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#3 Iker Casillas
Another great goalkeeper who came close to winning the Ballon d'Or is none other than Iker Casillas. The Spaniard, who came up through the ranks at Real Madrid, went on to captain Los Blancos and the national team, establishing himself as a legend.
Casillas earned his first appearance on the Ballon d'Or shortlist back in 2007, when he finished 27th alongside Brazilian shot-stopper Rogerio Ceni. After captaining Spain through their golden era from 2008 to 2012, wherein he won the Euro Championship twice and the World Cup, Casillas made three more appearances on the shortlist.
The last of those three straight appearances from 2010 to 2012 proved to be his highest finish (sixth) in the race for the Ballon d'Or. After 16 glorious years at Real Madrid, Casillas left the club for Porto in 2015.
'San Iker' is now retired from the beautiful game but will never be forgotten for his glittering achievements with club and country.
#2 Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer has done exceedingly well in terms of carrying forward the legacy of Oliver Kahn at Bayern Munich and Germany. Over the course of the last decade, Neuer has also comfortably outgrown the stature of Kahn, becoming the greatest ever German goalkeeper.
The 35-year-old is still the first-choice option between the sticks for club and country. Notably, his best performances came in the early part of the last decade. In addition to winning nine straight Bundesliga titles after joining Bayern, Neuer also won the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup twice.
Neuer made five straight appearances on the Ballon d'Or shortlist from 2012 to 2016. It was in the wake of lifting the World Cup with Germany that Neuer achieved his highest finish in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The custodian made it to the podium in 2014, finishing third only behind Lionel Messi and winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although he has failed to make the cut since then, Neuer remains the only goalkeeper in the world to have shared the Ballon d'Or podium with Messi and Ronaldo.
#1 Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon needs no introduction to the footballing world. The Italian is currently in his 26th year as a senior professional and is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever goalkeepers of all time.
In addition to winning several trophies with club and country over the course of his career, Buffon has also left a mark in the race for the Ballon d'Or. The 43-year-old has been shortlisted for the award on nine separate occasions in the 21st century.
Buffon made his first appearance on the Ballon d'Or shortlist in 2001 and finished 28th. The custodian finished ninth in 2003, 17th in 2004 and 19th in 2005. However, fresh off guiding Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, Buffon earned his best ever finish in the race for the Ballon d'Or.
Notably, he came second behind Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro. In each of the next two seasons, Buffon finished in the top 20 before returning to the list again in 2012.
The shot-stopper then finished ninth in 2016, before just missing out on the Ballon d'Or podium the following year in fourth-place.
No goalkeeper has come closer than Buffon to emulating Lev Yashin by winning the Ballon d'Or so far. Although he missed out narrowly in 2006, the shot-stopper inspired several others to try and follow in his footsteps. Many would consider that a bigger award.
Now back at boyhood club Parma, Buffon is hoping for the ideal swansong for his remarkable career.
