Usually in football, most of the glory goes to the striker, but a successful football team is unthinkable without an experienced goalkeeper, with nerves of steel and lightning-fast reactions. A good goalkeeper can literally snatch victory for his team, especially in moments of intense tension, such as a penalty.
There are many goalkeepers in the football world who deserve the title of "outstanding". One of them even committed farthest strike in football... But we will talk about the best, and present you with the top ten the best goalkeepers in the world of all time according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFIIS) and one of the largest online survey sites - Ranker.
10. Sepp Mayer
This goalkeeper was the undisputed number 1 for Bayern Munich during the most successful games in their history.
The Bavarian goalkeeper is one of the magnificent six footballers who managed to collect the entire set of awards - from gold and silver to bronze - at the World Championships.
Sepp Meyer was famous for his ability to grab the ball in an amazing acrobatic jump and hug it to him with an elegant gesture. For this he received the nickname "Cat".
In his best years, Meyer was not just a winning machine, but also a charismatic person who was respected and loved by his teammates for his passion for the game and sense of humor.
9. Dino Zoff
The oldest footballer ever to win the World Cup. Zoff was 40 years old when he won the 1982 football tournament in Spain as the goalkeeper and captain of the Italian national team, a testament to both his professionalism and excellent physical condition.
It was a triumphant moment in a truly sensational career. After all, the Italian legend also won the European Championship on home soil in 1968, and was also named the winner of the Italian Championship (Serie A) six times.
Quiet, unassuming at home, Zoff was also an excellent organizer, known for his attention to detail and composure under pressure.
8. Ricardo Zamora
One of the idols of Spanish football, nicknamed Divine, played 46 matches for the national team of his country. He held the record for the number of appearances for the national team for 38 years.
Ricardo was so famous at home and abroad that when there was a 2nd republic in Spain and Niceto Alcala Zamora became its president, Stalin was surprised: "Wow, is that the goalkeeper?"
The name of Zamora bears a prize, which is awarded to the goalkeeper who conceded the least number of goals in a season or in the Spanish Championship.
7. Peter Shilton
When it comes to the number of career appearances played, none of the best goalkeepers of all time can match Peter Shilton with 1,391 appearances. He was still England's top goalkeeper at Italia 90, even though he was 40 at the time.
At his peak, Shilton was a truly exceptional goalkeeper, his team's last and nearly impenetrable line of defense.
Shilton ended his incredible career only in 1997, some 31 years after he started playing for his first team, Leicester City.
7. Peter Schmeichel
This goalkeeper of incredible size, strength and agility was a nightmare for the strikers, who struggled to blaze their way past the giant Dane and his signature star jumps.
The Manchester United legend was also known for his long, precise throws, which Schmeichel used to make very effective counterattacks.
The footballer, nicknamed the Great Dane, has won 15 trophies during his time at Manchester United and 24 trophies throughout his career. But his greatest feat helped the Danish national team to stun the football world in 1992 by winning the European Championship in Sweden.
6. Edwin van der Sar
This giant from the Netherlands has two Champions League winning medals in his 15 years (total) at Ajax and Manchester United. He is considered to be one of the best goalkeepers of his time and the best player in his national team.
So far, he remains the only goalkeeper in the world to win the UEFA Champions League, playing for two different football clubs.
Edwin is also the oldest player to win the Premier League. This happened in 2011, when the footballer celebrated his 40th birthday.
5. Iker Casillas
Five times IFFIIS named Casillas the best goalkeeper in the world, having played a record 167 caps for the Spanish national team, won the FIFA Club World Cup and the FIFA World Cup, two European Championships, and has five Spanish Champion titles before reaching 35 -years old.
4. Manuel Neuer
Although Manuel Neuer did not invent the role of the goalkeeper in football, he is one of the best performers.
With his remarkable feats for Bayern Munich and the German national team, Neuer completely changed the goalkeeper's perception, essentially acting as an additional defender and key distributor of the ball from the back.
Neuer has often been praised for inspiring a new generation of goalkeepers, underlined by the fact that he finished third in the 2014 Ballon d'Or vote after winning the World Cup in Brazil.
3. Gordon Banks
The former England goalkeeper was renowned for his incredible agility and athleticism. This was beautifully illustrated by the way the World Cup winner defended his goal against Pele during the epic competition between England and Brazil in Mexico in 1970. His save after hitting the "King of Football" is considered the most outstanding in the entire history of world football.
Unfortunately, in 1972 Banks' career was severely interrupted due to loss of vision in his right eye following a car accident.
2. Gianluigi Buffon
Since his famous Serie A debut against AC Milan, Italian Gianluigi Buffon has boasted an enduring level of skill that is simply unmatched. As his great rival Casillas puts it, "There are no weak spots in his game." And IFFIIS even called Gianluigi the best goalkeeper of the first decade of the 21st century.
One of the main titles missing from Buffon's resume is the Champions League winner - but his absence does not in any way affect his popularity and relevance. He currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
1. Lev Yashin
The top 10 best football goalkeepers in history are headed by the legend of Soviet football and the only goalkeeper who ever won the Golden Ball. Lev Ivanovich Yashin was a real football genius. He played excellently not only on the goal line, but also on the outs, coordinated well with the defenders, and they said: "When Yashin is behind, we are calm."
Yashin, who was named the greatest goaltender of the 20th century by IFFIIS, was loved for his skill, wowing crowds with impressive acrobatic saves as well as his iconic black uniform. Combined with the illusion of extra limbs, she earned him the nickname "Black Spider".
A revolutionary in hitting and short throws, Yashin became the standard by which all other goalkeepers were judged, and it is fitting that since 1994, the best goalkeeper in any world championship has won the award. Lev Yashin.