The Top 5 World Cup Winning Goalkeepers

The goalkeeper is one of the most significant and specialised positions of association football and is the only required position on a team.

A goalkeeper's primary job is to prevent the opposing team from scoring - kicking, catching, heading, punching and even bodily stopping the path of a ball towards the goal are acceptable forms of defence.

However, great goalkeepers are more than just goal markers. Great goalkeepers are excellent readers of the game and use their position to direct play, especially when performing goal kicks and commanding defenders during corner kicks, free kicks and marking.

Since the inception of association football and throughout the World Cup's long history, there have been many exceptional goalkeepers - revered for their show stopping saves, their uncanny agility and reflexes, their calmness under pressure, and their leadership skills. The following players represent the top five who have been lucky enough to play, and win the World Cup, for their home nations.

1. Gordon Banks

World Cup winner in 1966, Gordon Banks is revered as the best goalkeeper to ever play for England. During his 20 year career, he was awarded the prestigious FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year Award six times, consecutively. He was also presented with numerous other 'legendary' accolades, including an OBE for his footballing achievements.

Gordon Banks's formative years involved hard manual labour as a coal bagger and a hod carrier in the steel-producing city of Sheffield, Northern England - often cited for building Banks' incredible physical strength and agility. Having played for several local teams in Sheffield, Banks was spotted and signed by Chesterfield FC in 1958. After one season he was poached by Leicester City and went on to help them reach two FA Cup Finals and win a League Cup. During his time at Leicester City, Banks was a pivotal member of the 1966 World Cup winning team. With clean sheets in all but the semi-final against Portugal and the final against West Germany, Banks was known for his acrobatic saves and supreme ability to keep the ball from crossing the line, whatever the cost.

Banks' most famous save, also known as the 'save of the century' was at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico. Against a seemingly unstoppable and powerful header by the already legendary Pele, Banks leapt with incredible power and agility to stretch his fingertips flicking the ball, not just around the post, but somehow over the bar denying the Brazilian his glory. If he wasn't already a legendary figure for his efforts at the 1966 World Cup four years earlier, that save made sure his name will be forever remembered in footballing history.

Banks, who died in 2019, was a gentleman of the game whose poise and modesty endeared him to not only the English fans but saw him revered by rival fans around the world.

2. Sepp Meir

Consistency is one essential asset all great goalkeepers should possess. Consistency of play earns the trust and confidence of, not only teammates and managers but also of fans. Sepp Meir can undoubtedly be considered to be one of the world's great goalkeepers proving his ability, and his consistency, over many years as a German international and a Bayern Munich stalwart.

Meir was the guardian of the Bayern Munich net for over 18 years, clocking over 500 appearances, testimony to his reliability in goal. He also played a record 422 consecutive Bundesliga games, which remains a record to this day. When you consider the strength of his Munich teammates and the strength of the Bundesliga at that time (1970's), Meir's three Bundesliga Player of the Year awards gives some perspective to his ability.

Meir was given the nickname 'The Cat' due to his agility, flexibility, quick reflexes and speed, which gave him exceptional goal-stopping skills from the goal line to the edges of his box. Nothing thrills the spectator as much as the goalkeeper's ability to thwart a 'certain' goal with an acrobatic save.

Meir's achievements at Bayern equally match his impressive international career. Meir was selected for four consecutive World Cups ('66, '70, '74 and '78). He played in every game to reach the semi-finals in 1970. And, in 1974, he guarded the goal all the way to the final, where he had the honour of winning the World Cup on his home turf in Munich. During the tournament, the West German team only conceded three goals - two at Group Stage and one in the final against the Netherlands.

Unfortunately, Meir's career was cut short by a car accident at the age of 35. However, Meir continued to serve both Bayern and the German national team as goalkeeper coach for many years, and he is still revered by the fans today as one of the greatest German goalkeepers ever.

3. Dino Zoff

Only a small proportion of goalkeepers have the honour of being World Cup winners, and only four in over a hundred years of the tournament had the privilege of captaining their team at the prestigious games. One of those was Italy International and Juventus player, Dino Zoff. At the age of 40, Zoff was the oldest captain to have lifted the World Cup trophy.

Zoff maintained an international career for over 15 years, earning 112 caps in the process and attending four World Cup competitions ('70, '74, '78 and '82). At various times during his career, he had to fight to keep his spot as Number 1 on the international team. However, his experience and determination, as well as his goal-stopping ability, secured his place as captain of the 1982 World Cup winning team. His performance at the '82 games saw him awarded Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

During his career, Zoff was well-known for his efforts at repelling strikes at goal. His records in the '70s for fewest goals conceded in a Serie A season, and longest time playing without conceding goals in an international tournament, a Serie A season and various European Championships were only beaten in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was also revered for his calm, composed leadership and his ability to instil discipline in his defenders. However, his most significant impact on the art of goalkeeping was his ability to set up attacking opportunities.

Traditionally, goalkeepers held onto the ball to allow both teams to get back into position. However, Zoff realised that by releasing the ball quickly after an opposition attack, he could enable a counterattack, exploiting a numerical advantage further up the field. This development was way ahead of its time and now is a fundamental aspect of great goalkeeping. Perhaps it is this type of tactical awareness that qualified him to manage the International team from 1998 to 2000.

4. Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon played the majority of his club career in a very successful Juventus team. In fact, Buffon won over twenty trophies and went a record-breaking 974 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal for his Juventus team (beating Dino Zoff's long-held record).

Buffon earned his first cap for the Italian national team at just under the age of 20 as an injury replacement for fellow teammate and Number 1 goalkeeper, Gianluca Pagliuca. By the age of 21, Buffon claimed the top goalkeeper spot as his own and quickly earned a reputation as the best in the world - demonstrated a year earlier when Juventus secured his services of a record €52 million. The transfer fee was a staggering amount of money at the time for such a young goalkeeper. However, over a career lasting beyond 20 years, and with over 1000 senior appearances, 670 for Juventus, most would consider the cost a bargain.

His international record is equally as impressive, at 175 caps for his country he has amassed the most for any European footballer. The highlight of his caps being the 2006 World Cup Final where a gritty and determined Italy beat arguably the more talented French team on their own soil. Buffon's contribution to the victory included a fantastic save against Zinadene Zidan in extra time.

Amassing such experience at such a young age was always going to help Buffon become a composed player under pressure. By his mid-20s, Buffon's experience and composure, his shot-stopping abilities, and his commanding nature and driven character made him the ideal choice to captain his country. It is these skills that also enabled him to have such a distinguished career for so long. Even into his forties, Buffon continues to be of service to both his country and Juventus.

5. Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas's career followed a very similar path to that of Gianluigi Buffon. Both played for arguably the biggest club in their respective country, both amassed impressive trophy counts, and both captained their nation for many years. Indeed, both players often cite each other as an inspiration. Perhaps one distinction between the two was that 'Saint Iker' had the honour of lifting the coveted World Cup trophy as captain.

Casillas' rise to fame was very steep and sudden. He was thrust into Real Madrid's first team very early on, having played only 30 youth and reserve team games. His early performances won the trust of fans and his teammates as he produced some stunning performances. Having reached his nineteenth birthday four days earlier, he played in the 2000 Champions League Final keeping a very experienced Bodo Ilgner on the bench. Casillas' abilities had already caught the eye of his National team's manager as ten days later he made his international debut.

It was in 2008 that Casillas first wore the captain's armband and with it took the honour of lifting the trophy as the captain. Two years later, Spain lifted the European Cup, again with Casillas as captain. As with all great goalkeepers, Casillas had a reputation for working incredibly hard on the training field, and it was this that saw him play over 167 times for his country and play over one thousand professional games.

Casillas's career was tragically cut short after suffering a surprising heart attack on the training field for his club Porto. However, no other goalkeeper can claim a trophy cabinet as extensive as Casillas, and it is why he will always be talked about as possibly the best ever goalkeeper.

Honourable Mention

Although never a World Cup winner, Lev Yashin’s impact on the world game was second to none. Considered by many as the greatest goalkeeper in football history, he saved 151 penalty kicks and kept more than 270 clean sheets in a career spanning over two decades. He also won numerous accolades, including the IFFHS’s World’s Goalkeeper of the 20th Century (ahead of Gordon Banks, Sepp Maier and Dino Zoff), and changed the role of the goalkeeper from last defence to active orchestrator of the defending line. His career achievements make him worthy of an honourable mention:

Lev Yashin

The list of goalkeepers who have won trophies and medals with their team and for their country is relatively long. However, Yashin was awarded the prestigious and much-coveted Ballon d’Or trophy in 1963. This accolade recognised him as the greatest footballer on the planet at that time. It is an achievement that has yet to be eclipsed by any other goalkeeper and provides some evidence of his impact on world football.

His greatest impact, besides his presence in goal, magnificent and audacious saves and lightning reflexes, was highlighting the impact great goalkeepers can have on their team. His ability to read the game, allowing him to organise his team and give instructions to his defenders, changed the goalkeeper’s role. Before Yashin, goalkeepers were almost seen as separate entities to the main body of the team. Yashin was vocal and brought leadership skills to his play, organising and orchestrating defenders from his box. He was the first complete package.

His World Cup highlight included Russia’s all-time best 4th place in 1966.

From top goalkeepers to the best goals in living memory, read our Iconic FIFA World Cup Goals article.