5 Best Goalkeepers in the History of Football

You least expect the goalkeeper to score a goal in a football match. In an ideal world, they have a hard time scoring a goal because they are not off the field. With this in mind, it might be surprising to want to know the best goalkeepers in the history of football. However, it is true that goalkeepers also score goals.

The 5 goalkeepers with the highest number of goals in the history of football are highlighted below, from the lowest to the highest placed goalkeeper.

5. Rene Higuita (41 goals)

It is impossible to talk about the revolution of goalkeeping art without mentioning Rene Higuita. The former goalkeeper of the Colombian national team was among the first goalkeepers to take on the role of "keeper of the cleaners" in football. Higuita was also known for his often risky and dramatic style of play. His famous removal of the "scorpions" from the line against England is proof. Rene Higuita scored 3 goals for his national team between 1987 and 1999.

The former Colombian goalkeeper scored most of his career goals at various clubs he represented between 1985 and 2009. In that period, he represented 12 different clubs and scored 41 goals. Rene Higuita scored 5 of those 41 goals in his career at Deportivo Pereira before retiring in 2009.

4. Dimitar Ivankov (42 goals)

Dimitar Ivankov is the only non-South American in the top 5 best goalkeepers in the history of football. He ranks fourth on the list with 42 goals. The former Bulgarian International is known for his goal-scoring ability. He scored a goal at almost every club during his playing career between 1996 and 2011.

Ivanov scored 18 times for Levski from Sofia and 6 goals for Kayserispor and Bursaspor. He returned to Levski Sofia after retiring as the club's goalkeeper coach.

3. Johnny Vegas Fernandez (45 goals)

Johnny Vegas Fernandez is the third goalkeeper in the history of football. Fernandez's career lasted 20 years, between 1997 and 2017. Fernandez played and scored for Union Huaral, Sport Ancash and Pacifico, but scored most of his 45 career goals between 1997 and 2003 at Sport Boys. Vegas played with Peru three times between 1999 and 2000.

2. Jose Luis Chilavert (67 goals)

Chilavert is in second place among the 5 best goalkeepers in the history of football. The former captain of the Paraguayan national team was known for his ability to score from a free kick. Chilavert is one of two goalkeepers who scored a hat-trick in one game. He scored 8 goals for the Paraguayan national team. Most of any goalkeeper in the history of the national football team.

It is impressive that he scored 3 of his 8 national team goals against the South American giant, Argentina. Chilavert is a three-time winner of the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) World Goalkeeper of the Year award.

More of Chilavert's achievements, he became member of FIFA team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup tournament. Chilavert was at the peak of his goal-scoring ability at Velez Sarsfield, where he scored 48 goals in 341 appearances.

1. Rogerio Ceni (131 goals)

Former Brazilian national team player and legend of Sao Paulo, Rogerio Ceni, is among the top 5 best goalkeepers in the history of football. Ceni failed to score in any of his 18 appearances for Brazil, but scored over 100 goals at the club level.

Rogerio Ceni is a "specialist" in free kicks. His 100th career goal against big rivals Corinthians was scored with a free kick. Ceni scored an incredible 61 goals from a free kick. At the time of his retirement as a footballer in 2015, Ceni was among the 10 best scorers in the history of Sao Paulo.