Ranking the top 10 players who revolutionised football

#8 Lev Yashin

Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or

All of us are accustomed to appreciating Lev Yashin, the USSR goalkeeper, as the only player in his position to win the Ballon d'Or. However, the praise he deserves stretches far deeper than that.

In his days, goalkeepers were used to kicking the ball aimlessly to start the game after making a save from set-pieces or open play. And, Lev Yashin changed exactly that. In a literal sense, he showed that goalkeepers could be used for more than just stopping the opponents from scoring.

The Russian shot-stopper invented the sweeper keeper technique that is followed in modern football to this date. He started acting like another defender and taking part in the passing play outside the penalty area to help out his teammates by building up play from the back.

The fact that his style of play is still followed speaks in abundance about his fundamental contribution to the beautiful game.