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Lev Yashin<\/strong> \u2014 No discussion of goalkeeping styles can be had without mentioning the Black Spider<\/strong>, Lev Yashin. Widely considered the greatest goalkeeper of all time and the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or<\/strong>. In the 1950s and 60s, he revolutionised the goalkeeper's position and introduced much of the athleticism, attacking mindset, and pure shot-blocking ability that we see in other goalkeepers today.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n In the modern game, there are three main types of goalies: the shot-stoppers, ball-playing goalkeepers, and sweeper keepers. Let's dive in, shall we?<\/p>\n\n
\n Shot-Stoppers\n <\/h3>\n \n\n \n What is the main task of a goalkeeper? It's to keep the ball out of the back of the net<\/strong>. These goalies are masters of the save; they often win points for their teams by keeping clean sheets and making seemingly impossible saves.<\/p>\n\n\n This is the more traditional form of goalkeeping, and many of the great keepers of the 80s and 90s employed this style. Even today, there are many top shot-stoppers who use this style today, two examples being David De Gea<\/strong> and Jan Oblak<\/strong> \u2014 outstanding keepers, but don't expect them to grab any assists.<\/p>\n\n\n Ball-Playing Goalkeepers\n <\/h3>\n \n\n \n Considered to be the best style of play for goalkeepers right now, many of the best goalies in the world are current ball-playing keepers. Their primary focus is still to make saves, but these keepers have an eye for making a quick pass forward \u2014 creating a counter-attacking opportunity<\/strong>, while also generally being comfortable on the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n These keepers need to be good with their feet and provide the defenders with options for a pass, and need to have good distribution themselves. There are tons of examples of this, including Ederson and Alisson in the Premier League, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc-Andre ter Stegen<\/strong>, and many more.<\/p>\n\n\n Sweeper Keepers\n <\/h3>\n \n\n \n Johan Cruyff famously said, “In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker and the striker is the first defender”<\/strong>. Sweeper keepers epitomise this, as they do their best to help in the attacking phase as well. It is one of the hardest styles of play to master and is an advanced version of ball playing.<\/p>\n\n\n They need to be comfortable leaving their penalty area to initiate an attack<\/strong> and get the team moving forward. Perhaps the best sweeper of all time and one of the best goalkeepers ever is Manuel Neuer<\/strong>, who paved the way for the advanced goalie. Other notable players are Edwin van der Sar and Lev Yashin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\nGoalkeeper Records<\/h2>\n \n\n \n Goalkeepers are an integral part of football; some have even transcended their team to become true greats of the sport. Below you will find some of the records held by the best goalkeepers.<\/p>\n\n
\n Clean Sheet Records\n <\/h3>\n \n\n \n For a goalkeeper, there is nothing more important than having a clean sheet. Here are the best goalkeepers in terms of clean sheets.<\/p>\n\n
\n Most clean sheets of all time\n <\/h4>\n \n\n\n
Player<\/th> Total Matches Played<\/th> Total Clean Sheets<\/th> Clean Sheet Percentage<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Gianluigi Buffon<\/strong><\/td>970<\/td> 504<\/strong><\/td>52%<\/td><\/tr> Edwin van der Sar<\/strong><\/td>820<\/td>