With so many great modern-day goalkeepers, we felt that a single article wasn’t enough to display the outstanding talent we have all grown to love. As a result, we’ve decided to create a second article to celebrate some of the greatest modern-day keepers that will be remembered for decades to come.
Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel is well known for his unique approach to football, not only making great saves with his goalkeeper gloves, but also his open and somewhat loud criticism of defenders. He had an extremely successful career at Manchester United, in which he played as captain for the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final to complete the Treble. He was voted the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper in 1992, 1993 and 2000 as well as one of the top 10 goalkeepers in the 20th century. In 2003, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of fame for his significant impact on the English game.
As well as a successful club career, Schmeichel is the most capped player for the Denmark national team in which he played 129 games in total. He captained the team for 30 matches, including the Euro 92 cup and the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In 2003 Schmeichel retired from football, though his son, Kasper, currently plays at Leicester City.
Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas is a name known by all football fans around the globe. He was named the second best goalkeeper of the 21st century, coming second to the legendary Buffon. At the age of 19, Casillas became the first choice goalkeeper for Real Madrid, in which he helped win two Champions Leagues and La Liga titles throughout his first 3 seasons. Throughout his long career at Real Madrid, Casillas won all major titles including: five La Liga titles, four Supercopa de España titles, two Copa del Rey titles, three UEFA Champions Leagues, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup; a truly outstanding achievement. In 2015 Casillas joined FC Porto after 25 years at Real Madrid. Here, he broke the record for the most consecutive seasons in the UEFA Champions League (20) as well as the most appearances in the competition. In 2020 he retired from football after suffering a heart attack in 2019.
Jan Oblak
Oblak started his career at Benfica when he was only 17 years old and played a key role in the team that won the domestic treble in the 2013-2014 season. He then moved to Atlético Madrid as La Liga’s highest ever priced goalkeeper at €16 million. He has since played in over 250 games, in which he has won three trophies with the club, including the 2018 UEFA Super Cup in which he helped to defeat rivals Real Madrid. It was in 2018 that he was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or awards, after displaying outstanding skill throughout his time at Atlético.
