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The 21st century has seen the rise of numerous great goalkeepers, from the likes of Petr Cech and Alisson Becker to Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer.
Deciding who is the best keeper since the turn of the century is practically impossible. But what about when it comes to saving penalties? Sure, stopping penalties isn’t the most important aspect of being a top-level keeper. However, it’s definitely a great ability to have.
Since the start of the 21st century, the following goalkeepers have saved the most penalties, with some truly staggering numbers posted.
Note: for the purposes of this article, all data regarding penalties saved has been taken from Transfermarkt.com
#10= Gianluigi Donnarumma, Andres Palop, Francesco Antonioli, Bernd Leno – 16 penalties saved
In the #10 spot, we’ve got a four-way tie, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Andres Palop, Francesco Antonioli and Bernd Leno all saving 16 penalties each since the turn of the century.
Of the four, Leno and Donnarumma are still active today while Antonioli and Palop both hung up their gloves a number of years ago.
Antonioli’s career actually dates back to the 1980s, as he broke through into the first team at Monza in the 1986-87 season. In the years that followed, he played for numerous top Italian sides – with his two stints at Bologna arguably being the highlight of his tenure.
Although many pundits would argue that injuries hampered him from reaching his full potential, he still ended his career with numerous trophies, including three Scudettos. Of the 16 penalties he saved, 14 came in Serie A – putting him 7th in that league’s all-time list.
Palop, meanwhile, plied his trade in his native Spain. Beginning his career with Valencia, he was largely used as a backup to first-choice keeper Santiago Canizares but rose to true fame when he moved to Sevilla in 2005. In his 8 seasons at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, he made nearly 300 appearances and became known as a penalty-saving expert.
The best example of this skill? The 2007 UEFA Cup final, a match that saw Sevilla defeat fellow Spaniards Espanyol to win the trophy. The game went to a penalty shoot-out, and Palop was the hero, saving 3 of 4 penalties against him.
Leno’s career has taken him from Bayer Leverkusen to Arsenal, who signed him in the summer of 2018 for a fee of around £22.5m. The German international became known as a penalty-stopping expert in the Bundesliga, saving from the likes of Roberto Firmino and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
Since arriving in the Premier League, meanwhile, he has saved one penalty – from Southampton’s dead-ball expert James Ward-Prowse.
Donnarumma, meanwhile, is usually considered one of the world’s best young goalkeepers. Breaking through into Milan’s first team in the 2015-16 campaign, he quickly became their first-choice keeper and began the 2016-17 season by saving a penalty from Torino’s Andrea Belotti.
In the years that have followed, he’s gone onto save spot-kicks from the likes of Mauro Icardi and even the great Cristiano Ronaldo.
#9= Diego Benaglio, Hans-Jorg Butt, Wojciech Szczesny, Antonio Mirante, Hugo Lloris, Sebastien Frey – 17 penalties saved
Six goalkeepers have saved 17 penalties in the 21st century, ranging from the retired Hans-Jorg Butt and Sebastien Frey to current top-level keepers Hugo Lloris and Wojciech Szczesny.
Both Antonio Mirante and Diego Benaglio are still active but are likely to reach the end of their careers soon at the age of 37 and 36 respectively.
German international Butt is perhaps the most curious entry here because while he was known for his penalty-saving exploits, he also garnered a reputation for scoring spot-kicks too. Remarkably for a goalkeeper, he was able to end his career with 26 Bundesliga goals to his name.
In a career that took him from Hamburg to Bayern Munich, he saved from notable names such as Michael Ballack and Luis Figo.
French international Frey spent the majority of his top-level career in Italy, where he made over 400 Serie A appearances, mainly for Parma and Fiorentina. During that time, he stopped spot-kicks from the likes of Kaka, Luca Toni and Edinson Cavani.
Switzerland’s Benaglio, meanwhile, became well-known as Wolfsburg’s #1 from the 2007-08 campaign all the way through to 2016-17. His exploits in terms of saving penalties were instantly visible as he was able to save two spot-kicks on his debut in a DFB-Pokal shoot-out against Schalke.
Most recently, he stopped a penalty from current Newcastle United star Allan Saint-Maximin during a Ligue 1 game for Monaco against Nice.
Italy’s Mirante is best remembered for his run as Parma’s goalkeeper at the turn of the last decade. He made 204 appearances for them before moving to Bologna in 2015, and currently acts as Roma’s backup keeper. His most recent penalty save came in May 2019 from Genoa’s Antonio Sanabria.
Tottenham Hotspur’s current #1, Lloris has also won the World Cup with France and has gained a reputation as a penalty expert over the years. The 2018-19 season saw him make crucial spot-kick stops from Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero. The 2019-20 campaign saw him save from Ilkay Gundogan.
That save was, in fact, his 4th penalty save against Manchester City, having also stopped penalties from Aguero and Gabriel Jesus in earlier seasons.
Szczesny, of course, began his career at Arsenal before moving to Serie A on loan with Roma. He’s now Juventus’ #1 and is widely recognised as one of Europe’s best goalkeepers.
His brief Premier League run saw him save penalties from the likes of Wayne Rooney and Edin Dzeko, while he’s saved from Gonzalo Higuain and Ciro Immobile since taking over as #1 at Juventus.
#8= Tim Howard, Simon Jentzsch, Stefano Sorrentino – 18 penalties saved
Of the three goalkeepers tied for 8th place with 18 penalties saved in the 21st century, only Tim Howard remains active at the professional level. Although at 41 years old, his time is probably limited now. He’s already come out of retirement once, having first hung up the gloves in 2019.
The most capped goalkeeper of all time for the United States, Howard first shot to fame when he joined Manchester United in 2003. He saved just one penalty for the Red Devils – from Fernando Meira in a 2003 Champions League game with Stuttgart. But he made 12 in action for Everton, who he joined in the 2006-07 campaign.
Italy’s Stefano Sorrentino made well over 300 Serie A appearances, largely for Chievo and Palermo between 2008 and 2018. During that period, he was renowned for his incredible reflexes and acrobatic abilities. 14 of his spot-kick saves came in Serie A action
This meant that along with the aforementioned Francesco Antonioli, he’s saved the joint 7th most penalties in the competition’s history.
Simon Jentzsch, meanwhile, spent the majority of his career in the Bundesliga. He played for 1860 Munich, Wolfsburg and Augsburg, and currently acts as Bayern Munich Youth’s goalkeeping coach.
Despite his solid record of 18 penalty saves in the 21st century though, you have to go back to 2006 – 3 years before his retirement – to find the last time he stopped a spot-kick in the Bundesliga. That save came from Werder Bremen’s Brazilian star Diego.
#7= Diego Lopez, Pepe Reina – 19 penalties saved
Two Spanish goalkeepers have saved 19 penalties in the 21st century – veterans Pepe Reina and Diego Lopez. Despite being 37 and 38 years old respectively, both men remain active at the highest level, with Reina completing the 2019-20 season at Aston Villa and Lopez at Espanyol.
Reina’s career began at Barcelona, but has taken him all over Europe, from Villarreal to Liverpool, Napoli to Bayern Munich, and finally Milan to Aston Villa. A three-time Premier League Golden Glove winner with Liverpool, the Spaniard gained a massive reputation as a penalty-saving expert. He famously stopped three in the Reds’ 2006 FA Cup final shoot-out victory against West Ham United.
Even at his advanced age, Reina was still able to show off his penalty saving reflexes in the 2019-20 campaign. October 2019 saw him save from Genoa’s Lasse Schone in a Serie A clash while representing Milan. In February, we saw him stop Son Heung-min’s spot-kick for Tottenham in just his third game for Aston Villa.
Lopez, meanwhile, made his name in La Liga with Villarreal, acting as their #1 for 5 seasons before moving to Sevilla, Real Madrid, Milan and eventually Espanyol. He’s spent the past 4 campaigns there as the first-choice keeper, and most recently stopped a spot-kick in July from Eibar’s Edu Exposito.
Other famed spot-kick takers he’s made saves from over the years include Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Ivan Rakitic, and Diego Forlan.
#6= Iker Casillas, Benoit Costil, Frank Rost – 20 penalties saved
Three different goalkeepers have saved 20 penalties this century, but one of those three clearly stands out above the other two in terms of his profile.
Former Real Madrid #1 Iker Casillas is widely recognised as one of the most decorated goalkeepers of all time. The winner of the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with Spain, San Iker also won multiple trophies at club level, including 5 La Liga titles and 3 Champions Leagues.
One of the few players to appear in over 1000 professional matches, Casillas was highly regarded for his ability to produce spectacular saves. And so it should come as no surprise that he ranks highly on this list.
Through his career, he saved penalties from the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Sergei Rebrov. he also helped Spain to victory in numerous shoot-outs, including in their two victorious European Championship campaigns.
France’s Benoit Costil isn’t as well-recognised as Casillas, but Bordeaux’s current #1 has also saved 20 penalties in the current century. Before joining Bordeaux, the 33-year old appeared in more than 200 matches for Rennes, most of which came in Ligue 1.
The 2017-18 season was Costil’s most successful as a penalty saver. That campaign saw him stop 5 penalties – as many as he also conceded in the same season.
Frank Rost, meanwhile, retired back in 2011, meaning he was able to make his 20 penalty saves in just over a decade. Plying his trade in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen, Schalke and Hamburg, Rost had already marked himself out as a penalty expert in the 1990’s.
The 1998-99 DFB-Pokal final saw him act as the hero in Werder’s eventual penalty shoot-out with Bayern Munich. Rost scored his side’s 6th penalty and then saved from the legendary Lothar Matthaus to win the game.
In the 21st century, meanwhile, he saved penalties from the likes of Jan Koller, Dimitar Berbatov – as well as fellow goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt.
#5= Petr Cech, Andrea Consigli, Mickael Landreau – 21 penalties saved
Three goalkeepers also share the #5 spot in this list, having saved 21 penalties during the current century.
Of the three, Premier League fans will naturally recognise the name of Petr Cech more readily. The Czech international was Chelsea’s #1 for over a decade. He won multiple trophies with the Blues, including 4 Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League.
Widely considered one of the greatest keepers in Premier League history, Cech saved from the likes of Wayne Rooney and Leighton Baines in league action. It was in Europe where his heroics were best-known, though.
He famously stopped a penalty from Arjen Robben in Chelsea’s Champions League final with Bayern Munich. Cech then went onto save two more in the Blues’ victorious shoot-out.
And while he couldn’t help Chelsea to victory in the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United, he did save from the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo in the eventual penalty shoot-out.
Like Cech, France’s Mickael Landreau hung up his gloves some time ago – in 2014 to be exact. He played for Nantes, Paris St. Germain, Lille and Bastia across his career, putting together a Ligue 1 record of 618 appearances in the process.
The winner of two Ligue 1 titles in the 21st century, Landreau made spot-kick saves from the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Ronaldinho, and Samir Nasri during his career.
Of the three keepers with 21 spot-kick saves, just Italy’s Andrea Consigli remains active today. Sassuolo’s current #1 has made over 400 appearances in Serie A, moving to his current side after spending the best part of 7 seasons as Atalanta’s first choice keeper.
Consigli has made the third-most penalty saves in Serie A history with a total of 19 in the competition, putting him behind only Gianluca Pagliuca and Samir Handanovic.
Both the 2016-17 and 2018-19 campaigns saw him make 4 spot-kick saves, and his lone penalty save in 2017-18 came from the dangerous Mauro Icardi.
#4 Manuel Neuer – 25 penalties saved
Usually described as the original ‘sweeper-keeper’, Manuel Neuer’s reputation precedes him. He’s widely recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation, if not of all time, and he’s definitely one of the most decorated.
Across his career – which dates back to his debut in the 2003-04 season with Schalke – he’s won 8 Bundesliga titles and the 2013 Champions League with Bayern Munich and the 2014 World Cup with Germany. He’s also been named as the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper on four occasions, and even came third in the voting for the 2014 Ballon d’Or.
Over the years, Neuer has also marked himself out as a penalty-saving expert, having stopped 25 spot-kicks during his career. He’s saved penalties from tremendous strikers such as Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres, and Robert Lewandowski. He also has a great record in penalty shoot-outs.
The 2012 Champions League final shoot-out, for instance, saw him save from Juan Mata, although he couldn’t stop Bayern from eventually losing to Chelsea. And in international action, Neuer famously saved two spot-kicks – including one from Leonardo Bonucci – in Germany’s quarter-final shoot-out with Italy, helping his team to a 6-5 victory.
Given he’s still just 34 years old and has a number of years ahead of him, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Neuer rise up this list even further as time goes on.
#3 Diego Alves – 26 penalties saved
The definition of a penalty-saving expert, Brazilian keeper Diego Alves – currently back in his home country with Flamengo – spent 10 seasons in La Liga with Almeria and Valencia from 2007 to 2017. He was well-regarded as one of the best keepers in Spain during the time period. But it’s his record in dealing with spot-kicks that really marks him out.
Alves has saved 26 penalties in the 21st century, with an incredible 23 of those saves coming in La Liga. The Brazilian famously once stated that a penalty is a “psychological battle” between the keeper and the taker. And clearly, that approach worked for him.
When he saved a spot-kick from Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in 2015, Alves equalled Andoni Zubizarreta’s record number of penalties saved in La Liga history. That save was also his 16th from 37 penalties. This gave him a penalty save percentage of 43% - meaning he was close to saving as many spot-kicks as he conceded.
And Ronaldo wasn’t the only great denied from the spot by the Brazilian. Alves also saved penalties from the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Diego Costa, Mario Mandzukic, and Lionel Messi.
#2 Gianluigi Buffon – 30 penalties saved
As one of the most highly-rated goalkeepers of all time, it should probably come as no surprise that Gianluigi Buffon ranks highly in terms of saving penalties.
The Italian veteran – still playing in Serie A with Juventus at the age of 41 – has been named the IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper on five occasions. He was also named as the 21st century’s best keeper by the same organisation.
Buffon has over 700 top-flight games under his belt, having played for The Old Lady for a total of 18 seasons following his move from Parma back in 2000. Aside from a single season spent in France’s Ligue 1 with Paris St. Germain, the Italian’s run as Juventus’ #1 was largely unbroken.
During that time period, he stopped 15 penalties in Serie A, including spot-kicks from legends such as Ronaldo, Francesco Totti and Roberto Baggio.
Nor were his penalty-saving exploits saved merely for his club career. As Italy’s long-serving #1, Buffon also made a number of crucial spot-kick stops for the Azzuri in major tournaments.
The 2002 World Cup saw him make a penalty save in Italy’s eventual second-round defeat at the hands of South Korea. In Euro 2008, he saved a spot-kick from Adrian Mutu in a group match with Romania. Buffon then saved from Dani Guiza in a quarter-final shoot-out with Spain, although Italy did eventually fall short.
Euro 2012, meanwhile, saw Buffon perform more penalty heroics, this time in Italy’s quarter-final shootout with England. The veteran goalkeeper saved the key spot-kick from Ashley Cole to essentially send his side into the semi-finals.
Essentially, this legendary keeper had no real weaknesses in his prime. And his exemplary record when it comes to saving penalties backs that up.
#1 Samir Handanovic – 38 penalties saved
With a massive 38 penalties saved, it’s clear that the 21st century’s best goalkeeper when it comes to stopping spot-kicks is Slovenia’s Samir Handanovic.
Handanovic is nicknamed ‘Batman’ by fans at his current club Inter Milan for his penchant for spectacular saves. The Slovenian has saved 24 penalties in Serie A alone, a record in the competition that he shares with Gianluca Pagliuca.
One record he doesn’t need to share, however, is the one for most consecutive penalties saved. Handanovic somehow stopped 6 in a row between 2013 and 2015. And his run of 6 spot-kicks saved in the 2010-11 campaign also equalled a record that had stood since 1948-49.
A stalwart of Serie A since becoming Udinese’s #1 back in 2007, Handanovic joined Inter in the summer of 2012 and has barely missed a game since. Along the way, the Slovenian has saved penalties from the likes of Luca Toni, Antonio Cassano, Edinson Cavani, Samuel Eto’o, and Kaka.
Essentially, while there have been more decorated goalkeepers in the 21st century, not even the likes of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon can match Handanovic when it comes to saving penalties.
For any side facing a spot-kick, the Slovenian would be the man you’d want between the sticks.
