Most times, when push comes to shove in matches and it’s that time the game must be decided by a penalty shootout, or when a team needs to salvage a game, the goalkeeper is often banked upon to come up big in these situations.
This is why the most significant role in a soccer team is arguably the goalkeeping role.
And for some goalkeepers, saving penalties could be their most stressful job, but there exists a certain breed of goalkeepers who are considered specialists when it comes to saving penalties.
These goalkeepers are geniuses when it comes to deploying different techniques (mind games inclusive) to frustrate the morale of the player who wants to take the penalty.
Over the years, there have been a plethora number of Goalkeepers who made a mark on their respective careers due to their incredible ability to save spot-kicks at decisive and critical moments.
However, many soccer fans do not know that this special breed of goalkeepers, takes time to research, train, and study soccer layers with the hope of stopping their penalties whenever the opportunity arises.
When do you think about Penalty-Saving goalkeepers, which of them comes to mind?
This article was first published on October 27 2020 and updated on December 1, 2022
Who Are The Best Penalty-Saving Goalkeepers?
Without a question, one of the most crucial positions on a soccer pitch is goalkeeping. A team’s victory or defeat may depend on a goalkeeper’s critical saves.
Benoit Costil, Frank Rost -20 Saves
Costil, who has only earned one cap for France’s national team, has played all of his career in his home country and has an exceptional record when it comes to saving penalties.
Sadly, he has never been able to use that to his advantage in order to play at the highest level of football, but that doesn’t lessen the career he has had success in, saving five penalties in the 2017–18 campaign.
Frank Rost, on the other hand, retired in 2011, which allowed him to achieve his 20 saves from the penalty spot in just over a decade. Rost established a reputation as a penalty ace in the 1990s, he had over 426 appearances in the league while playing for Werder Bremen, Schalke, and Hamburg in the Bundesliga.
German goalie Rost was born into a sporting family; both his mother and father were Olympic handball medalists. Rost has a successful career in goal during the 1990s and 2000s.
In addition to being adept at saving penalties, Rost earned four caps for the German national team,
Petr Cech , Mickaël Landreau – 21 Saves
One of the Premier League’s top goalies with the most clean sheets is Petr Cech.
The goalie, who previously manned the Guildford Phoenix ice hockey net, resigned from competitive play in 2019, but he afterwards joined his old team Chelsea as a performance advisor, a position he held until June 30, 2022.
Landreau, who has made the most appearances in Ligue 1 (618), quickly gained a reputation as a penalty saver early in his career.
In a Cup de la Ligue match for Nantes against Paris Saint-Germain, he made one of his most iconic saves when he outsmarted Ronaldinho by positioning himself closer to his post and leaving the middle of the goal unguarded. Ronaldinho was bewildered, and his attempt to goal was saved.
Iker Casillas -23 Saves
While playing for Real Madrid and Spain, Casillas denied some of the biggest soccer stars from 12 yards while also dropping jaws with his insane reflex saves and incredible shot-stopping abilities.
In the quarterfinal against Paraguay, Casillas famously saved a penalty to put Spain on the winning track during his amazing 2010 World Cup campaign, in which he kept five clean sheets for Spain.
READ ALSO: 10 Of The Worst Goalkeepers Since 2010-20
Andrea Consigli -25 Saves
Consigli, who somehow never won a senior level cap for Italy, would have been a good choice for any tournament given his ability to stop penalties.
Even in the later stages of his career, the Italian veteran goalie, who has been playing for Sassuolo since 2014, is regarded as one of the greatest in Serie A. This is presumably due to the fact that he has denied almost all penalty takers in the league at some point.
Manuel Neuer -26 Saves
Neuer, who is more commonly known by his codename “SuperManu,” earned the moniker “The Wall” in 2016 after he outperformed the previous record holder Oliver Reck by denying 100 goals in 183 games.
The current captain of Bayern Munich took home the Golden Glove award for steering Germany to triumphs over Portugal, Algeria, and the United States at the 2014 World Cup.
Diego Alves – 28 Saves
Diego Alves is widely regarded as a penalty-saving specialist, he once stated that a penalty is “a psychological battle between the goalkeeper and the taker” and as such, Alves instills fear in the mind of every penalty taker’s minds and the same can be said when the rest of the footballers hear his name too.
He’s one goalkeeper that opponents do not jubilate when a penalty is awarded against his team (either Valencia or Almeria) unless the penalty is taken and scored. In fact, scoring penalties against Alves is an unusual feat.
The Brazilian left Valencia in 2017 with 23 spot-kicks saved and have saved 3 more at Flamingos in Brazil. He’s made 28 saves from 65 penalties as a goalkeeper overall – reliable Alves.
Gianluigi Buffon – 33 Saves
Widely considered by players, pundits, and managers as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and by some in the sport as the greatest ever. Gianluigi Buffon has been involved in massive penalty situations throughout his career.
The Italian veteran goalkeeper has gotten a whole lot of praise for his consistency, athleticism, and his outstanding shot-stopping ability which has made him be an effective penalty stopper.
Buffon boasts of an amazing penalty-saving record; With 33 saves from 109 spot-kicks, he has stopped the fourth-highest number of penalties in Serie A history [650].
However, his biggest penalty save would probably be from Adrian Mutu in Euro 2008, where he was able to stop a penalty to keep Italy in the tournament and deny Romania a historic win.
READ ALSO: Top 10 Goalkeepers With The Most Goal In Football History
Samir Handanović – 41 Saves
For any goalkeeper, having a threat-imposing physique at the goalpost and the ability to have an idea of where the ball would be placed are some of the characteristics that intimidate any penalty-taker even before the penalty is taken.
Samir Handanović possesses the aforementioned characteristics. Standing at 6’5 feet tall, the Slovenian has become popular in Italy and Europe at large due to his razor-sharp reflexes and an uncanny ability to read his opponent’s body language, which has tremendously improved his penalty-saving ability.
The former Lazio and Udinese shot-stopper has a unique record of saving six consecutive penalties in all competitions between 2013 and 2015. Astonishing!
And his ability to stay on his feet and rush of his line are his strengths which have helped him achieve 41 penalty saves out of 112 he’s faced all through his career.
Honourable Mentions
- Diego Benaglio -17 Saves
- Hans-Jorg Butt -17 Saves
- Wojciech Szczesny -17 Saves
- Antonio Mirante -17 Saves
- Hugo Lloris -17 Saves
- Sebastien Frey -17 Saves
- Claudio Bravo – 12
- Willy Caballero – 11 Saves
FAQ
Which Goalkeeper Has The Most Penalty Saves?
| Player | Saves | Teams | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sami Handanovic | 41 | Domzale, Zagorje, Udinese, Treviso, Rimini, Inter Milan | 2003 – present |
| Gianluigi Buffon | 33 | Parma, Juventus, PSG | 1995 – present |
| Diego Alves | 28 | Atletico Mineiro, Almeria, Valencia, Flamengo | 2004 – present |
| Manuel Neuer | 25 | Schalke, Bayern Munich | 2006 – present |
| Andrea Consigli | 21 | Atalanta, Sambenedettese, Rimini, Sassuolo | 2006 – present |
| Mickaël Landreau | 21 | Nantes, PSG, Lille, Bastia | 1996 – 2014 |
| Petr Cech | 21 | Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, Rennes, Chelsea, Arsenal | 1999 – 2019 |
| Iker Casillas | 23 | Real Madrid, FC Porto | 1999 – 2020 |
| Benoit Costil | 20 | Caen, Vannes, Sedan, Rennes, Bordeaux | 2005 – present |
| Frank Rost | 20 | Werder Bremen, Schalke, Hamburger SV, New York Red Bulls | 1992 – 2011 |
Goalkeepers with the most penalty saves in the Premier League?
- Heurelho Gomes 11
- Simon Mignolet 10
- Lukasz Fabianski 10
- Ben Foster Watford 10
- Shay Given 10
- Robert Green 9
Which goalkeeper has scored the most penalties?
Jose Luis Chilavert (67 goals)
The former Paraguay goalkeeper is the highest scoring stopper in football history, scoring 45 penalty goals throughout his career, and he also dabbled with freekicks too
Which soccer player never missed a penalty?
Ledio Pano (50+)
Ledio Pano, a midfielder, is one of only a handful of players in the history of football to take more than 50 penalties and convert each and every one.
Who is the world’s fastest goalkeeper?
Jordi Masip – Real Valladolid
Jordi Masip of Spain is the fastest goalkeeper in 2022 with a total pace of 65. He has a number of titles under his belt, including the Champions League.
Who is the most prominent goalkeeper in history?
Giovanni Buffon (Italy)
Gianluigi Buffon of Italy is arguably the best example of a modern goalie who has been successful for a long time. The Italian football star is still competing in his mid-forties.
