Outfielders tend to get the most press around the success of Real Madrid and during their transfer exploits each window, but when things aren’t going quite right, it’s often the goalkeeper who gets the blame.
Becoming one of the greatest Real Madrid goalkeepers of all time takes a tremendous level of grit, consistency, and, of course, talent. One name stands above all in this regard, but there are plenty of contenders for the other top spots.
Starting with the easiest pick of the bunch, these are the top five best Real Madrid goalkeepers to ever play for the vaunted club.
Iker Casillas (1999-2015)
Easily slotting in as both the greatest Real Madrid goalkeeper of all time and even one of the greatest La Liga players to ever step foot on a Spanish pitch, Iker Casillas’ legacy may never be trumped.
The Móstoles-born shot-stopper first donned the starting gloves in October 1999, having made it up through the youth ranks at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
From there, Casillas went on to play 725 times for Real Madrid, securing 264 clean sheets, three UEFA Champions League titles, five La Liga trophies, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Spanish Cup twice.
Perhaps his greatest individual campaign came in 2010/11, when in 54 appearances for Los Blancos, he secured what remains a record 27 clean sheets while only allowing 40 shots to breach his coverage.
Forever calm and collected between the posts, it was the consistency of Casillas, even through the days of rampant spending to bring in the world’s best players, that cemented his place as a club legend.
Now, he’s the vice-chairman, working behind the scenes to help make good on Real Madrid’s La Liga betting odds and bring further glory to the team he remains the greatest goalkeeper of all time for.
Paco Buyo (1986-1997)
Francisco “Paco” Buyo’s arrival in 1986 greatly helped to spur the club from being an awakening giant – having just won their first league title in six years – to a Spanish juggernaut once again.
Joining from Sevilla in replacement of Otxotorena, who’d struggled to impress in place of veteran Miguel Ángel, Buyo immediately claimed the starting spot and held it for the whole 1986/87 season.
The Betanzos native would go on to set the bar for goalkeepers at Real Madrid, playing a then-record 454 games to surpass Ángel and keep 24 clean sheets in a season – a feat he accomplished back-to-back in 1986/87 and 1987/88.
Bundle in that he backstopped the Spanish giants to six league titles and two cups, and it’s clear that Paco Buyo remains one of the greatest Real Madrid goalkeepers of all time.
Miguel Ángel (1967-1986)
Having joined from Atlético Orense in 1967, Real Madrid sent the promising 20-year-old Miguel Ángel out to CD Castellón for a season of honing his craft.
He’d have to work his way up through the goalie corps upon his return, but by 1974, Ángel was the firm first-choice goalie.
Even through increased competition towards the end of the decade and into the 1980s, he’d come out on top in two of his final three seasons (1983/84 and 1984/85).
Before the two greatest Real Madrid goalkeepers of all time ranking above Ángel in this list, he was the one to set the highest standard. He tallied 346 appearances and kept 20 clean sheets in a single season – then tied for the record with Agustín’s 1982/83 season.
As a member of the club, Ángel was named the player of the season in 1976, won the UEFA Cup twice, hoisted five cups, and helped Real Madrid win the league on eight occasions.
Keylor Navas (2014-2019)
Perhaps one of the more understated signings during Real Madrid’s Galácticos era, Keylor Navas joined as Iker Casillas’ backup in 2014, and surprisingly won the starting job after the club legend departed for FC Porto.
Costing a mere fraction of what the club gets as La Liga prize money despite having impressed in the recent FIFA World Cup and having earned plaudits during his time with Levante, he swiftly won over the Bernabéu faithful with his incredible reactionary saves.
The Costa Rican made 162 appearances for Real Madrid by the end of his time with the club, allowing a mere 159 goals against while keeping 52 clean sheets.
Navas was pivotal in Zinédine Zidan’s run of three consecutive UEFA Champions League triumphs from 2015/16 to 2017/18, the La Liga win, and what would be four FIFA Club World Cup trophies for the netminder.
Even now, you can find one the greatest Real Madrid goalies of all time in net, but now he’s in the betting lines of Mexico’s Liga MX Apertura, playing for UNAM Pumas.
Bodo Illgner (1996-2001)
The first goalkeeper to ever keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final, Bodo Illgner’s 1990 triumph with West Germany caught the eye of elite clubs across Europe.
He remained with FC Köln to build an imperious name for himself, being voted German football’s best goalie multiple times and the top European goalkeeper in 1991. Still, domestic success eluded him.
So, before he hung up his gloves, Illgner accepted the call from Real Madrid. Immediately, he helped to steer Los Blancos to the 1996/97 La Liga title, keeping 19 clean sheets in 46 games.
The next season, the German shot-stopper battled to reclaim his place in time for the 1997/98 Champions League Final, which he kept a clean sheet in, and was the first-choice goalie once again in 1998/99.
Illgner would lose the starting job to Casillas in the midst of the Champions League-winning 1999/00 season, but would stay with the club until the close of the La Liga-winning 2000/01 campaign, mentoring the man who would become the greatest Real Madrid goalkeeper of all time.
