Goalkeepers often get all the blame because they are the last line of defense, however, there are some outstanding goalkeepers with the most career clean sheets in the history of soccer.
Obviously, it is the forwards who get the victor’s glory after a football match and if the outcome was on the opposite then the goalkeeper is blamed for it. No one remembers the number of saves the Goalkeeper made during the match nor the errors of his teammates. It has become a norm and an unconscious judgment.
As the last line of defense, the pressure on goalkeepers is double that of the whole team and in the history of the round leather game, we have seen legendary goalkeepers with the most career clean sheets.
According to historical records from the World Football Historic Center, Ray Clemence from England is the goalkeeper with the most career clean sheets which runs in numbers of about 460 clean sheets earned from playing at the club and international levels combined.
Goalkeepers With The Most Career Clean Sheets In International Soccer
- Iker Casillas – Spain (82 Clean Sheets)
- Edwin van der Sar – Netherlands (72 Clean Sheets)
- Mohammed Al-Deayea – Saudi Arabia (69 Clean Sheets)
- Peter Shilton – England (66 Clean Sheets)
Iker Casillas – 82 International Clean Sheets
Iker Casillas won the IFFHS Worl’s Best Goalkeeper award for four consecutive years beginning from 2008 to 2011 and subsequently claimed the award in 2013. He is rated as one of the best goalkeepers ever in the world of football.
Popularly referred to as ‘Saint Iker’ the Spaniard made the UEFA team XI for six consecutive years and in 2009 he was given the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit.
Edwin van der Sar – 72 Clean Sheets
Van der Sar is the most capped player in the Netherlands’ history. Historical records uphold the Manchester United Legend as the first goalkeeper to keep 50 clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League.
He played 1,311 minutes without conceding a goal.
Mohammed Al-Deayea – 69 Clean Sheets
Mohammed Al-Deayea won the Asian Best Goalkeeper of the Century award in 1999 making him the first-ever to claim the award. He represented his country in four FIFA World Cups. He made a total of 173 appearances for his national team.
Peter Shilton – 66 Clean Sheets
Peter Shilton holds the record as the most capped England player in history. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002. He kept a total of 66 clean sheets while representing his country and mostly from FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Goalkeepers With The Most Career Clean Sheets In The Premier League
- Petr Cech – 202
- David James – 169
- Mark Schwarzer – 152
- David Seaman – 142
- Nigel Martyn – 138
- Pepe Reina – 136
- Edwin van der Sar – 134
- Tim Howard – 132
- Brad Friedel – 132
- Peter Schmeichel – 129
Goalkeepers With The Most Career Clean Sheets In La Liga
- Andoni Zubizarreta – 235
- Pacu Buyo – 213
- Iker Casillas – 177
- Víctor Valdes – 173
- Luis Arconada – 150
- Santiago Canizares – 138
- Cesar Sanchez – 123
- Jose Francisco Molina – 118
- Jan Oblak – 112
- Alberto Lopez – 104
Goalkeepers With The Most Career Clean Sheets In Bundesliga
Manuel Neuer – 205
Oliver Kahn – 204
Oliver Reck – 176
Eike Immel – 148
Uli Stein – 146
Sepp Maier – 137
Jens Lehmann – 131
Richard Golz – 123
Frank Rost – 121
Norbert Nigbur -120
Goalkeepers With The Most Career Clean Sheets In The UEFA Champions League
Not all teams make it to the Champions League likewise goalkeepers but these five shots-stoppers have kept the highest number of clean sheets in the UEFA Champions League.
- Iker Casillas – 57
- Edwin van der Sar – 51
- Petr Cech – 47
- Gianluigi Buffon – 47
- Victor Valdes – 45
Top Highlights
Peter Schmeichel will always be remembered as the first goalkeeper to keep 100 clean sheets and Petr Cech is the first and only one yet to keep 200 clean sheets in the Premier League. While Edwin van der Sar holds the record of the most consecutive clean sheets for going 14 games without conceding a goal playing for Manchester United in the 2008-09 season.
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