Greatest Goalkeeper of all Time?

Greatest Goalkeeper of all Time?

  • Banks

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Barthez

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Buffon

    Votes: 9 23.7%
  • Casillas

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cech

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Chilavert

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Courtoiz

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Kahn

    Votes: 3 7.9%
  • Lehmann

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Maier

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Neuer

    Votes: 5 13.2%
  • Preud'homme

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Schmeichel

    Votes: 7 18.4%
  • Schumacher

    Votes: 1 2.6%
  • Seaman

    Votes: 1 2.6%
  • Shilton

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Taffarel

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Van Der Sar

    Votes: 2 5.3%
  • Yashin

    Votes: 10 26.3%
  • Zoff

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    38
  • Poll closed .

gary69

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
8,181
1,602
Then and there
Voted Schmeichel because he was my favourite growing up and in his prime he was outstanding with Manchester United and contributed to their dominance of the 90s era. If he had played for a bigger country like Spain or Italy he would be in the conversation more with Casillas and Buffon, though he did actually win a Euros once with Denmark. He also used to score what we would call in the hockey world "clutch" goals that were proper goals and not just be a novelty penalty and free kick taker like Chilavert who was just a sideshow let's be honest.

I was tempted by Casillas though because I witnessed some performances where he just looked unbeatable

I don't think that was so much an issue in the 1990's, as Barca only won their first CL and only one of the decade in the early part of his ManUtd career and Real later in the decade. While Serie A (Milan and Juve) was a major player of the decade, it's not that their keepers got a huge reputation boost just because of that. It doesn't seem that whether Schmeichel would have played in Italy, Spain or England during his prime years had made much of difference to how he is rated historically.
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,525
France
And were close to beating France! Not bad for a diddy country.
And Chilavert was the only reason they were in thie game. Paraguay did nothing except defend and Chilavert saved them twice or three times in the game.
 

Corto

Faceless Man
Sep 28, 2005
15,991
942
Braavos
Paraguay qualified for the 98 WC thanks to him and got through the group stage thanks to him.

That really wasn't the case. Not really.
They had a wonderful central defence, with Celso Ayala playing sweeper and Carlos Gamarra playing CB, who were clearing EVERYTHING. Sarabia was the other CB but for me was much less impressive than Ayala and Gamarra. They were, for me, the best central defense of the tournament.
(at the time, I was playing youth football in our top league, I watched this two guys play with reverence that summer)

They played a very defensive system (didn't have the players for anything else, Benitez was their best offensive player, far from a world class), and Chilavert was rarely tested.
The few saves he had to make were mostly routine.

He did okay, though the highlight of his WC was the free kick he took vs Bulgaria.
He wasn't a bad goalkeeper, but it was his free kicks that gave him extra exposure and is why people remember him most. His 98 WC was "okay", but not much more.
His 2002 WC was awful.

Similar how Jorge Campos, while a decent goalkeeper, was always more exposed due to having outrageous jerseys. Or costumes, let's call them.
 
Last edited:

gary69

Registered User
Sep 22, 2004
8,181
1,602
Then and there
Alas, Chilavert got to play like Brodeur in New Jersey back then. If you want t look at an amazing performance from a keeper of a minor nation, Luis Cabelo Conejo's heroics at the WC 1990 were most likely the best ever. He was the reason they qualified from the group stage, and when he unfortunately was out for the knockout game because of injury, they got trashed.
 

Siamese Dream

Registered User
Feb 5, 2011
75,215
1,238
United Britain of Great Kingdom
I don't think that was so much an issue in the 1990's, as Barca only won their first CL and only one of the decade in the early part of his ManUtd career and Real later in the decade. While Serie A (Milan and Juve) was a major player of the decade, it's not that their keepers got a huge reputation boost just because of that. It doesn't seem that whether Schmeichel would have played in Italy, Spain or England during his prime years had made much of difference to how he is rated historically.

I meant if he had played for one of those countries internationally, not their domestic leagues.
 

Siamese Dream

Registered User
Feb 5, 2011
75,215
1,238
United Britain of Great Kingdom
It's not that they didn't have anyone else. He was very good at it. And a great goalie. Paraguay qualified for the 98 WC thanks to him and got through the group stage thanks to him.

Yeah he was good at it but the point is ideally you don't want to have to have your goalkeeper taking them because of the risk of counter-attack when he has to run back to his goal. I'm saying a better team would have someone just as good or at least nearly as good to offset that risk part of it.
 

Evilo

Registered User
Mar 17, 2002
61,958
8,525
France
That really wasn't the case. Not really.
They had a wonderful central defence, with Celso Ayala playing sweeper and Carlos Gamarra playing CB, who were clearing EVERYTHING. Sarabia was the other CB but for me was much less impressive than Ayala and Gamarra. They were, for me, the best central defense of the tournament.
(at the time, I was playing youth football in our top league, I watched this two guys play with reverence that summer)

They played a very defensive system (didn't have the players for anything else, Benitez was their best offensive player, far from a world class), and Chilavert was rarely tested.
The few saves he had to make were mostly routine.

He did okay, though the highlight of his WC was the free kick he took vs Bulgaria.
He wasn't a bad goalkeeper, but it was his free kicks that gave him extra exposure and is why people remember him most. His 98 WC was "okay", but not much more.
His 2002 WC was awful.

Similar how Jorge Campos, while a decent goalkeeper, was always more exposed due to having outrageous jerseys. Or costumes, let's call them.

Campos was a clown. Chilavert was a great goalie. Can't see the comparison.

Disagree with your evaluation of his 98WC. He was key in advancing and his saves certainly weren't routine.
 

lud

Registered User
May 27, 2009
1,243
18
Croatia
Yashin and Buffon in close race..

How nobody voted for Cech?
His performance in 2012 CL is in my top 5 of all time.
 

The Abusement Park

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Jan 18, 2016
33,912
25,010
Yashin and Buffon in close race..

How nobody voted for Cech?
His performance in 2012 CL is in my top 5 of all time.

I’d put him somewhere in like the 7-15 range? Definitely an all timer, but doesn’t have much of an argument to be the goat imo.
 

JeffreyLFC

Registered User
Sep 29, 2017
9,825
6,972
I'm surprised Yashin is not winning this one. It's sad he had less exposure than all the GOAT candidates because of where he played.

I'm the first to admit to have never watched him but from all accounts he was the first goalkeeper with game breaking abilities. I think Buffon achievements are more team related than his actual abilities but still a very top goalkeeper.
 

Tylers Dad

Registered Dad
Sep 12, 2013
4,134
123
Azeroth
And he was at fault for literally 0 of those. The defense in front of him in those games was abysmal.

You also failed to mention that he conceded 0 non own-goals up until the final in 2006.

Also the goal he conceded in the final was a PK, so other than own goals and PKs he didn't let anything by him.
 

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