Top five highest scoring goalkeepers ever in football

Some of these custodians are considered true geniuses of the game.

From Peter Schmichael to Manuel Neuer, goalkeepers have garnered a reputation for being the most unpredictable players on a football pitch. While they work most of their magic in their own halves, stopping goals with gravity-defying saves, every now and again, you might find a goalkeeper popping up with a crucial goal for his side in the dying minutes of a game.

While it may sound bizarre to some, a number of goalkeepers from around the world have racked up a goalscoring record to rival any outfield player over the course of their careers. We at Khel Now, take you through a list of the top five highest scoring goalkeepers of all time. 

5. Johnny Vegas Fernandez - 39 goals

Over the course of a career that spanned two decades, Johnny Vegas Fernandez, a former Peruvian international managed to score a whopping 39 goals. His talent from the penalty spot made him an asset to each of the several Peruvian clubs that he played for over the course of his career. 

30 of the goalkeeper's goals were scored from the spot, while nine were scored from open play. Fernandez also made three appearances for the Peruvian national side but failed to score in any of them. He takes up the number five spot in the list of the highest scoring goalkeepers of all time. 

4. Rene Higuita - 41 goals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-flTPSSvCw

One's memories of Rene Higuita might revolve around the audacious scorpion save that the goalkeeper made against England, that has become viral on social media. However, there was so much more to 'El Loco' than just that save. With his maraudering style of play, the Colombian pioneered the sweeper keeper style of play that has influenced the likes of Manuel Neuer and Marc Andre Ter Stegen in the modern game. 

Higuita was also famous for his lethality from set pieces, scoring goals for both club and country, giving him the number four spot on this list. 

3. Dimitar Ivankov - 42 goals

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The number three spot on our list goes to the former Bulgarian international, Dimitar Ivankov. The former Levski Sofia man built up a knack of popping up at exactly the right moment with a goal, over the course of his career. Ivankov is highly decorated in Bulgaria, having won the Bulgarian league title on three occasions and the national cup on five.

Ivankov was also the recipient of a Turkish league title and a Turkish cup in the later stages of his career, becoming only the fourth Bulgarian to lift the latter. With 42 goals, he proved himself to be quite the handy asset for all the sides he represented over the course of his career. 

2. Jose Luis Chilavert - 67 goals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nloCwfuRyjc

'El Buldog' as he was known, was one of the world's highest rated goalkeepers in the late 90's and the early 2000's. The Paraguayan was the embodiment of charisma and leadership, often donning a cartoon bulldog on his jerseys. Chilavert won 12 club titles over the course of his career and was voted as the  best goalkeeper in the world on three occasions. The shot stopper was also included in the 1998 FIFA World Cup Team of the Tournament. 

His talent from set pieces saw him score a massive 67 goals for club and country, including a hat-trick of goals, making him only one of two goalkeepers to achieve this feat. Chilavert also holds the record for the most international goals from a goalkeeper. Quite the nightmare for a defender. 

1. Rogerio Ceni - 131 goals

In what is one of the most bizarre stats in the world of football, Rogerio Ceni, a Brazilian goalkeeper, racked up a massive 131 goals over the course of his career which came to an end in 2015. The former Sau Paulo man holds a plethora of records for a goalscoring goalkeeper to add to his considerable collective trophy collection that includes the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 1997 Confederations Cup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQdR0eQvH0

Ceni has also been highly successful at club level, winning 20 titles with Sau Paulo, including the 2005 club world cup, where they defeated Liverpool in the final. 

The Brazilian's ability to find the back of the net from set pieces made him the first choice free kick taker for his club for over a decade. Ceni holds the record for the most number of goals scored by a goalkeeper as well as the record for the highest number of braces by a goalkeeper at five. A worthy list topper.