Champions League's top goalkeepers: Casillas most appearances, Neuer most clean sheets

Echofootball 2024/10/23 07:21
0 0

Which goalkeepers have made the most Champions League appearances?

Iker Casillas made 177 UEFA Champions League appearances for Real Madrid (150) and Porto (27) between 1999 and 2019. He lifted the trophy three times – no goalkeeper has won it more – with the first coming just four days after his 19th birthday. He remains the youngest goalkeeper to play in a Champions League final.

Casillas is one of six keepers among the players who have amassed 100 or more appearances in the competition with Manuel Neuer, Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Čech, Víctor Valdes and Oliver Kahn completing that elite group.

Which goalkeepers have kept the most Champions League clean sheets?

Not surprisingly, the three keepers with the most Champions League appearances have also kept the most clean sheets: Neuer, Casillas and Buffon, the German setting a new mark in Bayern's second-leg victory against Arsenal in the 2023/24 quarter-finals. Former Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United No1 Van der Sar (50 in 98) has the best clean-sheet-per-match ratio, though, and is the only custodian who has made 70 appearances or more in the competition to have a ratio above 50%.

58 Manuel Neuer (Schalke, Bayern)

57 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid, Porto)

52 Gianluigi Buffon (Parma, Juventus, Paris)

50 Edwin van der Sar (Ajax, Juventus, Man United)

47 Petr Čech (Sparta Praha, Chelsea, Arsenal)

45 Víctor Valdes (Barcelona)

35 Dida (AC Milan)

35 Jan Oblak (Atlético)

33 Oliver Kahn (Bayern)

32 Marc André ter Stegen (Barcelona)

31 Ederson (Benfica, Man City)

29 Thibaut Courtois (Atlético, Chelsea, Real Madrid)

Who has kept the most consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League?

Jens Lehmann kept eight successive clean sheets for Arsenal between 9 March 2005 and 25 April 2006. His attempt to make it nine in a row lasted just 18 minutes, though, as the German became the first player (and so far only goalkeeper) to be sent off in a Champions league final – Arsenal went on to lose 2-1 to Barcelona.

Which goalkeepers have won the most Champions League or European Cup titles?

Seven goalkeepers have won three Champions League/European Cup finals – all with one club: Juan Alonso, Heinz Stuy, Sepp Maier, Ray Clemence, Iker Casillas, Víctor Valdes and Keylor Navas. Stuy, Maier, Alonso and Navas won three seasons running, with Ajax's Stuy keeping clean sheets in all three of his finals. Conversely, 14 years separated Casillas's first title in 2000 and last in 2014.

3 Keylor Navas (Real Madrid 2016, 2017, 2018)

3 Juan Alonso (Real Madrid 1956, 1957, 1958)

3 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid 2000, 2002, 2014)

3 Ray Clemence (Liverpool 1977, 1978, 1981)

3 Sepp Maier (Bayern 1974, 1975, 1976)

3 Heinz Stuy (Ajax 1971, 1972, 1973)

3 Víctor Valdes (Barcelona 2006, 2009, 2011)

How many goalkeepers have scored in the Champions League?

Four goalkeepers have scored in the Champions League proper, with Hans-Jörg Butt leading the way. The German, who once scored nine in a single Bundesliga season, converted three Champions League penalties over the years for Hamburg, Leverkusen and Bayern – all, remarkably, against Juventus (versus Van der Sar, Buffon and Buffon again!). Hapoel Tel-Aviv's Vincent Enyeama also struck from the spot against Lyon in 2010.

Sinan Bolat and Ivan Provedel are the only goalkeepers to score from open play in the competition – both finding the net with 95th-minute headers to earn their teams 1-1 draws. Bolat nodded in for Standard Liège to snatch a UEFA Europa League spot from AZ Alkmaar in 2009/10, while Provedel planted his header home to rescue a point for Lazio against Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 1 of the 2023/24 campaign.

Hans-Jörg Butt (Hamburg 4-4 Juventus, 13/09/2000)

Hans-Jörg Butt (Leverkusen 3-1 Juventus, 12/03/2002)

Hans-Jörg Butt (Juventus 1-4 Bayern, 08/12/2009)

Sinan Bolat (Standard Liège 1-1 AZ, 09/12/2009)

Vincent Enyeama (H. Tel-Aviv 1-3 Lyon, 29/09/2010)

Ivan Provedel (Lazio 1-1 Atlético de Madrid, 19/09/2023)

Who is the youngest goalkeeper to win the Champions League?

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid 3-0 Valencia, 2000) – 19 years 4 days

Who is the oldest goalkeeper to win the Champions League?

Edwin van der Sar (Man United 1-1 6-5p Chelsea, 2008) – 37 years 205 days