Thegoalkeeper (sometimes written as goal-keeper) is aposition inassociation football.[1] It is the most specialised position in the sport.[2] The goalkeeper's main role is to stop the opposingteam fromscoring a "goal" (i.e. putting theball over thegoal line). This is accomplished by the goalkeeper moving into the trajectory of the ball to either catch it or re-direct it away from the vicinity of the goal. Within thepenalty area, goalkeepers are allowed to use their hands, giving them (outsidethrow-ins) the sole rights on the field to handle the ball. The goalkeeper is indicated by wearing a different colouredkit from their teammates and opposition.[3]
Theback-pass rule is a rule that disallows handling passes back to keepers from teammates in most cases. Goalkeepers usually performgoal kicks and also give commands to their defense duringcorner kicks,direct andindirect free kicks, andmarking. Goalkeepers play an important role in directing onfieldstrategy as they have an unrestricted view of the entirepitch, giving them a unique perspective on play development.
The goalkeeper is the only mandatory position of a team. If they areinjured orsent off, another player must take their place. To replace a goalkeeper who is sent off, a team usually (but is not required to) brings on a substitute keeper in place of an outfield player to ensure they still play an outfield player down. If a team does not have a substitute goalkeeper, or they have already used all of their permitted substitutions for the match, an outfield player has to play as goalkeeper.
Because the position requires different skills from the outfielders, goalkeepers train separately from their teammates and often work with a goalkeeping coach to develop their play.[4] While outfielders typically must be in good cardiovascular shape to play up to 90 minutes in a match, a goalkeeper must be able to move quickly and have fast feet for little bursts. During a match, goalkeepers may get a lot of action, usually in brief intervals, until theirteammates can clear the ball out of the zone. During practice, goalkeepers focus heavily on footwork and being able to get up quickly after a save is made. A goalkeeper must be able to get set, meaning feet shoulder width apart and on their toes, before the next shot comes their way, so they can react and make the save.[5]
As with all players, goalkeepers may wear anysquad number, but the number 1 is almost always reserved for a team's first-choice goalkeeper, and the number 13 for the second-choice or backup goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper is notably the only position that is not included in formations. This is because the goalkeeper is the only non-outfielder position and the only compulsory position in football.
Although not essential, goalkeepers are typically tall players due to the height of the goal and the number of crosses, corners, and high shots in football.[4]
A goalkeeper (left, wearing a white shirt) being charged by a rival player (1905)
Association football, like many sports, has experienced many changes in tactics resulting in the generation and elimination of different positions. Goalkeeper is the only position that is certain to have existed since the codification of the sport. Even in the early days of organised football, when systems were limited or non-existent and the main idea was for all players to attack and defend, teams had a designated member to play as the goalkeeper.
The earliest account of football teams with player positions comes fromRichard Mulcaster in 1581 and does not specify goalkeepers. The earliest specific reference to keeping goals comes fromCornish Hurling in 1602. According to Carew: "They pitch two bushes in the ground, some eight or ten foot asunder; and directly against them, ten or twelve score off, other twayne in like distance, which they term their Goals. One of these is appointed by lots, to one side, and the other to his adverse party. There is assigned for their guard, a couple of their best stopping Hurlers."[6] Other references to scoring goals begin in English literature in the early 17th century; for example, inJohn Day's playThe Blind Beggar ofBethnal Green (performedc. 1600; published 1659): "I'll play a gole atcamp-ball" (an extremely violent variety of football, popular inEast Anglia). Similarly, in a 1613 poem,Michael Drayton refers to "when the Ball to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in squadrons forth they goe". It seems inevitable that wherever a game has evolved goals, some form of goalkeeping must also be developed.David Wedderburn refers to what has been translated fromLatin as to "keep goal" in 1633, although this does not necessarily imply a fixed goalkeeper position.
The word "goal-keeper" is used in the novelTom Brown's School Days (published in 1857, but set in the 1830s). The author is here referring to an early form ofrugby football:
You will see in the first place, that the sixth-form boy, who has the charge of goals, has spread his force (the goal-keepers) to occupy the whole space behind the goal-posts, at distances of about five yards apart; a safe and well-kept goal is the foundation of all good play.[7]
The word "goal-keeper" appeared in theSheffield Rules of 1867, but the term did not refer to a designated player, but rather to "that player on the defending side who for the time being is nearest to his own goal". The goalkeeper, thus defined, did not enjoy any special handling privileges.[8]
The FA's first Laws of the Game of 1863 did not make any special provision for a goalkeeper, with any player being allowed to catch or knock on the ball.[9] Handling the ball was completely forbidden (for all players) in 1870.[10] The next year, 1871, the laws were amended to introduce the goalkeeper and specify that the keeper was allowed to handle the ball "for the protection of his goal".[11] The restrictions on the ability of the goalkeeper to handle the ball were changed several times in subsequent revisions of the laws:
1871: the keeper may handle the ball only "for the protection of his goal".
1883: the keeper may not carry the ball for more than two steps.[13]
1887: the keeper may not handle the ball in the opposition's half.[14]
1901: the keeper may handle the ball for any purpose (not only in defense of the goal).[15]
1905: the keeper may not advance beyond his goalline when defending against a penalty kick.
1912: the keeper may handle the ball only in the penalty area.
1931: the keeper may take up to four steps (rather than two) while carrying the ball.[16]
1992: the keeper may not handle the ball after it has been deliberately kicked to him/her by a team-mate.
1997: the keeper may not handle the ball for more than six seconds.
Initially, goalkeepers typically played between the goalposts and had limited mobility, except when trying to save opposition shots. Throughout the years, the role of the goalkeeper has evolved, due to the changes in systems of play, to become more active. The goalkeeper is the only player in association football allowed to use their hands to control the ball (other than when restarting play with athrow-in).
During the1935–36 English football season, youngSunderland AFC goalkeeper of the team,Jimmy Thorpe, died as a result of a kick in the head and chest after he had picked up the ball following abackpass in a game againstChelsea atRoker Park. He continued to take part until the match finished, but collapsed at home afterward and died in hospital four days later fromdiabetes mellitus and heart failure "accelerated by the rough usage of the opposing team".[17] The tragic end to Thorpe's career led to a change in the rules, where players were no longer allowed to raise their foot to a goalkeeper when he had control of the ball in his arms.[18]
Due to several time-wasting techniques that were used by goalkeepers, such as bouncing the ball on the ground or throwing it in the air and then catching it again, in the 1960s, the Laws of the Game were revised further, and the goalkeeper was given a maximum of four steps to travel while holding, bouncing or throwing the ball in the air and catching it again, without having to release it into play. The FIFA Board later also devised an anti-parrying rule, saying that such deliberate parrying to evade the Law was to be regarded also as holding the ball.[19]
In 1992, theInternational Football Association Board made changes in the laws of the game that affected goalkeepers—notably theback-pass rule,[20] which prohibits goalkeepers from handling the ball when receiving a deliberate pass from a teammate that is made with their feet. This rule change was made to discourage time-wasting and overly defensive play after the1990 FIFA World Cup which was described as exceedingly dull, rife with back-passing and goalkeepers holding the ball. Also, goalkeepers would frequently drop the ball and dribble it around, only to pick it up again once opponents came closer to put them under pressure, a typical time-wasting technique. Therefore, another rule was introduced at the same time as the back-pass rule. This rule prohibits goalkeepers from handling the ball again once the ball is released for play; an offense results in an indirect free kick to the opposition. Furthermore, any player negating the spirit of the new rule would be likely to be cautioned for unsporting behaviour and punished by an indirect free-kick.[19]
On 1 July 1997, FIFA decided to extend the back-pass rule by applying it also to throw-ins fromdefenders to their goalkeeper.To prevent further time-wasting, FIFA also established that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than six seconds the referee must adjudge this as time-wasting and award an indirect free-kick to the opposing team. In practice, this rule is rarely enforced: a 2019 study of 45Bundesliga matches found the goalkeepers violating it in 38.4% of instances of ball handling, none of which were penalised.[21] An example of this rule being enforced in a high-profile match was at the London2012 Summer OlympicsWomen's Football semi-final game between the United States and Canada. With Canada in front 3–2 late in the game, their goalkeeperErin McLeod grabbed the ball from a corner kick and then held onto it for 10 seconds despite being warned by the referee not to waste time. The indirect free kick resulted in a penalty being called for a handball offence, which was scored to make it 3–3 and take the game to extra time, where the United States won the game 4–3.[22]
The position of goalkeeper is the only position in the game that is technically distinct from the others in the course of normal play. TheLaws of the Game distinguish the goalkeeper from the other players in several ways, most significantly exempting them from the prohibition on handling the ball, although only within their penalty area.[23] Once a goalkeeper has control of the ball in their hands, opponents are not permitted to challenge them.[23] Goalkeepers have a specialized role as the sole defender against apenalty kick.[23] Goalkeepers are required to wear distinct colours from other players and are permitted to wear caps and tracksuit bottoms.[23]
The Laws mandate that one player on the team must be designated as the goalkeeper at all times, meaning that if a goalkeeper issent off or injured and unable to continue, another player must assume the goalkeeper position.[23] The Laws allow for teams to change the player designated as a goalkeeper at stoppages in play.[23]
The tactical responsibilities of goalkeepers include:
Tokeep goal by physically blocking attempted shots with any part of their body. The keeper is permitted toplay the ball anywhere on the field, but may nothandle the ball using hands or outstretched arms outside of their penalty area.
Toorganise the team's defenders during defensive set pieces such as free kicks and corners. In the case of free kicks, this includes picking the numbers and the organisation of a defensive player "wall". The wall serves to provide a physical barrier to the incoming ball, but some goalkeepers position their walls in certain positions to tempt kick-takers to certain types of shots. Occasionally, goalkeepers may opt to dispense with the wall. Some goalkeepers are also entrusted with the responsibility of picking markers while defending at set pieces.
Topick out crosses and attempt long passes either by collecting them in flight or punching them clear if heavily challenged by opposing strikers.
Although goalkeepers have special privileges, including the ability to handle the ball in the penalty area, they are otherwise subject to the same rules as any other player.
Goalkeepers are not required to stay in the penalty area; they may get involved in play anywhere on the pitch, and it is common for them to act as anadditional defender (or 'sweeper') during certain passages of the game. Goalkeepers with a long throwing range or accurate long-distance kicks may be able to quicklycreate attacking positions for a team and generate goal-scoring chances from defensive situations, a tactic known as thelong ball.
Manuel Neuer has been described as a modern goalkeeper due to his "sweeper-keeper" status
Gyula Grosics from theHungarian "Golden Team" of the 1950s was thought to be the first goalkeeper to play as the 'sweeper-keeper'.[25]Tommy Lawrence has also been credited with revolutionising the role of the goalkeeper by effectively acting as an 11th outfield player.[26] The rushing playing style used by Liverpool legendBruce Grobbelaar seen during the 1980s–90s makes him one of the original sweeper-keepers of the modern era.[27]René Higuita was another who became known for his unorthodox, skillful but sometimes reckless techniques.[28]Manuel Neuer has been described as a sweeper-keeper due to his speed and unique style of play which occasionally includes him acting as a sweeper for his team by rushing off his line to anticipate opposingforwards who have beaten theoffside trap.[29][30] With his excellent ball control and distribution, which enables him to start plays from the back,[29][30] he has said he could play in theGerman third division as a centre-back if he wanted to. Neuer is also credited for revolutionising the modern goalkeeping position.[31][32]Hugo Lloris ofLAFC andFrance and former goalkeeperFabien Barthez have also been described as sweeper-keepers,[33][34] whileClaudio Bravo andEderson Moraes have even been described asplaymakers in the media.[35][36][37]
Other players who have been labelled "sweeper-keepers" in the media includeMarc-André ter Stegen ofFC Barcelona andGermany, SpaniardVíctor Valdés, and the lateLev Yashin, the latter of whom is often cited by pundits as one of the goalkeepers who pioneered the role of the sweeper-keeper.[38] Sweeper-keepers have been popularised by managers who usually employ tactics inspired bytotal football, such asJohan Cruyff andPep Guardiola, for example, and are chosen not only for their shot-stopping and goalkeeping abilities, but also due to their skill with the ball at their feet, their ability to pick out passes and contribute to the build-up play of their team, and their speed when rushing out of the penalty area to anticipate opponents, which enables their team to maintain a high defensive line. It is not without risk, as a goalkeeper being so far from the penalty area can lead to spectacular long-range lob goals if they or their team lose possession, as well as risking being red-carded if they run out to challenge an opponent but foul them or handball a shot by mistake.
Rogério Ceni is the highest-scoring goalkeeper of all time, with over 100 career goals.
Somegoalkeepers have scored goals. Other than by accident when a long kicked clearance reaches the other end of the field and evades the opposing goalkeeper with the aid of strong winds and/or unexpected bounces, this most commonly occurs when a goalkeeper has rushed up to the opposite end of the pitch to give his team a numerical advantage in attack, leaving his own goal undefended. As such, it is normally only done late in a game atset-pieces where the consequences of scoring far outweigh those of conceding a further goal, such as for a team trailing in a knock-out tournament.
Although it was initially more common for goalkeepers to wear long-sleeved jerseys, recently several goalkeepers, such asGianluigi Buffon, have also been known to wear short sleeves.[45][46][47][48]
Although rare, goalkeepers are permitted to wear visored headgear (such as abaseball cap) to minimize glare from bright sunlight, or aknit cap to insulate from cold weather, at any time if they elect to do so. After recovering from a near-fatal skull fracture that he had sustained in 2006,Petr Čech wore a rugby-stylescrum cap during his matches for the rest of his playing career.[49][50]
Goalkeepers have a very physically demanding job. They are the only players allowed to use their hands, except for throw-ins. Because of this, goalkeepers are often injured during breakaways, corner kicks, and free kicks since they put their bodies on the line. Several famous goalkeepers have been injured in ways their counterparts could not possibly sustain. For example,Petr Čech received a head injury after colliding with another player during a 2006 game; a couple of months later he debuted wearing a rugby-style headpiece, a practice that he would continue to follow for the rest of his career. However, some goalkeepers manage to avoid injury and continue to play, many not retiring until their late 30s or early 40s. Notably,Peter Shilton played for 31 years between 1966 and 1997 before retiring at the age of 47.
In general, goalkeepers can sustain any injury to which their outfield counterparts are vulnerable. Common lower and upper extremity injuries includecartilage tears,anterior cruciate ligament tears, andknee sprains. On the other hand, goalkeepers rarely fall victim to fatigue-related injuries, such asleg cramps,pulled hamstrings, anddehydration.[51] Shoulder injuries can be caused by heavy contact with the ground and can cause significant long-term injuries as loss of the range of motion can cause a complete inability to do their job.Vedran Janjetovic suffered such a contact injury playing in an A-League match on 25 January 2019 after diving to make a save. After playing nine games on painkilling injections he underwent experimental surgery that required a two-and-a-half-year recovery and caused him to miss two entire seasons.[52]
Goalkeepers are crucial inpenalty shoot-outs. The record for most penalties saved in a shoot-out is held solely by Ugandan,Denis Onyango. He saved five penalty shootout kicks to help his club,Mamelodi Sundowns edgeCape Town City 3–2 on penalties at theMTN 8 tournament in South Africa in October 2021.
Ray Clemence holds the record for the most clean sheets in the history of football, with 460 in more than 1000 official matches.[55]
Stefano Tacconi is the only goalkeeper to have won all official club competitions for which he was eligible.[56] GoalkeeperNed Doig, who spent most of his career withSunderland, set a 19th-century world record by not conceding any goals in 87 of his 290 top-division appearances (30%).[57]
Oliver Kahn is the only goalkeeper to have won theAdidasGolden Ball for the best player of the tournament in a World Cup doing so in2002.[73]Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won theBallon d'Or, given to the best player of the year.[74] In 2021,Gianluigi Donnarumma became the first goalkeeper to win the player of the tournament award atUEFA Euro 2020.[75]Gianluca Pagliuca ofItaly became the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup finals match, dismissed for handling outside his area againstNorway in1994.[76] His team went on to win 1–0 and reached thefinal before losing toBrazil in a penalty shoot-out (the first time a World Cup final was decided by penalties),[77] in which Pagliuca became the first goalkeeper ever to stop a penalty in a World Cup Final shoot-out.[78]
Iker Casillas holds both the record for the fewest goals conceded in aUEFA European Championship (only one in2012), and the record for the longest unbeaten run at a European Championship, beating the previous record held by Dino Zoff.[79] He also holds the record for most international clean sheets (102) by a male goalkeeper, beating the previous record held byEdwin van der Sar (72), and became the first goalkeeper in history, male or female, to keep 100 clean sheets at international level in 2015; he also shares with Hope Solo the overall men's and women's record for most international clean sheets.[80][81] Buffon holds the record for most minutes without conceding a goal inEuropean Championship qualifying matches at 644.[82]
On 26 February 1983,Pat Jennings became the first player to make 1,000 senior appearances in English football. In the 1986World Cup, held in Mexico, he was turning 41, making him the World Cup's oldest-ever participant at the time. In 1976,PFA awarded him thePlayers' Player of the Year award making him the first goalkeeper to ever receive this accolade.[83]
Before the 21st century, goalkeepers generally commanded far lowertransfer fees than outfield players; as of 1992 the highest transfer fee paid by a British club for an outfield player was £2.9 million but the record for a goalkeeper was less than half that figure at £1.3 million.[84]
^Part of the fees was paid via the transfer ofJonathan Bachini to Parma[91] for a total of 100 billion lire; the fixedexchange rate oflira to euro was 1936.27 lire to 1 euro.[92]
^55 billion lire; Toldo andRui Costa were originally signed byParma for a total of 140 billion lire;[99][100] they were re-sold from Parma to Inter and Milan respectively after the two players refused to join Parma
^Lomas, Mark (29 April 2010)""Lev Yashin: Russian Revolutionary"". Archived from the original on 22 May 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) ESPN. Retrieved 21 May 2014
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