Manuel Neuer

Neuer made sweeping a conspicuous part of Germany's 2014 World Cup football. Against Algeria, he repeatedly left his penalty area to deal with passes behind the defence, allowing the team to hold its ground further forward. He did not invent that approach: Grosics and other earlier keepers had already expanded the territory of the position. His contribution was to demonstrate its value at the highest level, combining intervention outside the box with the skills needed inside it.