Also Read: La Liga 2023-2024: Players with the most goals till now
Football has been the most popular sport for many years because of its tactical insights and entertainment. In football, the job of a goalkeeper is something that you don’t much hear of. Strikers and other positional players often get praised for the goal they score or a tackle, which distracts a counterattack.
Goalkeepers are expected to make saves on a regular basis; a goalkeeping error on most occasions will lead to a goal. On the other hand, midfielders, defenders, and attackers still get an opportunity to overcome their mistakes in the same match.
It is a must for teams to have better shot-stoppers in their ranks to win games, eventually leading to titles. Today, we will take a look at the 5 goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in football history.
Clean Sheet: In football, the term clean sheet refers to when a team does not concede a single goal in a match.
Join WhatsApp group: by clicking here
Gianluigi Buffon (501 clean sheets)
Gianluigi Buffon is a former Italian football player who played for three clubs: Parma, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Buffon began his professional career at boyhood club Parma in 1995, later joining Juventus in 2001 for a record fee of €52 million.
The Italian goalkeeper spent 19 years serving Juventus, helping them win 10 Serie A titles and becoming a club legend. He also registered 202 clean sheets in Serie A, which remains a record to date. Buffon also won the 2006 FIFA World Cup at the national level, leading Italy to their fourth World Cup win over France, winning 5-3 on penalties.
After an emotional farewell to Juventus, Buffon played for Paris Saint-Germain in the 2018–19 season. He played one season with the French capital before returning to his boyhood club, Parma.
Gianluigi Buffon said goodbye to football in August 2023, ending his career as one of the greatest goalkeepers the game has ever witnessed.
2. Edwin Van Der Sar (440 Clean Sheets)
Edwin Van Der Sar is a former Dutch goalkeeper who played for Manchester United under coach Sir Alex Ferguson. The Dutchman graduated from the esteemed Ajax Academy and was part of the 1995 Champions League-winning team.
He joined Serie A giants Juventus in 1999 to fulfill his potential but left after just two seasons to join Fulham. His performances over the past four years at Fulham caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, who opted to sign the dutchman at Manchester United in 2005, despite being 35 years old.
The decision turned out to be a major success for Edwin Van Der Sar, who won four Premier League titles and one Champions League for the Red Devils under Sir Alex Ferguson. He kept 132 clean sheets in the 313 Premier League games he played.
3. Iker Casillas (436 clean sheets)
Iker Casillas is a former Real Madrid legend who graduated from the Los Blancos Academy and was grateful to serve Santiago Bernabeu for 16 years.
He won the Champions League, La Liga, and other trophies with the Spanish giants and led Spain to their maiden World Cup triumph back in 2010.
The Spaniard ranks third in terms of clean sheets achieved in La Liga and first in the Champions League.
He also has the most clean sheets captured for the national team, 102. He has registered a total of 436 clean sheets in his entire career.
4. Peter Cech (397 clean sheets)
Peter Cech’s career was nothing less than legendary. He wore the blue jersey for 11 seasons, leaving an incredible mark on the club and the Premier League.
The goalkeeper’s career at Chelsea included four Premier League title, one Champions League title, one Europa League title, and more.
On a personal level, he holds the record for registering 100 clean sheets in 180 games and he has the highest number of clean sheets in the premier League (202).
He is one of the only players to win the Golden Glove award in the Premier League with two different teams.
5. Pepe Reina (358 clean sheets)
Pepe Reina is a former Spanish player who has made 500 or more appearances across Europe’s best leagues.
Reina spent his early years in the ranks of FC Barcelona. He also represented Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Lazio, and Millan, and he actively plays for Villarreal.
He won three Golden Gloves in the Premier League playing for Liverpool across eight seasons. Reina, in his prime, kept an impressive 136 clean sheets in 297 matches for Liverpool at Anfield.
Currently Pepe Reina plays as first choice keeper for La Liga club Villarreal after dealing many loan spells to Aton Villa and Celta Vigo.
[…] Also Read: Goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in football history […]