Casual fans of football only see the goals! The strikes, the people who make captivating plays, and heat-seeking-missile passes. But what about the people who stop the goals from happening?
The position of a goalkeeper may be the least attractive one in football but it is equally important as any of them. European football in particular has created some of the greatest goalies that the sport has seen. They have often been captains of their squads and sometimes made a difference with last-minute saves and heart-wrenching efforts that are especially meaningful to those fans who use 10bet Referrer Code to bet on the game. History should not forget these players.
Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
The former Soviet Union goalkeeper, promptly nicknamed the Black Spider, played from 1950 till 1970. He is widely recognized as the greatest goalkeeper in the world.
Lev was a one-team man and played his entire career for the home-based Dinamo Moscow, leading them to five league titles and three domestic cups.
On the national level, he helped the Soviet Union win European competition in 1960 and the Olympic Game Gold in 1956.
Oliver Khan (Germany)
Germany has had a number of incredible goalkeepers. But there is no one better than the Titan, Oliver Khan. He played for 21 years out of which he represented Bayern Munich in 14 of them. During his time in Bayern, he won eight league titles, six domestic cups, a UEFA Cup title and a Champions League Trophy.
With the national squad, he has two Euro titles, in 1996 and 2002. But Khan will forever go down in history by being the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball award at a World Cup.
Gordon Banks (England)
Gordon Banks is viewed as one of the best European goalkeepers of all time and definitely the best one coming from England. He defended the goal in 1966 for the Three Lions at the FIFA World Cup and led them to their sole title by conceding only three goals during the whole tournament.
He also has two League Cup titles, one with Leicester and one with Stoke and has captured the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year award six times.
Dino Zoff (Italy)
Dino Zoff’s amazing feats will forever go down in history. He is viewed as one of the best Italian goalkeepers of all time. He is the oldest goalkeeper, age 40, to win a world cup title. He did that in the 1982 World Cup where he also won the best goalkeeper award. He was also a European Champion with Italy in 1968.
On club level, he appeared for Juventus for an amazing stint of 11 years. During his time with the bianconeri he won six Seria A titles, one Coppa Italia, and a UEFA cup Trophy.
Peter Schmeichel
The Great Dane, Peter Schmeichel will be remembered during his time with the Red Devils. With Manchester United, he won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, and the 1998 Champions League. But he will forever go down in history for his upset at the 1992 Euro Cup where he captained Denmark to an unexpected victory. Peter also has three Danish titles with Brondby and a single Portuguese title with Sporting Lisbon.