Top five goalkeepers with most penalty saves in German Bundesliga

These custodians excelled in the art of shot-stopping.

It’s a popular belief that goals win you football games. But, few highlight the importance of a goalkeeper who makes crucial saves, be it from shots or penalties.

The Bundesliga has been home to many legendary goalkeepers. It has given the football community shot-stoppers such as Manuel Neuer, Oliver Kahn, Sepp Maier and so on. Not only have they stepped up to make regular saves, but have been excellent on the penalty front as well. Sometimes we ignore the importance of these saves. Therefore, in this article, we will highlight the top five Bundesliga goalkeepers with the most penalty saves:

5. Richard Golz (17 penalty saves)

Not known by many, but Richard Golz holds the fifth spot in goalkeepers to make the most penalty saves in the Bundesliga. In 453 appearances across three clubs, he faced a total 53 penalties, saving 17. This makes his save percentage an impressive 32.1.

Golz made his debut with Hamburger SV in the season of 1987. He then left for SC Freiburg at the beginning of the 1998 season. His only trophy came with Freiburg, when they won the 2. Bundesliga title in 2002/03. His final stint was at Hannover in the 2006/07 season, after which he announced his retirement before the 2008/09 season.

4. Andreas Kopke (17 penalty saves)

With the same number of penalties saves as Richard Golz, Andreas Kopke takes the fourth spot in this list. With 45 penalties faced, Andreas managed to save 17, having a penalty save percentage of 37.8. Kopke made his Bundesliga debut in the 1986/87 season for FC Nuremberg.

He went on to play for them till the end of the 1993/94 season, after which he made a move to Eintracht Frankfurt. The German also played in Ligue 1 for Marseille. On the international front, the goalkeeper was a part of the 1990 World Cup triumph and 1996 European Chaampionship win with Germany.

3. Toni Schumacher (19 penalty saves)

Harald Anton Schumacher, popularly known as Toni Schumacher, had quite an illustrious career. His accolades include a European Championship (1980). He was also the German Footballer of the Year twice in 1984 and 1986. Schumacher also won the Bundesliga with FC Koln in 1978 and Borussia Dortmund in 1996.

He even won the Turkish championship in 1989 with Fenerbahce. Coming to his penalty record, Schumacher has 19 penalty saves from 84 shots faced in 464 Bundesliga games. He spent most of his career at FC Koln, but was also a part of teams such as FC Schalke, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

2. Norbert Nigbur (21 penalty saves)

Norbert Nigbur was a part of two Bundesliga teams in a career that spans over 16 seasons. The teams were FC Schalke and Hertha Berlin. From 62 penalty shots faced, Norbert managed to save 21, bringing his save percentage to 33.9. The German won the 2. Bundesliga and the German Cup with FC Schalke in 1972.

He was also a part of the 1974 German national team (West Germany) that won the World Cup. Nigbur had a total of 456 Bundesliga appearances to his name, in which he managed to keep 120 clean-sheets.

1. Rudi Kargus (24 penalty saves)

In a career spanning around 15 seasons, Rudi Kargus made 408 Bundesliga appearances. He managed a total of 102 clean-sheets during his tenure. On the penalty front, he faced a total of 72 shots, managing to save 24, bringing his save percentage to 33.3. The German won the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV in 1978/79.

He has also won the German Cup and German League Cup with Hamburger SV in 1976 and 1973 respectively. In the latter stages of his career, he won the 2. Bundesliga with FC Nuremberg. Kargus, however, only made three national appearances for Germany.

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