Goalkeepers have forever been stereotyped as footballing eccentrics. To play between the sticks requires either supreme self-confidence or just a completely different mindset from the 10 outfield players in front of you.
It has traditionally been a requirement that the keeper is among the tallest in the team and should be fiercely protective of his penalty area, thus not shying away from confrontation.
There have been some tough cookies in goal over the years. But who would win in a royal rumble between some of the highest profile keepers we have seen in the game’s history.
Assuming such a rumble took place with all contenders in their prime, here’s how it might pan out.
The contenders
William “Fatty’ Foulke
In Jonathan Wilson’s book, ‘The Outsider’, it is claimed that “In 1896, he weighed 14st 12 lb; by 1899, he weighed 19st 8lb; by 1902, it was 22st 8lb; by the end of his career, he was said to be up to 28st”. A report in the Liverpool Football Echo from 1898 describes an incident in which Sheffield United keeper Foulke “seized Allen illegitimately and turned him upside down”, resulting in the Liverpool forward being dropped face first in the mud.
Whatever his fighting skills, this goalkeeper from the 19th Century’s formidable size would make him a challenge for anyone in 1:1 combat.
Lev Yashin
For many, the greatest goalkeeper of the 20th Century and perhaps of all time. The Soviet keeper boasted incredible reflexes and was, in contrast to Foulke, a true athlete. In his iconic dark sweater, Yashin was an imposing presence between the sticks. His brooding good looks just added to his charisma.
His FIFA tribute article states, “He was as brave as a Kamchatka Bear - he was KO’d twice during Chile 1962, came to and continued - and barked orders at his defenders like a Russian Bear Dog.”
Dino Zoff
Winning the World Cup at 40 is not for everyone. Winning the World Cup as team captain of Italy made Zoff an absolute legend of the game. Before that achievement in 1982, he had won several Serie A and Coppa Italia titles with Juventus and, 14 years before lifting the World Cup, he kept goal for Italy as they won the 1968 European Championship.
That kind of longevity can only be achieved with a remarkable fighting spirit. But he did have to battle the odds in his youth as his limited height allegedly led his grandmother to feed him eight eggs a day to help him grow.
Pat Jennings
Blessed with unusually large hands, Jennings cut his teeth in the rough and tumble of Gaelic football before switching to the sport in which he made his name. At Spurs, he won the FA Cup, two League Cups and the UEFA Cup, while at Arsenal, he added another FA Cup. He is perhaps most famous for helping Northern Ireland beat hosts Spain at the 1982 World Cup - a result that saw them win the group.
Talking about his time in Gaelic football, Jennings is quoted in ‘The Outsider’ as saying, “It taught me to accept hard knocks. The physical contact was tremendous and the result is a few cuts and bruises don’t worry me”. Combining this love of a scrap with an unflappable temperament, Jennings makes a tough proposition for anyone who wants to cross him.
Peter Shilton
A man of uncommon self-belief, Shilts was one of the first goalkeepers to actively work at building upper body strength. He believed it helped him to win the psychological battle with strikers in one-on-one situations. As Jonathan Wilson says, “Shilton himself was very conscious of the importance of making himself so dominant that opponents were psychologically cowed by him…”
Shilton also possessed a bubble perm and was outjumped by Diego Maradona at the 1986 World Cup, so, despite his renowned arrogance, he did have his flaws.
Hamish McAlpine
Alex Ferguson’s temper and the notorious hairdryer treatment have become the stuff of legend. However, Fergie’s rival at Dundee United was every bit as fearsome as the Aberdeen boss of the early 1980s.
But United’s goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine was one of the few players who was hard enough to stand up to McLean, though he paid the price at times. Tom Duthie’s piece in The Courier claims, “The pair had a tempestuous relationship and an argument over how many defenders should be put on the posts at corners even saw Hamish sent home from a tour to Japan in 1979 — and not by the shortest possible route.”
McAlpine was a key member of the United squad that won the Scottish Premier League in 1983 and reached the semifinal of the European Cup a year later. On his relationship with McLean, he told the BBC, “We had a lot of run-ins but at the end of the day we just shrugged it off”.
Harald Schumacher
The man every French fan loves to hate for his reckless assault on Patrick Battiston in the 1982 World Cup semifinal. Not only did the West German keeper stay on the pitch, he was the hero of the penalty shootout.
‘Toni’ Schumacher was undoubtedly a very talented keeper, winning 76 caps for his country, the 1980 European Championship and Bundesliga titles with Koln and Borussia Dortmund. But he remains best remembered for a challenge that routinely shows up in Top 10 lists of the most shocking moments / challenges in football history.
Bruce Grobbelaar
Grobbelaar grew up in Zimbabwe and fought in the country’s civil war in the 1970s. His route to becoming Liverpool’s No.1 was certainly unconventional, as was his character. Grobbelaar became as famous for his wacky sense of humour as his ability but he was good enough to dislodge long-time first choice Ray Clemence.
Grobbelaar was prone to high-profile blunders but spending over a decade at some of the great Liverpool sides tells you all you need to know about his ability. A military background might also give him some advantages in combat situations.
Bert Trautmann
The German faced down hostile crowds in post-war England and eventually won them over. He broke his neck in the 1956 FA Cup final and played on. There were no substitutions then, so he carried on, made some fine saves and his Manchester City side won the cup. Anyone tough enough to get through such hardships has a fighting chance.
Jose Luis Chilavert
A very talented goalkeeper with a notoriously short fuse and a fondness for scoring penalties and freekicks. The Paraguayan sometimes took turns to play as an outfielder, resulting in a career total of 35 goals. He was pretty decent between the sticks as well, though he loved a confrontation.
A piece by Jack Beresford in Planet Football suggests that ‘The Bulldog’ “combined his first-rate shot-stopping skills with a fiery temper and a mouth like a sailor”. Recalling a heated exchange with Colombia’s Faustino Asprilla, Chilvaert said, “When we were leaving the field I hit him and said clearly, ‘If I catch you outside, I’ll kill you’.”
Edwin Van Der Sar
The ‘sweeper-keeper’ was not a new concept at the beginning of Van der Sar’s distinguished career. The Dutchman took it to a new level, however, as he set the tone for the style of goalkeeper that would become the norm in the 2010s and 2020s. Despite being a towering 6ft6in tall, Van der Sar was very useful with his feet, having originally played as a defender.
His ability to effectively give his team 11 outfield players was one of the key reasons for a hugely successful career at Ajax and Manchester United in particular. But Van der Sar did not fit the eccentric goalkeeper stereotype and lacked an edge. He is remembered for collapsing to the ground after being headbutted by the diminutive Ariel Ortega at the 1998 World Cup.
Fabien Barthez
Barthez certainly did fall into the eccentric goalkeeper stereotype. As Patrick Vignal’s 2007 piece in The Guardian put it, “In keeping with his reputation as one of the world's most eccentric goalkeepers, Fabien Barthez's career has almost certainly ended with a controversial exit after a brawl with a Nantes supporter.”
Known in his native France as ‘le divin chauve’, which best translates as ‘the divine bald one’, Barthez won a Champions League with Marseille, and the World Cup and European Championship with France. He joined Manchester United in 2000, but his United career was mixed as his overconfidence on the ball resulted in a number of errors, which overshadowed his excellent athleticism and reflexes.
Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel wasn’t just tall. He was muscular and extremely aggressive. If a striker got too close, he would get an earful from this 6ft4in giant, while defenders regularly found themselves on the wrong end of a Schmeichel rant.
But was his bark worse than his bite? Five inches shorter and considerably lighter, Roy Keane had no problem challenging the Dane to a fight and there is no evidence to suggest that the Irish midfielder came off worse.
Oliver Kahn
“Germany's long-standing Number One ruled with fear, terror and an iron fist,” according to the commentator on the Bundesliga’s official YouTube channel. The video short is titled, ‘Goalkeeping Titan Oliver Kahn Brings Terror to the Pitch’, and features several of the keeper’s run-ins during his career.
Kahn had a fantastic mop of blond hair, glowering blue eyes and a hulking physique. His permanent scowl made him an intimidating presence in goal and few team-mates or opponents would want to mess with him.
Artur Boruc
In an interview with Open Goal, Boruc’s former Celtic teammate Scott McDonald said, “The Holy Goalie was mental. You just couldn’t predict what he was going to do next, even when he was in goal on a Saturday”. On the Under The Cosh podcast, Paul Caddis - another former Celtic teammate - recalled the Poland international keeper’s behaviour after a match against Rangers. He said, “We played Rangers at home in one of his first games. He finished the game, got showered, got changed and walked into the town centre.”
It didn’t matter to Boruc that this meant walking through an area that was traditionally home to many more Rangers than Celtic fans. When it was explained to him, he apparently just said, “If they (Rangers fans) want to fight, I’ll just fight them”.
Enough said.
Emi Martinez
Martinez is well known for his gamesmanship. His antics in penalty shootouts are the stuff of legend and he is very well known for trying to put opponents off when they are about to face him from 12 yards. While these theatrics are calculated attempts to gain the upper hand, Martinez also has a temper, having once slapped a Colombian cameraman after he got too close to him.
Martinez is the goalkeeper opposing fans love to hate and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Round of 16
Peter Shilton Vs Artur Boruc
Shilton is convinced that a scrap with someone who spent much of his career in ‘farmers leagues’ should be a walk in the park. He believes that English goalkeepers are the best in the world and that national superiority should extend to this environment. Boruc doesn’t get the memo and he triumphs in what is a pretty one-sided clash.
Winner : Boruc
Harald Schumacher Vs Fabien Barthez
Revenge is the great motivator here. In a newspaper poll in France after the 1982 World Cup, Schumacher placed first as the least popular person in the country, with Adolf Hitler in second place.
For Barthez, this is a chance to right the wrong of the challenge on Patrick Battiston and he does so in emphatic style.
Winner : Barthez
Peter Schmeichel Vs William ‘Fatty’ Foulke
Schmeichel may have cut an intimidating figure for Premier League strikers of the 1990s, but he does not scare a legend who began his career almost a century beforehand. If Schmeichel could not get the better of Roy Keane, he’s coming up short against Foulke, who picks up the Dane and turns him upside down, before tossing him to the deck. Too easy.
Winner : Foulke
Emi Martinez Vs Hamish McAlpine
Getting in the face of penalty takers and slapping cameramen is one thing, but standing up to Jim McLean is quite another. Martinez might have a World Cup winner’s medal, but McAlpine cut his teeth in junior football in Scotland. There’s only one winner in this one, and he is not Argentinian.
Winner : McAlpine
Oliver Kahn Vs Bert Trautmann
An all-German affair that sees two of the country’s greats go head-to-head. While Trautmann can boast of playing with a broken neck, that one anecdote is not enough to save him in this contest. Kahn built a career on being hard and sorting out teammates and opponents alike. Kahn edges it.
Winner : Kahn
Jose Luis Chilavert Vs Pat Jennings
It’s flamboyance versus humility. Chilavert looks the part but he is perplexed by Jennings’ calm self-assurance. The contest does not go as the Paraguayan had expected and the Irishman takes the victory.
Winner : Jennings
Dino Zoff Vs Bruce Grobbelaar
Grobbelaar enjoyed playing the clown on the pitch and sometimes off it. However, Zoff is a deadly serious opponent and has the measure of the Zimbabwean. Grobbelaar’s military training is to no avail as Zoff’s meticulous planning ensures his rival’s downfall.
Winner : Zoff
Lev Yashin Vs Edwin Van der Sar
There has to be an assumption that goalkeepers from a distant age were just harder as they had to deal with knocks and protect themselves from extremely aggressive challenges. Van der Sar’s career coincided with keepers getting much more protection from referees. Yashin was old school and this gives him the edge against the gangly Dutchman.
Winner : Yashin
Quarter finals
Artur Boruc Vs Fabien Barthez
As goalkeepers, they sometimes went from the ridiculous to the sublime. There were some bizarre errors and some moments of inspiration. While Barthez might have been hard enough to get into a fight with a drunken Nantes fan, being ready to scrap with a few hundred angry Rangers fans is on a different level. Boruc goes through to the semifinals.
Winner : Boruc
William ‘Fatty’ Foulke Vs Hamish McAlpine
Foulke’s size is an asset in a contest of this kind, but also a burden. Faced with someone as streetwise as McAlpine, he can’t quite use his size to his advantage and the Scotsman wears him down. McAlpine makes his biggest semi-final since Dundee United faced Roma in the last four of the 1984 European Cup.
Winner : McAlpine
Oliver Kahn Vs Pat Jennings
Jennings’ zen-like calm may have carried him through against a complacent Chilavert, but he has no answers against the deranged energy of Kahn. Jennings may have enjoyed taking the knocks in Gaelic football but Kahn’s determined attack is just too much and the affable Irishman taps out after taking too much punishment.
Winner : Kahn
Dino Zoff Vs Lev Yashin
Two of the finest goalkeepers of the second half of the 20th Century clash in a real heavyweight battle. Zoff was allegedly weak at dealing with shots from distance but he was excellent at close quarters with opponents. And Yashin’s weakness was perhaps that he was, as Gordon Banks is quoted as saying in The Outsider, “A real gentleman. In the 1966 World Cup, he made a save at the feet of a guy who nearly took his head off. The first thing he did was get up and make sure the fella who’d just clattered him was all right”. Admirable behaviour but not the attitude needed in a rumble. This is a closely fought contest, but Zoff wins.
Winner : Zoff
Semi finals
Artur Boruc Vs Hamish McAlpine
Their careers in Scotland never overlapped and their characters are quite different. Boruc’s naked aggression comes up against McAlpine’s more phlegmatic personality in a clash that looks weighted in favour of the Pole. But McAlpine’s words in an interview with the Dundee United official website stand out.
“Once you win something, the belief is there. We then thought we could go on to win more.”
Boruc may have won several titles at Celtic, but not as an underdog. McAlpine relishes the underdog role again in this clash and he wins as a result.
Winner : McAlpine
Oliver Kahn Vs Dino Zoff
Kahn’s attack dog schtick can only get him so far. In Zoff, he finds someone with a more icy temperament and, most importantly, one who is ready to take all that Kahn can throw at him. Italy’s World Cup winning manager Enzo Bearzot described Zoff as a man who “stayed calm during the toughest and most exhilarating moments”.
There are tough moments in this titanic struggle but Kahn tires himself out with his relentless attacking and Zoff counter punches his way to victory.
Winner : Zoff
Final
Dino Zoff Vs Hamish McAlpine
Hamish McAlpine comes into the ultimate test with bitter memories of a defeat to other Italians still fresh in his memory. In 1984, his Dundee United side had defeated Roma 2-0 at home in the semifinal of the European Cup. Amid much ill feeling, the Italians turned things around in the second leg, with a 3-0 win in Rome.
But when revenge is a motivator, it can also be distracting and Zoff is well prepared for McAlpine to come out swinging. He methodically subdues the long-time Dundee United keeper and, as in 1982, emerges victorious.
In an ESPN article, Michael Cox wrote, “Goalkeepers are supposed to be crazy – in a colourful sort of way, captains are meant to be extroverts. Zoff, however, was neither.”
By not conforming to the stereotypes, Zoff’s quiet genius allowed him to defeat his opponents while keeping his cool.
Champion : Dino Zoff
