Top 10 Most Penalty Saves by Goalkeepers In the 21st Century

Saving your goal post from penalty shots is worth appraisal like nothing else. We have ranked modern keepers by the number of their successful performances and made the list of the most penalty saves by goalkeepers in the 21st century.

Being a goalkeeper is not an easy task both from physical and psychological aspects. Unlike other players, keepers are more often blamed for skipping goals and of the following defeat of their team too. Catching a ball during penalties is especially difficult and every football fan knows why. However, there are keepers that managed not only to save their goalpost several times but also to become pros in it.

We have recently ranked the best goalkeepers of the modern days. However, this list is slightly different as we will consider keepers with the biggest number of penalty saves. Can you guess all 10 names to be included in the list of players of the 21st century?

Most penalty saves by goalkeepers: 5-10 places are shared

On the list of the 10 best keepers in saving penalties, some players share the final positions. Thus, Frank Rost, Benoit Costil, and Iker Casillas can boast of 20 saved penalties each. Among them, the French keeper has chances to improve his positions. Benoit Costil is just 33 and he is actively playing for Bordo, while Rost and Casillas are already retired.

Mickael Landreau, Andrea Consigli, and Petr Cech have surpassed their colleagues by just one stop. All three keepers made 21 saves, so online gambling sites in Italy out them higher on this list.

4th best result among keepers belongs to 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.

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 – just one wasn’t enough to be placed 3rd in this top. However, Betway Sportsbook predictions show excellent odds for his club, Bayern Munich, to shine in this year’s Champions League, so probably Neuer will be higher on the list by 2021.

Most penalty saves by goalkeepers: Alves is 3rd

Yet he is not a worldwide famous goalkeeper, he managed to enter the top-3 by penalty saves and surpassed such titans as Neuer with Cech. Brazilian football player Diego Alves has hit the top-3 of the best penalty savers since 2000. The 35-years-old keeper managed to overcome Neuer by just one extra save – during his career, Alves has made 26 stops.

Alves’s most successful career years have gone in Spain when he was playing for Almeria and then Valencia. Currently, Diego plays for Brazilian Flamengo and its national team.

Buffon is the second-best keeper with 30 saves

Gianluigi Buffon 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 rate in Serie A. Currently, the 42-years-old keeper plays in Juventus, the new champion of the domestic league. According to online sportsbooks in Italy, the club will not slow down, so Buffon gets many chances to try to reach the #1 peak.

Handanovic is a goalkeeper who has saved the most penalties

Samir Handanovic tops the list of the most penalty saves by goalkeepers. The Inter Milan star has saved a record 38 penalties during his professional career and this is not the end. Although the 36-years-old Slovak footballer has retired from the national team in 2015, he is still one of the crucial players in the Italian club. During the 2019-20 football 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. Taking into account the high chances of Inter to reach the 2020 Europa League final, its goalkeeper can renew his record.

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