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While last week's Barcelona vs Sevilla match will be overshadowed by Messi's injury, one should take a look at the two world-class double saves that Marc-Andre ter Stegen made to keep Barca in the match.
The goalkeepers are usually unsung heroes of football, where the limelight shines on the goal scorers and playmaking midfielders. The goalkeepers are the custodians of the sacred goal post.
They are the players who rarely move in the pitch and may seem like they have little to do. But when the time comes, they are the ones who bail out their team with saves that leave everyone in awe.
Here are 4 iconic goalkeepers of this century who routinely kept the ball out of their net with some amazing saves:
Gianluigi Buffon
Buffon could arguably be the best Italian goalkeeper of all time. He started his career in Parma, but his exploits with them quickly gained the attention of Italy and many clubs. In 2001, Juventus decided to do the unthinkable and paid the then record transfer fee of €52.88 million for a goalkeeper. It will be sufficient to say, the Old Lady did not regret paying this humungous amount.
Buffon would go on to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world while at Juventus. But other than getting a world-class custodian, Juve also got a faithful servant. The Calciopoli scandal shook Serie A in 2006 and it led to Juventus being stripped of their last two league titles.
Juventus also found themselves relegated to Serie B. Many players left Juventus in search of greener pastures, and Juventus had to sell them cheap because they couldn't afford the wages. But Buffon decided to stay. For a player who went on to lift the World Cup in that same year as captain, suitors would have been aplenty. Buffon showed his class as a human being and that earned him the respect not only of the Juve fans but also of the whole world.
After their speedy return to Serie A, Juve went through testing times. They needed to rebuild their club from bottom to up after the scandal. Thankfully for them, they had a goalkeeper who endured through injuries to help them win their first Scudetto in 2012. Since then Juve has not looked back and have gone on to win seven Scudetto titles. Buffon along with Chiellini, Bonuuci, and Barzagli, provided Juventus with an unbreakable backline.
Buffon moved on from Juventus this summer at the grand age of 40, after serving the Old Lady for 17 years. It is extraordinary for a goalkeeper to perform at the level that he has throughout his career. He is rightly the idol of many modern goalkeepers, not only for his longevity and performance but also for the gentleman he is.
Iker Casillas
Iker Casillas may have left Real Madrid in tears, but there is no denying that he will always be remembered for being one of not only Madrid's but also Spain's best goalkeepers.
Casillas started his career in Real Madrid youth teams and made his way into the senior squad at a young age. Such was his progress that he went on to represent the senior squad at the age of 18. For anyone else at that age, playing in the Santiago Bernabeu would have been nerve-wracking. But Casillas was no ordinary teenager.
He quickly established himself in Real Madrid and later Spain with his quick reactions and strong saves. Even though Spain was blessed with an abundance of talented goalkeepers during Casillas's time, his performances meant that he was the undisputed starter. The same was the case for Los Blancos until his turbulent last years at the club.
But prior to leaving, Casillas had won a cabinet full of trophies that included five LaLiga crowns and three Champions League titles among numerous other titles. His biggest highlight though was for Spain, with whom he won the two back to back Euros in 2008 and 2012, and also the World Cup in 2010. He is also Spain's most capped player.
Casillas may have left Real Madrid under a dark cloud and his international career may be over, but nothing can wash off the incredible saves he has produced throughout his career. While his position as Spain's best goalkeeper of all time could be debated, he could well be Spain's best goalkeeper of this century.
Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer is relatively young for a goalkeeper. He is 32 and could easily have eight to ten years still left in his tank. But that has not stopped the German goalkeeper from winning titles and achieving countless laurels all around the world for his goalkeeping.
He came through the Schalke youth academy and went on to represent the senior team from 2006 until 2011. While he did not earn global recognition until then, he certainly caught the eye of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Neuer left Schalke for Munich on a free transfer, much to the ire of his old club. To make things a bit more challenging for Neuer, the Bayern fans were also not happy that a rival player was playing in their team. But Neuer was not one to bow down. He steadily brought the fans onto his side with his performances, and soon everyone realized that Bayern had a world-class goalkeeper in their hands.
Neuer made his debut for Germany in 2009 and lifted the World Cup in 2014. He has remained the undisputed goalkeeper till now, and like Iker Casillas, has kept other talented German goalkeepers at bay because of his performances.
But Neuer is different from the likes of Buffon and Casillas due to his goalkeeping style. He is described by many as a modern goalkeeper. This style of goalkeeping not only involves being good with your hands but also with your feet.
You have to be able to start moves from the back and find your teammates regularly with precision. And Neuer is the gold standard of this kind of style of goalkeeping.
Neuer's trademark style of rushing into attackers to clear the ball earned him the title of "sweeper-keeper". Even though he was not the first one to do it, he performed it with a consistency not seen before in the game. He became the 11th outfield player, and his teammates were able to trust him enough to keep passing the ball back to him and involving him in the play.
While Neuer always had this kind of goalkeeping style, he perfected it under Pep Guardiola's reign at Allianz Arena. Guardiola's philosophy of keeping the possession of the ball meant that Neuer was usually the start of an attack.
The success Neuer found with this kind of play led to many goalkeepers trying to copy him. While some have succeeded, many have not. Coaches are also demanding that their goalkeepers be more the "sweeper-keeper" than staying with the traditional style.
While Neuer has won plenty of titles in his time, it is his unique style of play and the subsequent effect it has had on goalkeeping that earns him the right to be called one of the most influential goalkeepers of this century.
Petr Cech
Petr Cech may have not won as many trophies as the other three men on this list. He has also not found success on the national level with the Czech Republic like the other goalkeepers. But his exploits for Chelsea and his determination to return after a life-threatening injury earned him the right to be on the list.
Cech started his career in Viktoria Plzen but gained worldwide recognition in the Euro 2004. His performance for the Czech Republic helped them to reach the semi-finals of that tournament and earned him a place in the all-star team as the best goalkeeper.
Chelsea though had already seen something special in Cech and agreed to a deal with Rennes to bring the Czech to Stamford Bridge at the beginning of 2004. Cech became a fan favourite among the Chelsea fans with his saves and held a record for the highest number of minutes without conceding a goal.
He, along with the backline containing John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, formed an impregnable backline which propelled Chelsea to their first league title in more than 50 years during Jose Mourinho's first spell.
In 2006, Cech suffered an injury that might have ended up costing his life. He collided with Stephen Hunt of Reading during a Premier League match causing him to suffer a depressed skull injury which sidelined him for three months.
Cech though returned to play for Chelsea after the lay-off, sporting a now-famous rugby style head guard as protection. Though many players have returned from career-threatening injuries, Cech's bravery to jump into the thick of the action was widely applauded. He continued to perform at the highest level, helping the Blues to more titles and to their first Champions League trophy.
Cech left for rivals Arsenal in 2015 after being pushed down the pecking order in Chelsea. Though it was an unceremonious exit for a player like him, he is still considered a legend and commands respect from the Blues fans despite playing for a rival club. Cech went on to keep a record 200th clean sheet in the Premier League while at Arsenal.
At the age of 36, Cech could be nearing the end of his career, but he is arguably Chelsea's best goalkeeper. His perseverance to come back after a life-threatening injury and still perform at the highest standard is a lesson worth learning to anyone who wants to pursue a career in sports.
Special Mention: Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn was a goalkeeper who played for Germany predominantly in the 1990s up to 2006. Kahn played for Bayern Munich for almost fourteen years and won several titles with them. With his giant figure, he had a commanding presence in the goal post and with his shot-stopping ability, he achieved global recognition.
Kahn makes this list because of his heroic performance for Germany in the 2002 World Cup. Die Mannschaft made it to the finals, eventually losing out to Brazil. Even though the first goal that Brazil scored was Kahn's mistake, he still went on to win the Golden Ball for the best player in the tournament. He is the only goalkeeper to do so. Considering that "El Fenomeno" Ronaldo went on to plunder 8 goals that tournament, Kahn's win shows that he was a class apart.
