Items25The creator’s order
  1. 1Manuel NeuerManuel NeuerBorn 27 Mar 1986Neuer 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…0i
  2. 2Lev YashinLev YashinBorn 22 Oct 1929Yashin treated the goalkeeper as an organiser and a starting point for attacks. Team-mates remembered his instructions to defenders, willingness to leave the line and purposeful distribution with his hands. Those qualities extended his influence beyond the save itself. His reputation should not…0i
  3. 3Gyula GrosicsGyula GrosicsGrosics helped Hungary's great 1950s side connect its goalkeeper to the rest of the team. He advanced to intercept balls beyond his area and used his feet to help begin attacks, rather than waiting for every threat to reach the goalmouth. That suited a team committed to attacking football:…0i
  4. 4Amadeo CarrizoAmadeo CarrizoBorn 12 Jun 1926Carrizo looked at goalkeeping with an attacker's interest in what might happen next. He could leave his area, use his feet and release the ball quickly to turn a defensive intervention into an attacking opportunity. The Argentine federation's account of his career stresses that broader reading of…0i
  5. 5René HiguitaRené HiguitaBorn 27 Aug 1966Higuita pushed the goalkeeper's involvement in open play to an unusually visible extreme. He carried the ball beyond his area and joined Colombia's passing game with an outfield player's confidence. His loss of possession to Roger Milla at the 1990 World Cup also exposed the cost when that…0i
  6. 6José Luis ChilavertJosé Luis ChilavertBorn 27 Jul 1965Chilavert made the goalkeeper a credible option at attacking set pieces. His free kicks and penalties for club and country added a separate scoring responsibility to the usual work of protecting the goal. At the 1998 World Cup he even tested Bulgaria's goalkeeper with a direct free kick, though he…0i
  7. 7Rogério CeniRogério CeniBorn 22 Jan 1973Ceni turned a goalkeeper's set-piece ability into a sustained attacking resource for São Paulo. His free kicks were practised scoring attempts, not occasional adventures at a late corner; Guinness records 59 competitive free-kick goals. FIFA's report on the 2005 Club World Championship also…0i
  8. 8Jorge CamposJorge CamposBorn 15 Oct 1966Campos challenged more than the conventional goalkeeper's appearance. His agility and reading of play supported an adventurous approach to positioning, while his ability to play as a striker at club level demonstrated genuine outfield skills. The brightly coloured shirts made him memorable, but the…0i
  9. 9Edwin van der SarEdwin van der SarBorn 29 Oct 1970Van der Sar helped make the goalkeeper a dependable participant in Ajax's build-up during the 1990s. Receiving a pass was not simply a signal to clear the danger: it could bring another player into the team's possession and help it move forward. His later success at Manchester United gave that…0i
  10. 10Peter SchmeichelPeter SchmeichelBorn 18 Nov 1963Schmeichel's spread in close-range situations drew on his handball experience. By extending his limbs and making himself a larger obstacle, he offered a distinctive solution when there was little time for a conventional diving save. In his own account, the star jump came from trying to cover more…0i