995, 1997, 1998) | Paraguay |
| Walter Zanega | 132 | 3 (1989, 1990, 1991) | Italy |
Top 30 Best Goalkeepers of All Time
Here is the original list. GoalTheBall experts have gathered all available data to present you with the list of the best goalkeepers in the history of football.
| Goalkeeper Name | Nationality | Major Clubs | Major Achievements |
| Lev Yashin | Soviet Union | Dynamo Moscow | Ballon d’Or, FIFA Goalkeeper of the Century |
| Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | Juventus, PSG, Parma | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (5), FIFA WC Yashin Award, UEFA Club Footballer of the Year, FIFA World Cup Winner |
| Gordon Banks | England | Leicester City, Stoke City | FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year (6), FIFA World Cup Winner |
| Manuel Neuer | Germany | Bayern Munich, Schalke 04 | FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year, IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (5), FIFA WC Golden Glove, Best European Goalkeeper (5), FIFA World Cup Winner, UCL (2) |
| Iker Casillas | Spain | Real Madrid, Porto | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (5), Best European Goalkeeper (1), World Cup Golden Glove, World Cup, Euro (2), UCL (3) |
| Peter Schmeichel | Denmark | Hvidovre, Borndby, Man Utd, Aston Villa, Sporting CP, Man City | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (2), UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year (3), Premier League Player of the Season, Euro, UCL |
| Dino Zoff | Italy | Juventus, Napoli, Mantova, Udinese | FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper, World Cup Winner, Euro Winner, 2nd Place in Ballon d’Or |
| Oliver Kahn | Germany | Bayern Munich, Karlsruher SC | FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, FIFA World Cup Yasin Award, IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (3), Best European Goalkeeper (4), Euro, UCL |
| Sepp Maier | West Germany | Bayern Munich | Germany’s Goalkeeper of the Century, World Cup, Euro |
| Ricardo Zamora | Spain | Barcelona, Real Madrid, Espanyol | FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper Award, IFFHS Best Spanish Goalkeeper of the 20th Century, Olympics Silver |
| Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | Real Madrid, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Genk | FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year, IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (2), FIFA WC Golden Glove, UCL (2) |
| Petr Cech | Czech Republic | Chelsea, Arsenal, Rennes | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper, Best European Goalkeeper (4), Premier League Golden Glove (4), UCL |
| Edwin van der Sar | Netherlands | Ajax, Man Utd, Juventus, Fulham | Best European Goalkeeper (2), UCL (2), Club World Cup |
| José Luis Chilavert | Paraguay | Vélez Sarsfield, San Lorenzo, Real Zaragoza | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (3), South American Footballer of the Year, |
| Walter Zenga | Italy | Inter Milan, Sampdoria, New England Revolution | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper (3), UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year, UEFA Cup (2) |
| Peter Shilton | England | Leicester City, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Derby County | PFA Players’ Player of the Year, European Cup (2) |
| Ubaldo Fillol | Argentina | River Plate, Racing Club | Silver Ball South American Player of the Year (3), El Grafico Best South American Player of the Year, World Cup |
| František Plánička | Czech Republic | Slavia Prague, SK Bubeneč | FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper |
| Michel Preud’homme | Belgium | Standard Liege, Mechelen, Benfica | FIFA World Cup Yashin Award, Best European Goalkeeper of the Year, IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year |
| Amadeo Carrizo | Argentina | Arsenal, QPR, Birmingham City, Peterborough United | IFFHS South America Men’s Team of All Time, IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team |
| Alisson Becker | Brazil | Liverpool, Roma, Internacional | The Best FIFA Goalkeeper, Yashin Trophy, IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper, UCL Goalkeeper of the Season, Copa America, UCL, FIFA Club WC |
| Emi Martinez | Argentina | Aston Villa, Arsenal | The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper, FIFA World Cup Golden Glove, Yashin Trophy, Copa América Golden Glove (2), World Cup, Copa America (2) |
| Gilmar | Brazil | Corinthians, Santos | FIFA World Cup (2) |
| Rinat Dasayev | Russia | Spartak Moscow, Sevilla | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper, Euro Runner-Up |
| Ederson | Brazil | Man City, Rio Ave, Benfica | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper, The Best FIFA Goalkeeper, Copa America, UCL, FIFA Club World Cup |
| Pat Jennings | Northern Ireland | Tottenham, Arsenal, Watford | PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, 4 Major Trophies with Tottenham (1 more with Arsenal) |
| Jean-Marie Pfaff | Belgium | Beveren, Bayern Munich | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year, FIFA World Cup Golden Glove, European Goalkeeper of the Year (2) |
| Toni Schumacher | West Germany | FC Koln, Schalke, Fenerbahce | FIFA World Cup Silver Ball, German Footballer of the Year, Turkish Footballer of the Year, Euro |
| Cláudio Taffarel | Brazil | Internacional, Parma, Atletico Mineiro, Galatasaray | Bola de Ouro, Bola de Prata, World Cup, Copa America (2), Summer Olympic Games Silver Medal |
| Jan Oblak | Slovenia | Atletico Madrid | La Liga Player of the Season, La Liga Zamora Trophy (5), Europa League |
| Dida | Brazil | AC Milan, Cruzeiro | IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper Silver Ball, Bronze Ball, FIFPro Goalkeeper of the Year, World Cup, Copa America |
| Neville Southall | Wales | Everton, Torquay United, Bury | FWA Footballer of the Year, 8 Major Trophies with Everton |
| Andoni Zubizarreta | Spain | Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia | Don Balon Award, Zamora Trophy, European Cup |
Who is the Top 1 World Best Goalkeeper of All Time?
When you directly ask this question, there only comes one name. It’s none other than the legendary Lev Yashin. The man, the myth, the legend, He is the ultimate hero of all modern-day keepers. The Goalkeeper’s Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy has been named after him. FIFA also used to present the World Cup Best Goalkeeper Award named after this Soviet legend. Don’t forget, he is the only goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d’Or. Moreover, he has the highest number of points beside his name (1002). Well, that’s in the list of the World’s Best Man Goalkeepers of the 20th Century. In fact, there is little argument about his GOAT status. So, Lev Yashin is the greatest ever goalkeeper in history.
Who is Better: Buffon or Neuer or Casillas
However, if you consider the goat among the present-day keepers, there are a few names including the likes of Buffon, Neuer, Casillas, etc. Each of the trio has won the IFFHS award on 5 occasions. Each also grabbed the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove or Yashin Award as well. In fact, all 3 are World Cup winners as well. Casillas is ahead in terms of team achievements with more UCL among 3 and 2 Euros. Neuer has been an influential name both at the club and international level. Meanwhile, Buffon, who lacks a UCL trophy might be ahead in terms of individual sense. That might be because of his longevity. There is little to almost no difference among the trio. But, possibly, Buffon is the best among them with Neuer coming next.
