Top 10 goalkeepers with most penalty saves in football history

Petr Cech and Manuel Neuer made it to the list.

The silence before the storm, the striker’s intimidating gaze, and then the goalkeeper’s leap into immortality. Such nerve-wracking scenes before a penalty kick carve themselves into our memories, leaving an indelible mark on the very fabric of football history. Incredible penalty saves by goalkeepers are far more than mere deflections of the ball – they are moments of pure, unadulterated brilliance that evoke a visceral, almost intrinsic sense of elation and relief.

From the sheer brilliance of Gianluigi Buffon, whose formidable presence and cat-like reflexes have denied even the most clinical finishers like Ronaldo and Luis Figo, to the acrobatic wonders of German legend Manuel Neuer, whose imposing frame and uncanny anticipation have turned almost-goal moments into spectacles of sublime salvation time and again.

When the referee’s whistle pierces the air, signaling the commencement of a penalty kick, time itself seems to halt. The goalkeeper, a figure of stoic resolve, stands as the last bastion of hope. It is here, in this crucible of pressure, that legends are forged like diamonds from coal, their brilliance revealed only through the immense weight of expectations on their shoulders. In today’s feature story, we present the top 10 goalkeepers with the most penalty saves in football history.

10. FRANK ROST – 20 SAVES

Frank Rost, popularly referred to as “The Bremen Wall,” hails from a family with sporting excellence in their DNA. He is the son of Olympian parents: his father, Peter, won the 1980 Olympic gold medal in handball, while his mother, Christina, also a handball player, clinched silver at the 1976 Olympics and bronze at the 1980 Olympics.

The German custodian is one of the Bundesliga legends, having made 147 appearances for Werder Bremen, 130 for Schalke 04, and 149 for Hamburger SV, before leaving his mark on American soccer when he signed for New York Red Bulls in 2011.

Frank went on to lift the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1998 with Bremen before winning the Emirates Cup with Hamburger on two occasions in 2008 and 2011. His crucial penalty saves made him a nightmare for strikers in the Bundesliga.

9. BENOIT COSTIL – 20 SAVES

The 37-year-old veteran French custodian, Benoit Costil, has an impressive record of denying 20 penalty-kick goals for his club and country. He was part of the France team that was minutes away from clinching another Euro trophy before Portuguese poster-boy Eder scored a brace in the dying minutes of extra time.

Costil made 219 appearances for Ligue 1 outfit Rennes and captained Bordeaux on several occasions. After displaying his heroics in the top division of French football, Costil made his last appearance for the Italian club US Salernitana, where he played 13 matches.

8. PETR ČECH – 21 SAVES

The Czech international, Petr Čech, suffered a severe head injury against Reading that could have almost taken his life. It kept him away from the football turf for several months. He is a living example of how determination can overcome obstacles. Čech, who wore a helmet in several matches while guarding the nets of two London giants, Chelsea and Arsenal, is one of the finest goalkeepers ever to play in the English Premier League.

Čech, who made a record 333 appearances for Chelsea over a decade, won three Golden Gloves with the Blues and played an integral part in their back-to-back titles in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. The Chelsea protagonist soon became an antagonist when he signed for arch-rivals Arsenal. He captained the Gunners several times and made a Premier League record by becoming the first goalkeeper to keep 200 clean sheets. Čech’s record for his country is also remarkable, with over 120 appearances for Czechia (then Czech Republic).

Also read: Who are the top 10 active goalscorers in international football?

7. MICKAËL LANDREAU – 21 SAVES

Mickaël Landreau holds the record for the most appearances ever in Ligue 1, playing a historic 618 matches for Nantes, Paris Saint-Germain, Lille, and Bastia from 1996 to 2014. Landreau played a significant part in Nantes’ league win in 2001. The Les Canaris loyalist still recalls that mind-blowing penalty save in a Coupe de la Ligue match against PSG, where his presence of mind denied Ronaldinho a penalty goal.

Mickaël, however, did not get many opportunities to represent Les Bleus, as he was often a second-choice keeper. He made 46 appearances for the France U21 side and was part of the French squad that won the Confederations Cup in 2001 and 2003.

6. IKER CASILLAS – 23 SAVES

A decade after the iconic Spain vs. Ireland tie, when 21-year-old Iker Casillas denied Ian Harte from the penalty spot, sports newspaper Marca wrote: “Ireland made Casillas a hero.” Casillas, popularly nicknamed “Saint Iker,” is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, with over 500 appearances for Real Madrid and 167 for the Spain National team.

His Spanish teammate once said, “Iker Casillas is a penalty kick specialist, and he’s proved it once again,” after Spain made it to the quarterfinals of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2010, when La Roja clinched their first-ever FIFA World Cup trophy, Iker played a crucial part in that campaign, winning the Golden Glove award for his heroics between the posts.

5. ANDREA CONSIGLI – 25 SAVES

The young sensation from Cormano, Andrea Consigli, was considered a promising goalkeeper in his youth. In 2012, Padraig Whelan described Consigli as “perhaps the most underrated player in Serie A in any position.” He played 193 matches for Atalanta before moving to Serie A outfit Sassuolo, where he has made a record 357 appearances since the 2014-15 season.

He boasts the joint third-highest penalties saved by any goalkeeper in Serie A history. He was also part of the Azzurri roster when the Italian side clinched a bronze medal at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. His crucial penalty saves for Atalanta helped them top the Italian second division in 2010-11 and earn a spot in the top division of Italian football.

4. MANUEL NEUER – 25 SAVES

Unarguably one of football’s greatest and most influential goalkeepers, Peter Staunton labeled Manuel Neuer as “the best goalkeeper since Yashin,” the only goalkeeper to have ever won the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. The current captain of European giants Bayern Munich, Neuer won the Bundesliga title with the Bavarians for 11 consecutive years, bringing joy to Mia San Mia loyalists until recently when Leverkusen ended their record-breaking streak.

The German mastermind has denied many legends like Mesut Özil and Robert Lewandowski from scoring penalty goals. He made a significant contribution to Germany’s World Cup-winning campaign in 2014, which saw Germany thrash the home side Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals and keep a clean sheet against Argentina in the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

3. DIEGO ALVES – 28 SAVES

The Brazilian custodian, Diego Alves, may not always be awe-inspiring during regular gameplay, but when it comes to penalty kicks or shootouts, Diego becomes one of the finest penalty specialists in history. He has denied some of the best strikers in the world from scoring penalty goals, including Lionel Messi, Diego Costa, Ivan Rakitić, Antoine Griezmann, and Cristiano Ronaldo – thrice.

Alves once stated that a penalty is “a psychological battle between the goalkeeper and taker,” and he seems to have mastered the art of saving crucial penalties. Diego is also one of the all-time leading penalty savers in La Liga history.

2. GIANLUIGI BUFFON – 30 SAVES

One of the only goalkeepers to win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award in 2003, Gianluigi Buffon is a legendary goalkeeper. He boasts the most appearances in Serie A history with 657 matches for Juventus and Parma. He also made 176 appearances for the Italian national side. Ukrainian striker Shevchenko once said of Buffon, “Gigi proved once again he’s the best goalkeeper in the world.”

Buffon was part of the Italian side that won the FIFA World Cup in 2006 and narrowly missed creating history when he secured second place in the Ballon d’Or in 2006. The Italian legend has saved many crucial penalties throughout his career for both the Old Lady and the Bel Paese.

1. SAMIR HANDANOVIĆ – 38 SAVES

The Slovenian international’s record when it comes to penalty kicks and shootouts is one of the best in football history. Samir Handanović has denied some of the finest strikers from finding the back of the net from the penalty spot, including Ronaldo, Ibrahimović, Kaká, and Cavani – twice.

He won the Slovenian Footballer of the Year award thrice in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Serie A legend Gianluca Pagliuca forecasted that Samir would break his record for the most penalties saved in Serie A history, saying, “I definitely think he will surpass my record. He is young and has many years ahead of him.”

Handanović proved his mentor’s prediction accurate as he currently holds the record for the most penalty saves in the history of the Italian top division. He once miraculously saved six penalties in a single season while playing for Udinese. He played a crucial part in bringing joy to Milan fans as Inter won the Serie A in the 2020-21 season and were the runners-up in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League.

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