Goalkeepers With Most Penalty Saves Ever

Imagine the pressure that the penalty taker and goalie must endure, not to mention the crowd and us watchers. The possibility of cardiac arrest is very high (just so you know). Everybody is on the edge of their seats waiting to see if the penalty is saved. A penalty saved can make you the game's hero. However, stopping several penalty kicks will make you a club or country hero.

The list of goalkeepers who have ever saved the most penalties is listed below. It should be remembered that goalkeepers like Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin do not have reliable statistics available. Even the number of penalties that Peter Shilton or Claudio Taffarel have saved is unknown.

It is not our fault if you notice that the majority of the goalkeepers on our list are from the twenty-first century. The football historians are to blame for their indifference. Without further ado, let's review the list of greatest penalty savers in history.

Most Penalty Saves by Goalkeepers of All Time

Let’s begin our journey of exploring best penalty savers of all time. Buckle up, scroll down and enjoy the ride!

Samir Handanovic

The first name on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is

. He tops the list of the most penalty saves by goalkeepers. The Inter Milan star and captain has saved a record 38 penalties during his professional career and this is not the end.

Although the 38-years-old Slovak footballer has retired from the national team in 2015, he is still one of the crucial players in Internazionale.

During the 2019-20 season, Handanovic equaled Gianluca Pagliuca‘s record of most penalties saved in Serie A. Both have 24 stops in Italy, but Samir Handanovic is unbeatable by a general number of saves. 

Samir Handanovic is without a doubt, one of the goalkeepers with highest penalty saves of all time.

Gianluigi Buffon

The second name on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is the majestic Gianluigi Buffon. He is a legendary Italian goalkeeper who is considered one of the best players of all time.

He regularly enters the tops of the best keepers in the world, but this time he finished second. With 30 penalty saves, Buffon is the runner-up on the list of most penalty saves by goalkeepers in the 21st century.

Although Buffon has quit the Italian national team two years ago, he can still improve his penalty-saving rate in Serie A. Currently, the 44-years-old keeper plays in Parma. Gigi Buffon should be considered as one of the

goalkeepers with highest penalty saves of all time

.

Diego Alves

The third place on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever goes to Diego Alves. He is not a worldwide famous goalkeeper, yet, he managed to enter the top-3 by penalty saves and surpassed such beasts as Neuer. Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Alves has hit the top-3 of the best penalty savers since 2000. The 37-year-old keeper managed to overcome Neuer by only one extra save – during his career, Alves has made 26 stops. Diego Alves thinks of penalty kicks as "a psychological battle between the goalkeeper and the taker.”

Alves’s most successful career years have gone in Spain when he was playing for Almeria and then Valencia. Currently, Diego is a free agent. He has made 10 appearances for the Brazilian national team. Diego Alves is surely one of the greatest penalty savers in history.

Manuel Neuer

The 4th name on the list of

goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever

is the magnificent beast, known as Manuel Neuer. German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has always entered the lists of the best keepers in history. In 2014, he entered the top-3 in the FIFA Ballon d’Or voting, which rarely awards goalkeepers. Also, Neuer won several Player of the Year titles in Germany as well as four UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year awards.

Revolutionizing the role of a goalkeeper,

is now known as a “sweeper-keeper.” When the opposing team’s strikers have beaten the offside trap, he will act as a sweeper and comes out of his line to clear the ball. His communication skills have made him organize his defensive line in the most perfect order. This is mainly why Neuer hardly concedes goals.

Considering all Neuer’s achievements in football, it is not surprising that he is on the list of the most penalty saves by goalkeepers. During his career, he has made 25 stops. The fortune smiles on Neuer, as he probably will be higher on the list anytime soon.

Neuer should definitely be on the list of goalkeepers with highest penalty saves of all time.

Petr Cech

The fifth name on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is Petr Cech. Although Cech is mostly known for his iconic rugby style headguard, his goalkeeping skills made him a lot more popular among Chelsea, and Arsenal fans.

Petr Cech is a record holder in a number of items, such as the most number of clean sheets in one season, or 202 clean sheets in the English Premier League. Most of the Italian online gamblers bet on Petr Cech, since he has saved 21 penalties in his career.

These online websites give him great odds. Petr Cech has been considered by many fans and pundits as one of the greatest, and most respected goalkeepers of his generation. His professionalism, along with his charismatic character and strong mentality turned him into an all-rounder. Petr Cech is definitely one of the best penalty-stopping goalkeepers of all time.

Mickael Landreau

The sixth name on the list of

goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever

is Mickael Landreau. Sitting at the same chair and level with Petr Cech, and the unknown Italian goalkeeper, Andrea Consigli, Landreau made 21 penalty saves in his career, which made him famous and an expert in saving penalties.

Saving a penalty, at the age of 17, when you are playing your first Ligue 1 professional match, is a job only done by Mickael Landreau. Let me put it this way, when Landreau left FC Nantes, they were relegated to Ligue 2 for the first time since 1963. The number of caps he has made during his career is exceptional. 759 caps in his entire career.

This shows a whole other level of consistency, and longevity that is only produced among top-level goalkeepers. Landreau was often overlooked by several goalkeepers, including Sebastian Frey, Gregory Coupet, and Steve Mandanda. Mickael Landreau is definitely one of the

top penalty-stoppers in football history

.

Andrea Consigli

The 7th name on the list of Goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is Andrea Consigli. Italy is known for the vast number of skillful goalkeepers introduced to the world of football, such as Dino Zoff, Walter Zenga, Angelo Peruzzi, Francesco Toldo, and the fantastic Gigi Buffon.

Andrea Consigli is known to us football nerds and pundits, but few people know him. The reliable Sassuolo goalkeeper was known to the world of football when he was playing for Atalanta. He is one of the most underrated goalkeepers in Italy, as he was unlucky that most of the Italian coaches favored Federico Marchetti over him.

Consigli is famous for his goalkeeping skills, especially in one-on-one situations, and penalty-stoppings. Consigli has always stated that his role model in goalkeeping is

.

Consigli is without a doubt, one of the

best penalty savers of all time

.

Frank Rost

The 8th place on the list of

goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever

is “

The Bremen Wall

”. Rost was a rock-solid goalkeeper. Bundesliga strikers often dreamed of passing this wall and scoring. Frank Rost was unlucky to be born in the golden generation of German goalkeepers, such as Oliver Kahn, Jens Lehmann, Tim Weise, Roman Weidenfeller, and the late Robert Enke.

Rost was the second goalkeeper to score in an open play in Bundesliga, after Jens Lehmann. Rost played for three major clubs in Bundesliga, including

, Schalke 04, and Hamburger SV.

The Bremen Wall saved 20 penalties in his career, and retired in MLS team, New York Red Bulls, in 2012. Frank Rost should definitely earn a place in the list of most penalty saves by goalkeepers of all time.

Iker Casillas

The 9th place on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is “San Iker” or “Saint Iker”. Once worshipped by Los Galacticos fans, he had to leave Madrid in tears and join Porto after spending 25 years of his life in Real Madrid.

Casillas made all football fans worry for him after a sudden heart attack in a training session in Porto, in May 2019. he eventually retired in February 2020. Casillas was known by many of his former and current goalkeepers as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, due to his great skill of making acrobatic and decisive saves.

Inspired by Luis Arconada, he mastered the ability to save the ball with his feet with great composure. San Iker boasts a record of 20 penalty saves in his career. He was known, not only for his abilities in shot stopping, penalty-saving and denying one-on-one situations, but also for his strong character, and calm personality.

He always kept his cool under the pressure. Casillas was a natural born-leader. Gigi Buffon once admired him for his excruciatingly long list of achievements, and his consistent performances in the top level. Spanish goalkeeper Manuel Almunia once stated that Casillas can “...move between the posts like a cat.” Iker Casillas is surely one of the

best penalty-stopping goalkeepers of all time

.

Benoit Costil

The 10th name on the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever is Benoit Costil. Benoit Costil is surely unknown to most of the Sportmob readers. But Costil is one of the goalkeepers who is an expert in denying penalty shots.

With 20 saves to his name so far, he still has the opportunity to up his game, and proceed to the top of the table. He was named Ligue 2 goalkeeper of the season when he was in Sedan. He joined Rennes to celebrate his comeback to Ligue 1.

His spell in Rennes lasted for 6 years, after which he joined Girondins de Bordeaux in 2017. In 2019, he extended his contract and was immediately named as the club’s captain. Costil has only played 1 match for France national team, captaining his side to a 1-0 win over Ivory Coast.

He presently serves as Lille's goalkeeper in Ligue 1. Costil should be considered as one of the

Top penalty-stoppers in football history

Who else do you think should be added to the list of goalkeepers with most penalty saves ever? Comment down below.

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