Most goalkeepers go their entire professional careers without scoring a goal but some are the exception to the rule.
In fact, some goalkeepers manage to score more goals than their outfield teammates. Take Rogerio Ceni for example, he finished his career with a staggering 131 professional goals.
While only a few keepers have scored in the Premier League, other leagues are renowned for producing high scoring goalies.
Goalkeepers With Most Goals:
You often see goalkeepers step up to the plate in a penalty shootout but rarely witness a player take on the responsibility of a spot-kick during a match.
Here, we look at the top five goal scoring goalkeepers of all-time. We start with Colombia legend Rene Higuita, who many will know after that scorpion kick against England in 1995.
Rene Higuita
Higuita took on the ‘sweeper keeper’ role long before the days of Manuel Neuer and he will go down in history as one of football’s most recognisable goalkeepers.
Higuita made a name for himself as a set-piece specialist, scoring 41 club goals throughout his career.
Higuita’s impact on the international stage went further than the scorpion kick. He notched three goals in 68 appearances for Colombia, with the highlight coming from open play in the 1-0 victory over Peru in the Copa Centenario de Armenia.
He developed a reputation for his crazy style of play, earning the nickname El Loco – a term that translates as ‘The Madman’.
Dimitar Ivankov
The highest goal scoring keeper in European football, Ivankov notched 42 goals throughout his professional career. The majority of his career was spent in his native Bulgaria, however he did spend some time in Turkey and Cyprus.
Ivankov played 64 times for Bulgaria, earning a call up to the squad for various qualifying matches for major tournaments.
⚜️ GK Stat Of The Day ⚜️
— Sparta GK ? (@Sparta_GK) September 2, 2020
We've all heard of the goalscoring GK's in South America, but who is top of the list in European club ⚽? ??
The honour goes to Dimitar Ivankov from ??
With 42 goals to his name along with 64 international caps, will his record ever be broken? pic.twitter.com/2MhWQRfJtz
After a period on the sidelines, Ivankov became Bulgaria’s number one in 2004 and held that spot until March 2010.
His career highlight came whilst playing for Kayserispor. Ivankov was sublime in the 2007/08 Turkish Cup final, saving three penalties while scoring two of his own. It was a one of a kind performance.
Johnny Vegas Fernandez
After a career spanning 20 years and 14 different clubs, Fernandez ranks third on our list of top scoring goalkeepers. He was most prolific at his first club, Sport Boys, notching 20 goals in 189 league games.
While he played just three times for his native Peru, Fernandez earned a reputation in South America for his impressive resume of goals.
However, just one of his career goals came in the Copa Libertadores. 30 of Fernandez’s goals were penalties, nine were outfield strikes or from indirect free-kicks while six were from direct free-kicks.
No matter what the situation was, Fernandez always offered a genuine threat in the final third.
Jose Luis Chilavert
Named in World Soccer’s list of the 100 Greatest Footballers Of All-Time, Chilavert was one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.
He was nicknamed ‘The Bulldog’ and often wore a cartoon bulldog on his jersey. 48 of Chilavert’s 59 club goals came at Velez Sarsfield.
The Paraguay star enjoyed plenty of success there, winning four league titles as well as a Copa Libertadores crown and victory in the 1994 Intercontinental Cup.
Unlike other leading goalkeepers, Chilavert managed to make an impact for his national side. Over the course of his career, Chilavert scored an impressive eight goals in 74 matches for Paraguay.
Rogerio Ceni
Without a shadow of a doubt, Ceni is the greatest scoring goalkeeper of all-time.
He played the entirety of his 25-year career for Sao Paulo, notching 1,257 appearances for the Brazilian giants. A true legend of the game, Ceni holds a number of important records.
He has scored more free-kicks (61) than any other keeper, has scored more penalties (70) than any other keeper and sits 10th in a list of Sao Paulo’s top goal scorers.
Ceni played for Brazil on 16 occasions but failed to score for the national team. However, he did play at two FIFA World Cups – including the successful 2002 tournament in Germany.
*Credit for the main photo belongs to Ricardo Mazalan / AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 2nd September 2020
