Goalkeepers Are Different

Everything you've ever wanted to know about
goalkeepers and a little bit more

Quirky Injuries

All those little oddities, snippets of trivia and quirky facts about goalkeepers that you were just dying to know about…

Goalkeeper Awards, Gongs & Other Achievements

International honours
England and Wales' most capped players are both goalkeepers, namely Peter Shilton (125) and Neville Southall (91). Pat Jennings was Northern Ireland's most capped player until his tally of 119 was overtaken by midfielder Steven Davis in October 2020. Scotland's most capped player is Kenny Dalglish, who picked up 102 caps during his International career.

The first Fourth Division player to win a full international cap was also a goalkeeper - Crystal Palace's Vic Rouse, who was selected to play for Wales in a game against Northern Ireland in 1959.

Italy's Dino Zoff still holds the record for the longest period in international football without conceding a goal, going 1,142 minutes before Haiti's Manno Sanon found the back of the net to give his side a surprise lead in their 1974 World Cup group game.

Robert Gardner was the first goalkeeper to captain an international side, doing so for Scotland against England in football's first international, way back in 1872. He was also the first international to keep a clean sheet over 90 minutes.

In July 2016, United States' Hope Solo became the first goalkeeper in history to achieve 100 clean sheets in international competition when she kept South Africa out at Soldier Field. The match was Solo's 150th career win and 197th cap, with the USA winning 1-0.

Spain's Iker Casillas holds the Men's record number of international clean sheets, notching up 77 shut-outs during his career. Second is the Netherlands' Edwin Van Der Sar (71) followed by Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Al-Deayea (69).

Peter Shilton unsurprisingly holds the record for the most clean sheets for England, registering 66 during his international career. Pat Jennings kept 43 clean sheets for Northern Ireland while Jim Leighton had 42 for Scotland. Neville Southall managed 34 during his career with Wales.

Spanish goalkeeper Andrés Palop was part of Spain's victorious Euro 2008 championship winning side and duly picked up a winners' medal, despite failing to make his debut at international level.

In a similar vein, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Walter Junghans was third choice when West Germany won the 1980 edition of the European Championships but never won a full cap for his country.

Oscar Cordoba kept a clean sheet in every game during Colombia's victorious run in the 2001 Copa America tournament.

Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Al-Deayea holds the record for most international appearances for a goalkeeper, winning 181 caps in total.

Romania's Răducanu Necula had the honour of being the first goalkeeper to be used as a sub in a World Cup game, coming on for his compatriot Stere Adamache during a group match against Brazil in 1970.

The first substitute in international football was Wrexham's Sam Gillam, who came on to replace local amateur Alf Pugh during a game against Scotland twenty minutes into the game. Pugh had started the game after Wales' intended keeper Jim Trainer failed to show up after Preston North End refused to release him.

On 10 October 2009, West Ham United goalkeeper Rob Green became the first ever England goalkeeper to be sent off during a match against Ukraine for a professional foul on Artem Milevskiy.

Botswana goalkeeper and captain Modiri Marumo became the first - and so far only - goalkeeper to be sent off during a penalty shoot-out in May 2003. Marumo was dismissed for punching his opposite number, Philip Nyasulu, during a Castle Cup tie between Botswana and Malawi, after Nyasulu gave him a sporting pat on the shoulder. Malawi won 4-1 to reach the semi-finals of the competition.

Paraguay's José Luis Chilavert holds the record for the most goals scored at international level, having netted eight in total during his international career.

Canada's Pat Onstad holds the record for the longest international career for a goalkeeper. Having made his debut against Bermuda in February, 1988 he played his last game against Argentina in May, 2010 - a career that spanned 22 years 95 days and lasted three days more than Egypt's Essam El-Hadary. Northern Ireland's Pat Jennings currently lies third, having played international football for 22 years 58 days.

The longevity of Pat Jennings' Northern Ireland career saw him face England a record 20 times, an achievement that may never be broken. He also faced Scotland 19 times during his time on the international stage.

Kazadi Mwamba is the only goalkeeper to have won the African Nations Cup award for Most Valuable Player, doing so in 1968 when Congo-Kinshasa (later Zaire) lifted the trophy.

Émerson Leão was the first goalkeeper to captain the Brazil national side, doing so during the 1978 World Cup finals.

Gianluigi Donnarumma became the first goalkeeper to officially win the European Championships Player of the Tournament award, doing so as Italy won Euro 2020. First introduced in 1996, Denmark's Peter Schmeichel won the award retrospectively for his performances in 1992 some years later by UEFA.

The record for most clean sheets at the European Championships is five, jointly held by Spain's Iker Casillas (2012) and England's Jordan Pickford (2020).

Casillas also jointly holds the record for most clean sheets in total registering 9 shut-outs between 2004-2012. It's a record he shares with Netherlands keeper Edwin van der Sar, who was also unbeaten for 9 matches (1996-2008).

Yugoslavia's Ivica Kralj holds the dubious honour of conceding the most goals in a single match plus the most in a tournament, having shipped six goals in a groupd game against the Netherlands in 2000 and 13 overall in the same championships.

Goalkeeper Osman Jan had the honour of being Pakistan's captain in their first ever game back in 1950 following the foundation of the country.

When Luis Arconada became Spain’s most capped international, he overtook another goalkeeper to claim the record, namely Athletic Bilbao’s José Ángel Iribar.

World Cup trivia
Italy's Walter Zenga holds the record of longest unbeaten run in World Cup history. He played 517 minutes (Almost 6 games) without letting in a goal in the 1990 tournament, beating the previous record held by England's Peter Shilton. Claudio Caniggia of Argentina eventually ended Zenga's run in the semifinals.

Peter Shilton does hold the record for the number of clean sheets in the World Cup finals, however, a record he shares with France's Fabien Barthez. Both keepers kept ten clean sheets in the final stages

New Zealand keeper Richard Wilson went 921 minutes without conceding a goal during New Zealand's successful World Cup qualifying campaign in 1982.

At the other end of the scale, Mexico's Antonio Carbajal and Mohamed Al-Deayea have the unfortunate honour of conceding the most goals in the final stages - 25 apiece.

However, Carbajal also holds the honour of becoming the first player to compete in five successive World Cup finals, from 1950-1966, although Mexico never got beyond the first round on all five occasions.

Spare a thought for Nicky Salapu of American Samoa. This fine figure of a goalie entered the record books in April, 2001 after conceding 31 goals in a World Cup Qualifying game against Australia.

The record for most goals conceded in one tournament is the 16 that went past South Korea's Hong Duk-Yung in 1954. To make matters worse, he only played two games.

El Salvador's Luis Guevara Mora conceded 10 against Hungary in 1982.

Switzerland's Pascal Zuberbühler didn't conceded a single goal in 2006. The Swiss were eventually knocked out on penalties by Ukraine.

USA's Tim Howard set a new record for the number of saves during his side's second round game against Belgium during the 2014 World Cup, making 16 in total.

The first player to be replaced in a World Cup finals due to injury was French goalkeeper Alex Thepot, who sustained a jaw injury after being kicked in the face by one of his Mexican opponents in the opening match of the 1930 World Cup. He was replaced by midfielder Augustin Chantrel.

Dino ZoffThe first goalkeeper to be sent off was Gianluca Pagliuca of Italy in a match against Norway during the opening round of the 1994 World Cup.

Four goalkeepers have captained their teams to World Cup glory. What's more, the first two were both Italian. Giampiero Combi led Italy to their first title way back in 1934 and he was followed forty-eight years later by Dino Zoff, who skippered the Italians to victory in Spain in 1982. They were joined by Spain's Iker Casillas, who lifted the trophy in 2010, and Hugo Lloris who captained France when they triumphed in 2018.

Giampiero Combi and Czechoslovakia's František Plánička led their countries in the 1934 World Cup Final, the only time both goalkeepers have captained their sides in the final.

American goalkeeper James Douglas recorded the first-ever clean-sheet in the finals of the World Cup when the United States played Belgium in a group game in 1930. The USA won the match 3-0.

West Germany's Bodo Illgner became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final when he kept Argentina at bay in 1990 as the Germans ran out 1-0 winners.

Brazil's Gilmar is only goalkeeper to win back-to-back World Cups, doing so in 1958 and 1962.

Egypt goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary becamse the oldest player ever to compete in the World Cup finals when he lined up against Saudi Arabia at the age of 45 in their group clash at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, marking his appearance by saving a first half penalty. El-Hadary broke the record set by Colombia's Faryd Mondragón, who made a substitute appearance at the 2014 Finals in a game against Japan at the tender age of 43 years and 3 days.

The youngest player to captain his side at the World Cup was United States goalkeeper Tony Meola, who led his side out against Czechoslovakia in 1990 at the age of 21 years, 109 days.

However, Colombia's Mondragón is believed to be the only footballer ever to compete in six consecutive World Cup qualifying tournaments.

Poland's Jan Tomaszewski (1974) and the United States' Brad Friedel (2002) shared the record for most penalty saves in open play, both saving twice from the spot in their respective tournaments, until 2022 when they were joined by Poland's Wojciech Szczesny became the third keeper to save two penalties in the same competition after keeping out efforts from Saudi Arabia's Al-Dawsari and Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Ukraine's Olexandr Shovkovskiy became the first keeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup finals penalty shoot-out when he kept Switzerland out in 2006.

Netherlands' Tim Krul became the first goalkeeper to be brought on specifically for a penalty shoot-out when he entered the field of play during his side's quarter-final game against Costa Rica in the last minute in 2014.

Only three goalkeepers have saved three penalties in a World Cup penalty shootout. The first was Portugal's Ricardo, who kept out three of England's spot-kick during their Quarter Final shootout back in 2006. This feat was matched by Danijel Subačić of Croatia, who saved three of Denmark's penalties when the sides met in 2018, and fellow Croatian Croatia's Dominik Livaković, who saved three penalties in a WC shoot-out in his side's victory over Japan in 2022.

The record for most penalty shoot-out saves in total is four and held by three different goalkeepers: Harald Schumacher (West Germany), Sergio Goycochea (Argentina) and Danijel Subačić (Croatia)

France's Alex Thépot was the first goalkeeper to save a World Cup penalty, when he stopped an effort from Chile's Carlos Vidal in 1930. It also happened to be the first penalty kick ever awarded in the competition.

Gibraltar's Deren Ibrahim conceded the fastest goal in World Cup history when he was beaten by Belgium's Christian Benteke after just 8.1 seconds in October 2016. Ibrahim replaced England's David Seaman, who was beaten by San Marino's Davide Gualtieri after 8.3 seconds in 1993.

The youngest goalkeeper to play in the World Cup finals was North Korea's Lee Chang-myung, who was 19 years 6 months old when he faced the Soviet Union in the his side's opening game. He kept goal in all four of North Korea's matches. The youngest female goalkeeper was Mexico's Cecilia Santiago, who was just 16-years-old when she lined up against England in the 2011 Women's World Cup.

Zairean Kazadi Mwamba was the first goalkeeper to be replaced for any other reason than injury in World Cup history, when Zaïre were 0-3 down versus Yugoslavia after just 22 minutes in 1974. However, his replacement Dimbi Tubilandu couldn't stop the goalrush and his country eventually lost the game 9-0! The only other time a goalkeeper has been replaced in similar circumstances occurred in USA 1994, when Bulgarian keeper Mihailov was substituted at half time when Sweden lead 4-0. Nikolov came in for him and kept a clean sheet in the second half.

Netherlands keeper Jasper Cillessen became the first goalie to be substituted twice in the World Cup Finals. First he was replaced by Tim Krul in the dying minutes of their quarter-final against Costa Rica in a tactical move as the match was on the verge of going into penalties. Then in the Third Place Play-off game against Brazil he was replaced by Michel Vorm, who was given a sentimental run-out by boss Louis van Gaal to ensure every member of the Dutch squad got a game.

The 1978 World Cup finals saw three goalkeepers substituted during the course of the tournament due to injury. France's Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes was the first to be carried off, being replaced by Dominique Baratelli, after crashing against the goalpost during a group game against Italy and never played for his country again. Mexico's José Pilar Reyes was then stretchered off in his team's encounter against West Germany just hours after Bertrand-Demanes' injury, being replaced by Pedro Soto. Late on in the competition Netherlands' goalkeeper Piet Schrijvers was ruled out of the Final after collision with teammate Ernie Brandts, who also put the ball in his own net at the same time, and was replaced by Jan Jongbloed.

USA goalkeeper Jimmy Douglas was the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in the World Cup, keeping Belgium at bay in the States opening game of the 1930 finals in Uruguay.

England Lioness Mary Earps became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in normal time during a World Cup final when she saved Spain's Jennifer Hermoso's spot kick during the 2023 Women's Final. Spain ultimately triumphed 1-0.

Players of the year
Winners of the Football Writers' Association Award for the Footballer of the Year include Bert Trautmann (Manchester City, 1955-56), Gordon Banks (Stoke City, 1971-72), Pat Jennings (Tottenham Hotspur, 1972-73) and Neville Southall (Everton, 1984-85).

Goalkeepers have fared slightly better North of the Border. Ronnie Simpson (Celtic, 1967), Alan Rough (Partick Thistle, 1981), Hamish McAlpine (Dundee United, 1985), Andy Goram (Rangers, 1993) and Craig Gordon (Hearts, 2006 & Celtic, 2015) have all won the Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year title.

Only two Goalkeepers have won the PFA Player of the Year Award: Pat Jennings (Tottenham Hotspur, 1976) and Peter Shilton (Nottingham Forest, 1978).

Likewise, only two keepers have won the Scottish PFA award - Dutchman Theo Snelders (Aberdeen, 1989) and Andy Goram (Rangers, 1993).

Only one goalkeeper has ever won the PFA Young Player of the Year - Mervyn Day of West Ham United Football Club, who won the award back in 1975.

Moscow Dynamo's Lev Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the European Footballer of the Year Award, doing so in 1963. He's also the only football player ever to win the Order of Lenin.

Paraguay's José Luis Chilavert is the only goalkeeper to win the South American equivalent - named by El País - doing so in 1996.

Cameroon goalkeeper Thomas Nkono was twice voted African Footballer of the Year, in 1979 and 1982.

Peter Enckelman's father, Göran, did the double in 1975, winning both the Finnish FA and Sports Writers' Player of the Year awards.

Olli Huttunen (1984), Antti Niemi (2004) and Jussi Jääskeläinen (2007) all repeated Enckelman's feat while Lars Näsman won both awards, albeit in different years (1965 and 1967).

Leif Nielsen, who spent most of his career with BK Frem before spells with Houston Stars and Greenock Morton, was the first goalkeeper to win the Danish Player of the Year award, doing so in 1966.

Esbjerg and Denmark goalkeepr Ole Kjær won the Danish Player of the Year title in 1978.

Peter Schmeichel won the same award three times during his career - in 1990, 1993 and finally in 1999.

Arguably Sweden's greatest goalkeeper, Ronnie Hellström won Player of the Year twice in his homeland, in 1971 and 1978.

Mart Poom won the Estonian Footballer of the Year award six times - 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003.

Manchester United's Tim Howard won a number of awards in his native USA, including Aquafina Goalkeeper of the Year, Nickelodeon GAS Player of the Year and - bizarrely for a goalkeeper - New York Life's Humanitarian of the Year!

Both Sepp Maier and Oliver Kahn have been voted German Footballer of the Year in successive seasons. Maier picked up the award in 1977 and '78 (to add to the title he won in 1975) while Kahn was victorious in 2000 and 2001.

Harald Schmumacher has also won the award twice but was prevented from claiming a unique hattrick of wins when Hans-Peter Briegel pipped him to the title in 1985 while Manuel Neuer won it twice with two different clubs, doing so with Schalke 04 in 2011 then Bayern Munich in 2014.

The only other goalkeepers to win the award were Hans Tilkowski, the first to do so back in 1965, and Andres Köpke, who won it in 1993.

On the other side of the wall, Jürgen Croy won the East German Footballer of the Year award three times - in 1972, '76 and '78.

Hans-Jürgen Dörner of Dynamo Dresden and Lokomotive Leipzig's René Müller held a firm grip on the East Germany's title between 1984 and 1987, with both goalkeepers winning back-to-back titles (Dörner '84 & 85, Müller '86 & '87). Leipzig's Horst Weigang was the first keeper to win the award, in 1965 while Carl Zeiss Jena goalkeeper Hans-Ulrich Grapenthin won the title in 1980 and 1981.

Stipe Pletikosa won the Croatia Footballer of the Year title in 2002 during his first spell with Hajduk Split.

Zoran Simovic, who also played for Hajduk Split, was named Yugoslav Footballer of the Year in 1983.

In 1977 Ubaldo Fillol became the first goalkeeper to be awarded the Footballer of the Year title in Argentina.

Boca Juniors's Hugo Gatti was also voted Argentina's Footballer of the Year back in 1982.

Spain's Luis Arconada won the Zamora Trophy in Spain for the lowest goals-to-game ratio three years on the spin between 1980-82. Barcelona legend Antoni Ramallets holds the record for most wins with five.

Hope Solo won U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in 2009.

Kasey Keller was named U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year three times (1997, 1999 & 2005). Tim Howard won the award in 2008 & 2014 while Brad Friedel triumphed in 2002.

Aleksandrs Kolinko became the first goalkeeper to win Latvia's Player of the Year award in 2006.

Fan Chun Yip was elected Hong Kong's Footballer of the Year in 2004 during his spell with Happy Valley.

Peter Cech has won Footballer of the Year in the Czech Republic an incredible eight times, including six in succession between 2008 and 2013. The only other keeper to win the award was Sparta Prague's Petr Kouba back in 1993.

Ivo Viktor was voted Czechoslovakia's Player of the Year on five occasions - in 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975 and1976.

Vincent Chileshe was crowned Zambian Player of the Year in 1977 at the tender age of 20, the first goalkeeper to achieve that feat.

In 2008 Khazar Lankaran goalkeeper Kamran Aghayev was named Azerbaijani Footballer of the Year.

Enver Marić of Velež and Hajduk Split's Zoran Simović were the only goalkeepers to win the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year, doing so ten years apart, in 1974 and 1983 respectively.

Paul Jones is the only goalkeeper to win Wales' Player of the Year trophy, doing so back in 1999.

Five different goalkeepers have won Belgium's Golden Shoe trophy, the Belgian equivalent of Player of the Year, since the award was first established back in 1954, although the last victory for the Goalkeepers' union was as long ago as 1989. The famous five are: Jean Nicolay (1963), Fernand Boone (1967), Christian Piot (1972), Jean-Marie Pfaff (1978) and Michel Preud'homme (1987, 1989).

Surprisingly, Lev Yashin never won the Soviet Footballer of the Year honour during his career. However, Yevgeniy Rudakov (1971), Vladimir Astapovsky (1976) and Rinat Dasayev (1982) all topped the poll conducted among journalists by the weekly sport newspaper Football

Australian Mark Bosnich is the only goalkeeper ever to win the Oceania Footballer of the Year title, doing so in 1997. Bosnich was also voted Oceania Goalkeeper of the Century.

Only two goalkeepers have lifted the Polish Footballer of the Year trophy. The first was Widzew Łódź keeper Józef Młynarczyk, who won the award in 1983, followed by Jerzy Dudek while playing for Feyenoord in 2000.

Three goalkeepers have won Mexico's Balón de Oro award, with the first two winners both hailing from Argentina. Miguel Marín won the award for the 1979/80 season while with Cruz Azul while América's Héctor Zelada picked up the award for the 1983/84 campaign. After a gap of twenty years, Mexico international Oswaldo Sánchez won the award in 2003/04, the first of two occasions he triumphed.

Saint-Étienne's Georges Carnus was the first goalkeeper to win the French Player of the Year award, recording back-to-back triumphs in 1970 and 1971. The only other goalie to pick up the award is Bernard Lama, who won in 1994 while playing with Paris Saint-Germain.

Only two goalkeepers have won the Austrian Footballer of the Year title, which is presented annually by the Austrian Press Association. Franz Wohlfahrt was the first keeper to pick up the award in 1993 while played for Austria Vienna. Three years later Michael Konsel claimed the title following an outstanding season with Rapid Vienna.

Cameroon's Thomas N'Kono won the African Player of the Year title in 1979 and 1982. Morocco's Ezzaki Badou is the only other goalkeeper to win the award, doing so in 1986 following a fine performance in that year's World Cup in Mexico.

Romanian international Narcis Coman was the first goalkeeper to win the Romanian Footballer of the Year title, doing so in 1978. Other keepers to win the award include Silviu Lung (1984), Helmuth Duckadam (1986) and Ciprian Tătăruşanu (2015).

Chile has had its fair share of goalkeepers win the country's Player of the Year trophy, but only Caludio Bravo (2009 & 2015) has won it twice. Other winners include Mario Osbén (1991), Sergio Vargas (2000) and Cristopher Toselli (2013).

Craig Forrest (1994 & 2000) and Pat Onstad (2003) have both won the Canada Soccer Player of the Year title.

Goalkeepers Samir Handanović and Jan Oblak have dominated the Slovenian Footballer of the Year award since its inception in 2008. Handanović picked up the award three times between 2009-2012 while Oblak triumphed six times between 2015-2021.

HPS goalkeeper Thure Sarnola won the Football Writers' Player of the Year award in 1948. Five years later, his fellow international Mauno Rintanen did the double, winning the Writers' award and the Finnish FA's inaugural Player of the Year award in 1953, while Lars Näsman won the FA version in 1965 before landing the Writers' award two years later. Other goalkeepers to do the "double" include Göran Enckelman (1975), Olli Huttunen (1984), Jussi Jääskeläinen (2007), and multiple winner Lukas Hradecky (2016-18, 2021).

Clean sheets and other club honours
After going a World Record 1,275 minutes without conceding a goal in a single season, Athletico Madrid's Abel Resno was finally beaten by Enrique of Sporting Gijon on 19 March, 1991.

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar narrowly missed out on the European record during the 2008/09 season. The Dutch international went 1,311 minutes before an error allowed Newcastle United's Peter Løvenkrands to score, breaking former Rangers keeper Chris Woods' British record of 1,196 minutes set during the 1986/87 season.

The World Record for clean sheets belongs to Brazilian Matos Filho Mazarópi, who went 1816 minutes without conceding a goal for Vasco da Gama between May 1977 and September 1978.

The European Record is held by Belgian Dany Verlinden of Club Brügge who kept a clean sheet for 1390 minutes in 1990.

Oliver Kahn holds the record for the longest unbeaten run in the Bundesliga. In 2002/03, he went 737 minutes without conceding a goal.

Italy's first World Cup winning captain, Juventus' Gianpiero Combi went unbeaten for 934 consecutive minutes during the 1925–26 season, a record in the Italian Football Championship that stood until it was beaten by Gianluigi Buffon, who went unbeaten for 974 minutes during the 2015–16 Serie A season.

In February 2014, Celtic keeper Fraser Forster broke Bobby Clark's Scottish League record of 1155 minutes without conceding a goal in a league match. Forster's clean sheet run ended on 1,256 minutes when he was finally beaten by Aberdeen's Jonny Hayes.

The record for most consecutive clean sheets in a row in England is held by Dagenham & Redbridge's Paul Gothard, who kept 12 shut-outs during the 1998/99 season.

In February 2022, Gianluigi Buffon became the first goalkeeper to keep 500 clean sheets in first-class football following a 0-0 draw away to Benevento in Serie B. His tally included 322 with Juventus, 92 with Parma, nine with PSG and 77 with Italy.

Former Italian international Stefano Tacconi is the only goalkeeper to have won all five international club competitions - the European Cup, the UEFA Cup, the Cup Winners Cup, the Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. He won all five trophies while with Juventus.

Stoke City's Asmir Begovic scored after just 12 seconds during the Potters' Premier League clash against Southampton in November, 2013. It is believed to be the quickest goal ever scored by a goalkeeper.

Former Welsh international keeper Leigh Richmond Roose won a posthumous Military Medal for bravery during the First World War. He died on the Somme in 1916.

In 1986/87, Tranmere goalkeeper Eric Nixon became the first player to play in all four divisions of the Football League in the same season. Although registered with Manchester City, he played 44 games while on loan at Wolves, Southampton, Bradford City and Carlisle United.

Norwich City legend Kevin Keelan may hold the record for the most clubs in the shortest time span. Over a crazy period of eight months at the beginning of his career, Keelan turned out for four different clubs - Aston Villa, Stockport County, Kidderminster Harriers and Wrexham.

Airdrieonians goalkeeper James Connor had the distinction of being the first goalkeeper to face a penalty kick in the history of football, which was awarded in a local cup tie on 6 June 1891, just four days after the rule was introduced by the International Football Association Board.

The most penalties saved in a single English League season by a goalkeeper is 8 (out of 10) by Paul Cooper of Ipswich Town in 1979-80. He took the record from Brighton's Harry Baldwin who saved seven penalties out of nine faced, including five in succession, during the 1947-48 season.

Lev Yashin is reputed to have saved over 150 penalties during his long and distinguished career.

Walter Scott of Grimsby Town was the first goalkeeper to save three penalties in a single game; he performed this heroic feat in 1909 against Burnley.

Other goalkeepers to achieve this feat include Manchester United F.C.'s Gary Bailey, who saved three penalties against Ipswich Town at Portman Road in 1980 but still conceded six goals from open play, and Huddersfield Town's Matt Glennon, who saved three spot-kicks in a League game against Crewe Alexandra in 2007.

Belgian goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet saved three penalties from three different players during a Belgian Pro League match between Mechelen and Anderlect in October, 2015. The Mechelen keeper Gillet saved spot-kicks from Dennis Praet, Stefano Okaka and Youri Tielemans in a 1-1 draw between the two sides.

In September 2016 Dundee United's Cammy Bell went one better in a Scottish Championship game against Dunfermline, saving three penalties in quick succession in the first half. The score was 0-0 when Bell palmed away Gavin Reilly's first attempt after just nine minutes before he blocked Nicky Clark's effort in the 27th minute. Five minutes later he completed his "hattrick" but stopping Paul McMullan spot-kick. United won 3-1.

Portsmouth keeper John Milkins saved three penalties from three different players during a match against Notts County during the 1973/74 football season. Despite his heroics, County won 2-1.

A goalkeeper by the name of Louden saved three first half penalties for Stranraer during a 1937/38 Scottish Qualifying Cup tie against Bo'ness. The competition in question was a tournament that allowed non-League sides to reach the early stages of the Scottish Cup.

In October 1945, Partick Thistle's Jimmy Steadward saved a Kilmarnock penalty seven times! According to the popular football magazine Shoot!, the referee ordered the first six attempts to be retaken because he judged the keeper had moved too soon. When he saved the seventh, the ref waved play on.

Steaua Bucharest's Helmuth Duckadam became the first person to save four consecutive penalties when the Romanian side beat Barcelona in the 1986 European Cup Final. José Ramón Alexanko, Ángel Pedraza, Pichi Alonso and Marcos were all denied by Duckadam during the shoot-out after the match ended 0-0.

Clapton Orient goalkeeper Jake Iceton once saved the same penalty three times during a reserve game against Swansea Town because the referee believed he had moved before the kick was taken. After the third penalty save, the ref decided to play on and the keeper received a round of applause from the Swansea fans.

In 1982, Jimmy Rimmer became the second player after Italy's Saul Malatrasi to win a European Cup winners' medal with two different clubs, despite only ever playing nine minutes in the actual final. He was a non-playing substitute when Manchester United triumphed in 1968 and was in goal when Aston Villa triumphed in 1982, but was replaced by Nigel Spink after picking up an injury in the opening stages against Bayern Munich.

The first goalkeeper to save a spot-kick during a penalty shoot-out was Hull City's Ian McKechnie, who kept out Denis Law's effort after The Tigers 1970 Watney Cup semi-final against Manchester United ended in a draw. McKechnie was also the first keeper to concede a penalty in a shoot-out when he failed to stop George Best's opener and became the first goalkeeper to take a spot-kick when he stepped up to take Hull's fifth penalty. Unfortunately for McKechnie he put the ball wide and thus became the first player to miss the deciding kick!

Former Coventry City stalwart Steve Ogrizovic holds the club record for the highest number of consecutive League appearances: 209 from August 1984 to September 1989.

North of the border, Rangers goalkeeper William Robb made 241 consecutive appearances for the club between 3 April 1920 until 31 October 1925, playing in every league and cup game during that time.

Pat Jennings became the first player in English football to make 1,000 senior appearances when he turned out for Arsenal against West Bromwich Albion in February, 1983. He marked the occasion by keeping a clean sheet.

Kevin Pressman sees redSheffield Wednesday keeper Kevin Pressman has the somewhat dubious distinction of holding the record for the fastest ever red card in top level English football. He was sent off after just 13 seconds on the opening day of the 2000/01 season against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ebbsfleet United's Preston Edwards became an internet sensation after he was sent off against Farnborough in February, 2011, after just ten seconds. The former Millwall goalkeeper saw red after being sold short by one of his defenders and had no choice but to bring down his opponent. With no back-up goalkeeper on the bench, Ebbsfleet were forced to put 18-year-old midfielder Tom Phipp in goal for the remaining 89 minutes. They lost 3-0.

Colorado Rapids keeper Joe Nasco holds the record for the fastest sending off in the MLS, a distinction he achieved in February 2014 when he denied LA Galaxy's Alan Gordon with a clear goalscoring opportunity after just 34 seconds.

Serkan Kirintili picked up the fastest red card in Turkish football history in October 2019 after he inexplicably ran out of his goal to catch the ball just 13 seconds into a Super League match between Konyaspor and Yeni Malatyaspor. Konyaspor lost the game 2-0.

If you think that was quick, Real Betis goalie Joaquin Valerio went one better and was sent off 40 minutes BEFORE his team's Spanish Second Division game with Albacete had even kicked off. Valerios insulted the referee Fidel Valle Gil in the tunnel and the official had no hesitation in producing a red card.

On a similar line, Ljungskile goalkeeper Michal Slawuta became the first goalkeeper to be sent off for receiving two yellow cards for time-wasting during an away match against Trelleborg in April 2008. Even more impressive, both cautions came within minutes of each other. With Ljungskile leading 2-1 in the 90th minute, he was booked for taking too over a goal kick. He then went over to the other post to drink water, and was promptly booked for a second time.

Goalkeeper brothers Blair and Max Currie were sent off on same day in March, 2019. Max, the younger of the two keepers, saw red for Stranraer after a League One clash with Arbroath's Michael McKenna just before half-time. Forty minutes later, Blair was sent off after conceding a penalty against Annan in League Two while playing for Clyde.

Arsenal's Jens Lehmann was the first - and so far only - goalkeeper to be sent off during a Champions League/European Cup Final after he brought down Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o in 2006.

In 1999 France's World Cup winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez topped a poll run by a French Sunday newspaper to find the country's favourite sports person. The chrome-domed keeper beat the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps and David Ginola to win the award.

The first goalkeeper to concede a goal in the Football League was Aston Villa's Jimmy Warner, who couldn't stop team mate Gershom Cox from putting the ball into his own net on the opening day of the first ever season back in 1888.

The tallest keeper to have played professionally in England is believed to have been Bill Carr, who stood at 6' 8" and kept goal for Bournemouth in 1924.

The game's first black professional footballer was a goalie. Born in Gold Coast (now Ghana), Arthur Wharton picked up his first pay packet in 1889 when he turned out for Rotherham United and later played in Divison One with Sheffield United.

Tottenham keeper Erik Thorstvedt became the first Premiership substitute to enter the field of play when he replaced Ian Walker on the opening day of the season in 1992.

Scottish side East Stirlingshire have the dubious honour of fielding the most goalkeepers in one game, using four different keepers in a match against Albion Rovers. First choice keeper Chris Todd was replaced early on by Scott Findlay, who was subsequently sent off, as was his replacement Graham McLaren. Shire's fourth and final keeper Kevin McCann saved a penalty as they went down 3-1 to Albion.

In 2004, Manchester United goalkeeper Tim Howard became the first American to win an FA Cup winners' medal when they beat Millwall 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

The last goalkeeper to take his place between the sticks without gloves - in English football at least - is reputed to be Bolton Wanderers' Simon Farnworth, when he lined up against Bristol City in the final of the Freight Rover Trophy at Wembley in 1986. His side lost 3-0.

Gianluigi Buffon held the record for the biggest transfer fee paid out for a goalkeeper, costing Juventus a cool £33 million when they signed him from Parma in 2001, until the 2018/19 season when not one but two keepers moved for more money. Chelsea paid £72 million to Athletic Bilbao for the services for Kepa Arrizabalaga after Liverpool spent £66.8 million on Roma's Alisson Becker.

The most travelled English goalkeeper is John "Budgie" Burridge, who was attached to thirty three different clubs during the course of his 29-year career. After making his debut with Workington Town in 1968 he then played for (in order) Blackpool, Aston Villa, Southend United (loan), Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County (loan), Sheffield United, Southampton, Newcastle United, Hibernian, Newcastle United (second spell), Scarborough, Lincoln City, Enfield, Aberdeen, Newcastle United (third spell), Dumbarton, Dunfermline, Falkirk, Manchester City, Notts County, Witton Albion, Darlington, Grimsby Town, Northampton Town, Queen of the South, Purfleet, Blyth Spartans and Scarborough (second spell) before finishing his career with a return to Blyth Spartans - a total of 771 first class matches in England and Scotland plus a further 121 non-league appearances.

Scottish goalkeeper Joe Crozier, who spent twelve years with Brentford, became a Freeman of the City of London after a successful post-football business career.

Bob Wilson was the first amateur to command a transfer fee when he moved from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Arsenal in 1963 for the princely sum of £7,500.

German goalkeeper Heinz Stuy, who enjoyed a long career in Dutch football with Telstar and Ajax, holds the distinction of being the most decorated goalkeeper at club level never to win an international cap. For the record, Stuy's honours include the Intercontinental Cup, three European Cups, two European Super Cups, four league titles and three Dutch cups.

Wimbledon's Dave Beasant is often mistakenly believed to have been the first goalkeeper to captain a winning side in an FA Cup Final, when he led his team out against Liverpool in 1988. However, back in 1875, Major William Merriman of the Royal Engineers lifted the Cup when he captained his side to beat Old Etonians 2-0 in a replay.

When Clyde won the Scottish Cup in 1939, goalkeeper John Brown only conceded one goal in the whole competition, a penalty kick during his side's 4-1 over Rangers. Brown later complained that had Rangers used their regular spot kick taker, Bob McPhail, he probably would have saved it as he knew where McPhail usually placed his penalties.

Portsmouth's Alan Knight holds the record for the most appearances for a single club by a goalkeeper, playing 683 league games (and 801 games overall) for Pompey between 1978 and 2000, overtaking Peter Bonetti's record of 600 appearances for Chelsea.

Peter Shilton holds the record for the most appearances overall by a footballer, having played 1364 games during his career at both international and domestic level. Brazilian goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni has made the most appearances domestically, with 1217 appearances to his name.

Shilton also holds the record for most consecutive seasons played at domestic level, completing 26 campaigns with Leicester City, Stoke, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Derby County (to qualify, players have to make at least 20 appearances per season).

Ray Clemence holds the record for most clean sheets not only overall but also domestically in England. During his playing career he recorded 460 shutouts with Scunthopre United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and England, including European games. Domestically, he accrued 360 clean sheets.

The oldest player to appear in a European Cup/Champions League final was Juventus goalkeeper Dino Zoff, who was 41 years 86 days old when he lined up against Hamburg in 1983. The oldest player to appear in a UEFA Cup/Europa League final was Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor, who was 40 years and 107 days old when his side took on Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022.

Mervyn Day is the youngest goalkeeper to ever appear in the FA Cup final, doing so in 1975 when West Ham beat Fulham 2-0 at Wembley.

When Bury won the FA Cup in 1903, goalkeeper Hugh Monteith did not concede a single goal throughout the entire competition.

The first goalkeeper to ever face a penalty was veteran Scottish goalkeeper and one-time international James Connor. Connor was between the sticks for Airdieonians during the final of the Airdrie Charity Cup against Larkhall side Royal Albert when referee James Robertson pointed to the spot just four days after the new ruling became law. Connor was unable to keep out James McLuggage's spot-kick, which helped seal a 2-0 victory for Royal Albert.

Dutch goalkeeper Dorus de Vries has the odd distinction of only ever playing in one Cup final in Scotland but depsite being on the losing side, he still retired with four winners medals to his name. In 2007 he was in the starting line-up for Dunfermline when they lost the Scottish Cup final 1-0 to Celtic but he later joined the Glasgow club as back-up goalkeeper and picked up two Scottish Cup and two Scottish League Cup winners' medals sitting on the bench.

Bristol City youngster John Macey was the first goalkeeper to be named as a substitute in a League game but was never used. He later made his league debut for Grimsby Town.

When Austrian goalkeeper Karl Pekarna made his debut for Glasgow Rangers, he reputedly became the first footballer from mainland Europe to play in the United Kingdom

Football pioneer Lord Arthur Kinnaird scored the first own goal in an FA Cup final way back in 1877 when keeping goal for Wanderers against Oxford University. He accidentally stepped backwards over his line while catching a high ball. The match ended 1-1, with Wanderers going on to win the Cup in extra time, but some time later, the Football Association struck the goal from the records, changing the score to 2-0. The fact Kinnaird became President of the FA probably had nothing to do with it...

Charlton Athletic goalkeeper Mick Rose became the first player to be substituted in the Football League when he was injured after 11 minutes of an away match against Bolton Wanderers on 21 August 1965 and replaced by Keith Peacock.

John Lukic holds the distinction of being the only player to have won the English championship with two different clubs having played every single League fixture in their victorious campaigns. Lukic appeared in all 38 matches for Arsenal in 1988-89 and then played in all 42 fixtures when Leeds United were crowned champions in 1991-92.

Ted Taylor was a champion three years in a row with Huddersfield (1923-26) and once with Everton (1928) having previously finished second with Oldham Athletic in 1915.

Ned Doig won the title four times with Sunderland between 1891 and 1902 before moving to Liverpool, where he played eight games at the start of their championship winning season in 1905/06.

At the other end of the scale, Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer was in the title winning squads for both Chelsea in 2014/15 and Leicester City in 2015/16 but failed to make the requisite number of appearances in order to win a medal on either occasion.

IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year

Year
Winner
Country
Club
1987
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Belgium
Bayern Munich (Ger)
1988
Rinat Dasaev
Soviet Union
Spartak Moscow (USSR)
1989
Walter Zenga
Italy
Inter Milan (Ita)
1990
Walter Zenga
Italy
Inter Milan (Ita)
1991
Walter Zenga
Italy
Inter Milan (Ita)
1992
Peter Schmeichel
Denmark
Manchester United (Eng)
1993
Peter Schmeichel
Denmark
Manchester United (Eng)
1994
Michel Preud'Homme
Belgium
K.V. Mechelen (Bel)/Benfica (Por)
1995
José Luis Chilavert
Paraguay
Vélez Sarsfield (Arg)
1996
Andreas Köpke
Germany
Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger)/Marseille (Fra)
1997
José Luis Chilavert
Paraguay
Vélez Sarsfield (Arg)
1998
José Luis Chilavert
Paraguay
Vélez Sarsfield (Arg)
1999
Oliver Kahn
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2000
Fabien Barthez
France
AS Monaco (Fra)/Manchester United(Eng)
2001
Oliver Kahn
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2002
Oliver Kahn
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2003
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
Juventus (Ita)
2004
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
Juventus (Ita)
2005
Petr Cech
Czech Republic
Chelsea (Eng)
2006
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
Juventus (Ita)
2007
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
Juventus (Ita)
2008
Iker Casillas
Spain
Real Madrid (Esp)
2009
Iker Casillas
Spain
Real Madrid (Esp)
2010
Iker Casillas
Spain
Real Madrid (Esp)
2011
Iker Casillas
Spain
Real Madrid (Esp)
2012
Iker Casillas
Spain
Real Madrid (Esp)
2013
Manuel Neuer
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2014
Manuel Neuer
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2015
Manuel Neuer
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2016
Manuel Neuer
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2017
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
Juventus (Ita)
2018
Thibaut Courtois
Belgium
Chelsea (Eng)/Real Madrid (Spa)
2019
Alisson
Brazil
Liverpool (Eng)
2020
Manuel Neuer
Germany
Bayern Munich (Ger)
2021
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Italy
AC Milan (Ita)/Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)
2022
Thibaut Courtois
Belgium
Real Madrid (Esp)
2023
Ederson
Brazil
Manchester City (Eng)
2024
Emiliano Martínez
Argentina
Aston Villa (Eng)

IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year (Women)

Year
Winner
Country
Club
2012
Hope Solo
USA
Seattle Sounders (USA)
2013
Hope Solo
USA
Seattle Reign (USA)
2014
Hope Solo
USA
Seattle Reign (USA)
2015
Hope Solo
USA
Seattle Reign (USA)
2016
Sarah Bouhaddi
France
Lyon (Fra)
2017
Sarah Bouhaddi
France
Lyon (Fra)
2018
Sarah Bouhaddi
France
Lyon (Fra)
2019
Sari van Veenendaal
Netherlands
Arsenal (Eng)/Atlético Madrid (Esp)
2020
Sarah Bouhaddi
France
Lyon (Fra)
2021
Christiane Endler
Chile
Paris Saint-Germain (Fra)/Lyon (Fra)
2022
Christiane Endler
Chile
Lyon (Fra)
2023
Mary Earps
England
Manchester United (Eng)
2024
Alyssa Naeher
USA
Chicago Red Stars (USA)

World Cup Golden Glove/All-Star Team Goalkeeper

The Golden Glove Award is awarded to the best goalkeeper of a World Cup tournament. Prior to 2010, the award was named the Yashin Award in honour of the late Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin. Although first awarded in 1994, every World Cup All-Star Team prior to 1998 included only one goalkeeper.

Year
Winner
Country
 
1930
Enrique Ballesteros
Uruguay
 
1934
Ricardo Zamora
Spain
 
1938
František Plânička
Czechoslovakia
 
1950
Roque Máspoli
Uruguay
 
1954
Gyula Grosics
Hungary
 
1958
Harry Gregg
Northern Ireland
 
1962
Viliam Schrojf
Czechoslovakia
 
1966
Gordon Banks
England
 
1970
Ladislao Mazurkiewicz
Uruguay
 
1974
Sepp Maier
West Germany
 
1978
Ubaldo Fillol
Argentina
 
1982
Dino Zoff
Italy
 
1986
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Belgium
 
1990
Sergio Goycochea
Argentina
 
1994
Michel Preud'homme
Belgium
 
1998
Fabien Barthez
France
 
2002
Oliver Kahn
Germany
 
2006
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
 
2010
Iker Casillas
Spain
 
2014
Manuel Neuer
Germany
 
2018
Thibaut Courtois
Belgium
 
2022
Emiliano Martinez
Argentina
 

UEFA European Championship Teams of the Tournament

From 1960 to 1992, only one keeper was named in a team of eleven. As the competition grew, so did the number of players honoured, rising to 18 in 1996 and then 23 in 2004. As a consequence, three goalkeepers were selected at each tournament until 2016 when they returned to the traditional eleven-man line-up.

Year
Winner
Country
 
1960
Lev Yashin
Soviet Union
 
1964
Lev Yashin
Soviet Union
 
1968
Dino Zoff
Italy
 
1972
Yevhen Rudakov
Soviet Union
 
1976
Ivo Viktor
Czechoslovakia
 
1980
Dino Zoff
Italy
 
1984
Harald Schumacher
West Germany
 
1988
Hans van Breukelen
Netherlands
 
1992
Peter Schmeichel
Denmark
 
1996
David Seaman
England
 
 
Andreas Köpke
Germany
 
2000
Francesco Toldo
Italy
 
 
Fabien Barthez
France
 
2004
Petr Cech
Czech Republic
 
 
Antonios Nikopolidis
Greece
 
2008
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
 
 
Iker Casillas
Spain
 
 
Edwin van der Sar
Netherlands
 
2012
Gianluigi Buffon
Italy
 
 
Iker Casillas
Spain
 
 
Manuel Neuer
Germany
 
2016
Rui Patrício
Portugal
 
2020
Gianluigi Donnarumma
Italy
 
2024
Mike Maignan
France
 

Sporting Masters

Goalkeepers have proved to be quite adept sportsmen down the years, with several goalies enjoying parallel careers in other sports. Others had to make a choice at an early age while some keepers discovered hidden talents after they had hung up their gloves for good.

Cricket
Andy GoramFormer Scottish International Andy Goram also played cricket for Scotland, keeping wicket against Australia in 1989. He won three caps in total and was told to stick to football by Australian bowler Merv Hughes...

Morton 'Monty' Betts played County Cricket for Middlesex and Kent as well as keeping goal for England. He also scored the only goal in the first ever FA Cup while playing up front for Wanderers.

As well as being the heaviest man ever to play football for England, Sheffield United's Willie 'Fatty' Foulke also represented his country playing cricket.

Leslie Gay of the Old Brightonians has the unique distinction of keeping goal for England's national football team as well as keeping wicket for England in a test match.

Coventry City goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic also used to play cricket in his spare time and once bowled out Viv Richards.

West Ham United keeper Jim Standen played cricket for Worcestershire during the summer months and topped the county bowling averages. He could apparently hurl a football 60-70 yards.

Queens Park and Scotland custodian Archibald Rowan was also a successful cricketer in the late 19th Century.

Former Tranmere, West Brom and Aston Villa goalkeeper Jim Cumbes won the cricket county championship with Worcestershire in 1974. He is now Chief Executive of Lancashire Country Cricket Club.

Arthur Jepson, who played for Port Vale, Stoke City and Lincoln during his career, also played County Cricket for Nottinghamshire and became a Test umpire following his retirement from the game.

In August 1920, keeper Jack Durston took five wickets for Middlesex against Surrey in the morning then kept a clean sheet for Brentford in their opening game of the season in the afternoon.

Aston Villa's England international goalkeeper Bill George also played cricket for Warwickshire.

Another England goalkeeper who also played cricket was Alexander Morten. Morten played both sports for the original Crystal Palace side of the 1800s.

Scottish goalkeeper Hamish McAlpine regularly turned out for Perthshire cricket club Rossie Priory.

New Zealand test cricketer Don McRae also played in goal for his country - winning one cap in 1936 in a 7-1 defeat to Australia.

Further afield, Charlie Gardiner, of the Unity Club in Belize, also turned out for the club's cricketing counterpart as well as keeping goal in the 1960s.

Blackpool goalkeeper Lewis Edge played cricket for both Morecambe and Cumbria County Cricket Clubs, keeping wicket as a youngster.

After retiring from football, Burnley's Jerry Dawson - who holds the record for most league appearances for The Clarets - became a batsman in the Lancashire League for Burnley Cricket Club.

Another goalkeeper who opted to take up cricket on his retirement was former Swindon Town and Torquay goalkeeper Kenny Allen, who went on to captain his local team, Chudleigh.

Former England test-batsman Phil Mead played one game in goal for Southampton way back in 1907, keeping a clean sheet in the process!

England Test cricketer Abe Waddington could be considered something of an all-rounder in the world of sport. As well as playing for England and enjoying a successful county career with Yorkshire, Waddington also played seven league games for Halifax Town during the 1921-22 season and later took part in the qualifying rounds of The Open golf championship.

George Raikes, who kept goal for England four times in the 1890s, enjoyed a first class county career with Oxford University and Hampshire before twice winning the Minor Counties Championship with Norfolk.

Another goalkeeper to enjoy success in the Minor Counties Championship was Watford goalkeeper Bill Yates, who played for Buckinghamshire and took two five wicket hauls against Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire in the early 1950s.

George Harris, who kept goal for Mansfield Town and Swansea, played one first-class cricket game for Glamorgan against Surrey in 1932 and was dismissed for a duck in his only innings.

Forest Green Rovers goalkeeper Steve Perrin is captain of Wiltshire County Cricket Club in the Minor Counties League, where, unsurprisingly, he plays as wicket keeper.

Newcastle United's Steve Harper played local league cricket when was not warming the bench at St. James' Park!

Veteran Watford goalkeeper Alec Chamberlain once had trials with Middlesex County Cricket Club before being snapped up by Ipswich Town.

Albert Iremonger played cricket for Nottinghamshire as well as keeping goal for Notts County Football Club at the turn of the 20th Century.

The strangely named Mordecai Sherwin also kept goal for Notts County and played cricket for Nottinghamshire, later playing three test matches for England in Australia.

Billy Moon, who once held the distinction of being England's youngest ever goalkeeper, kept wicket for Middlesex in two first-class cricket matches during the 1891 County Championship.

Chesterfield, Stockport County and York City goalkeeper Chris Marples played a string of first class County Cricket matches as wicket-keeper for Derbyshire during the mid-1980s.

One time Norwich City keeper Sandy Kennon played cricket for Norfolk in the 1970 Minor Counties Championship.

Edward Nash, who enjoyed spells between the sticks with Swindon Town, Crystal Palace and Brentford, played Minor Counties for Wiltshire after retiring from football, keeping wicket.

While at Oxford University, Charles Nepean played 10 first class cricket games for the University and Middlesex County Cricket Club. He also won an FA Cup Winners medal after Oxford beat Royal Engineers in the 1874 final. He retired from both sports on graduation to take holy orders.

Another goalkeeper who excelled at both sports was Ron Nicholls, who played first class cricket for Gloucestershire as well as keeping goal for Bristol Rovers, Bristol City and Cardiff City amongst others.

Glan Letheren, who kept goal for Leeds United and Swansea City in the 1970s, enjoyed a minor counties cricket career with the South Wales Cricket Association as a medium pace bowler and middle order batsman.

Scottish goalkeeper Dave Edwards, who enjoyed a varied career with Greenock Morton, Bethlehem Steel in the United States and Cowdenbeath amongst others, became a wicketkeeper/batsman with Cowdenbeath Cricket Club after retiring from football.

Victor Barton enjoyed a successful cricket career with the Army and Hampshire, making one Test appearance for England against South Africa. He was also on the books of Southampton St. Mary's, making an appearance in the semi-final of the Hampshire Senior Cup in 1893.

Len Beel, who played for Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City in his short career, also made one appearance for Somerset in a Sunday League match against Warwickshire.

The wonderfully named Desire Montgomery Butler made appearances for both the British Virgin Islands' football and cricket teams in a long career, keeping goal and wicket respectively.

Tommy Thorpe, who kept goal for Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley and Northampton Town amongst others, played three first class games for Northamptonshire during the 1913 County Cricket Championship.

Aston Villa's Billy George, who won three caps for England before the First World War, made thirteen first-class cricket matches as a batsman for Warwickshire.

Steve Adlard never quite made it as either a goalkeeper or a cricketer. A reserve keeper for both Nottingham Forest and Lincoln City, he played one first class game of cricket for Lincolnshire against Derbyshire in the Gillette Cup in 1976 before enjoying a career in the Minor Counties.

Scottish goalkeeper Tom Crosskey, who enjoyed spells with Crystal Palace, Hearts and Raith Rovers, played four first class Cricket matches for Scotland between 1949 and 1950. A right-handed batsman, he top-scored with 49 during a tour game against the 1948 Australian Invincibles.

England international Nigel Martyn played for Cornwall Schoolboys - keeping wicket, naturally - as well as his local side before pursuing a career in football. Following his retirement, the former Crystal Palace and Leeds United goalkeeper resumed playing cricket, turning out for a team called Old Modernians in the Wetherby League.

Willis Walker enjoyed a successful cricket career that ran alongside his goalkeeping duties with the likes of Doncaster Rovers, Leeds City and South Shields amongst others. He played County Cricket with Nottinghamshire, scoring 18,259 runs before retiring in 1937.

Australian cricketer Ken Grieves, who made 452 first-class appearances for Lancashire and made a county record 555 catches, also pursued a career in football after emigrating to England, turning out for Bury, Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County as a goalkeeper between 1947 and 1958.

Leicester City and Gillingham goalkeeper Jack Beby was something of an all-rounder during his spell with the Grenadier Guards, representing his regiment at cricket and the shot put.

Rebecca Rolls was capped by New Zealand in both football and cricket. The Metro FC goalkeeper won 21 caps for the Football Ferns and made over 100 appearances in One Day Internationals as a wicketkeeper batsman.

George Waller, who kept goal for both Sheffield clubs as well as Middlesbrough before the turn of the 20th Century, also made three first class appearances for Yorkshire Cricket Club taking four wickets and scoring seventeen runs.

David Thomson, one of the founding fathers of Welsh football, was also something of a useful cricketer, regularly turning out for Wynnstay Cricket Club before his unexpected early death in 1876.

Reginald Courtenay Welch, who kept goal for England and played in the first two FA Cup Finals for The Wanderers, represented Harrow School at cricket, playing five matches during the 1871 season. His highest score as a batsman came against the Lords and Commons Cricket Club when he scored 12 while his best bowling figures of 4 for 17 came in a match against the Marylebone Cricket Club.

York City and Darlington goalkeeper Tony Moor captained Scarborough Cricket Club to the Yorkshire League title three times in the 1970s. He was also selected for the National Cricket Association XI against the touring Canadian team in 1974, and for the Yorkshire League XI against the West Indies tourists in 1973 and Pakistan in 1974.

Peter Pickering, the South African goalkeeper who played for York City and Chelsea after the Second World War, appeared in one first-class game for Northamptonshire during his time with Northampton Town. He scored 59 runs over the course of two innings.

Great Britain's 1936 Olympic team goalkeeper Haydn Hill, who also had a spell with Sheffield Wednesday, played cricket for Dorset, making 24 appearances in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship between 1948 and 1953

Antipodean goalkeeper Ken Hough played two Tests against England in 1958-59 and 28 first-class matches for Northern Districts and Auckland. A right-arm fast bowler and something of a useful lower-order batsman, he holds the record for taking the most wickets - six - without having a batsman caught.

Southampton St. Mary's goalkeeper Jack Barrett tried to carve out a career in County Cricket after deciding to quit football at the age of twenty-one but he was thwarted in his attempts and he had to settle for the odd appearance in the Minor Counties.

John Prodger enjoyed a dual career as a goalkeeper for Charlton Athletic, Dartford, Margate and Sittingbourne and a batsman with Kent, where he played for over ten years. Prodger still holds the record for most outfield catches for the country, claiming eight in a match against Gloucestershire in 1961.

One-time Woolwich Arsenal and Liverpool goalkeeper Harry Storer played six first class matches for Derbyshire during the 1895 season. He was a right-handed batsman and played 10 innings in 6 first class matches.

Leeds United's Royden Wood was reckoned to be one of the best wicket-keepers in the Leeds and District League during his days at Elland Road. He was also a pretty useful hockey player.

Sheffield United goalkeeper Joe Lievesley was a useful cricketer too and also turned out for the club's cricket side during the summer months.

Archie Ling enjoyed a long career with Leicester Fosse, Swindon Town and Brentford and also played cricket professionally with Cambridgeshire.

After being released by Grimsby Town in 2009, Gary Montgomery swapped his goalkeeper gloves for cricket whites and signed a professional contract with Lancashire County Cricket Club, going on to play three first class matches in the Clydesdale Bank 40 Competition.

Watford and Southend United goalkeeper Geoff Morton was also a bowler with Middlesex cricket club, turning out in six minor counties matches and two first-class games at Lord's during the 1950 County Championship. He later became an umpire.

Ernie Watts, who kept goal Notts County and West Ham United at the turn of the 20th Century, played cricket for his army regiment, the Royal Berkshire Regiment Cricket XI.

Arthur Staples enjoyed a successful cricket career with Nottinghamshire, playing 358 first-class matches as an all-rounder, scoring over 12,000 runs and taking 635 wickets. His football career was slightly less successful, despite spells with Notts County and Mansfield Town, managing just thirteen league appearances.

Milija Aleksic, who kept goal for Tottenham Hotspur when they won the FA Cup back in 1981, earned his nickname "Elastic" while playing cricket for Silverdale Cricket Club before he signed for Plymouth Argyle.

Former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Harry Fearnley used to spend his summers playing cricket in the local league, representing seven different clubs in total. A quick scoring batsman and a pace bowler, he skippered the Huddersfield League representative team before moving to Oxford United.

England wicket keeper Ian Gould, who represented Middlesex and later captained Sussex, played in goal for Slough Town, having been on Arsenal's books as youth player.

Somerset and Kent cricketer Peter Trego turned out for Margate, Weston-super-mare and Bath City among others during his sporting career.

Former West Ham United and Chelsea goalkeeper Harry Medhurst was a keen cricketer, turning out as a batsman for Cambridgeshire in the Minor Counties Championship between 1950 and 1953.

Scottish goalkeeper Robert Parlane played both football and cricket for Vale of Leven in the late 19th century.

Joseph Marshall kept goal for Derby County a year after turning out for Derbyshire Country Cricket club in 1887.

Yorkshire all-rounder George Ulyett kept goal for Sheffield Wednesday for two seasons between 1882 and 1884.

Frank Wildman, who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Swindon Town between the wars, enjoyed playing cricket during the off season and was a prominent member of the South Kirkby Colliery Cricket Club.

McPherson Meade is something of an all-round sporting star in Montserrat, captaining the national cricket team and keeping goal for the national football team.

Royal Engineers FA Cup winning goalkeeper William Merriman also represented the regiment at cricket and later became vice-commodore of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club.

Former Sierra Leone goalkeeper Mahmoud Turay also played cricket for his country during the 1960s when Sierra Leone dominated the game in West Africa. His also regularly turned out for Middleton Cricket Club during the off-season.

Percival Parr, who kept goal for Oxford University in the FA Cup Final of 1880 and won one cap for England, played cricket for the Winchester College XI in 1877-78 and later made one first-class cricket appearance for the Gentlemen of Kent, also in 1880.

Sheffield United goalkeeper Robert Carlin, who also turned out for South Kirkby and Mexborough Athletic, was a first-class all-rounder with Derbyshire for three seasons between 1905-08.

Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton United goalkeeper Walter Cornock was arguably a better cricketer than he was a footballer. In 1948 he enjoyed a successful season with Leicestershire, scoring over 800 runs and taking 81 wickets, and after returning to Australia later captaining Cumberland Cricket Club whenever regular skipper Richie Benaud was absent!

Alfred Schneidau, who kept goal for Fulham as a teenager in 1886 when they were still known as St. Andrew's, later won a silver medal at the 1900 Olympics as part of France's cricket team.

Bermuda wicketkeeper Dennis Wainwright also kept goal for the national football team.

Walter McBride kept goal for Oxford University and played for the cricket team in the late 1920s, also appearing for Hampshire County Cricket Club while pursuing his studies.

Headington United goalkeeper William Brain played cricket for a number of clubs in the 1890s, including Gloucestershire, Oxford University and Marylebone Cricket Club, and notably became the first player to perform the "wicket-keeper's hat-trick" (three dismissals off consecutive deliveries) and the only man to perform a hat-trick of stumpings.

In addition to playing for both Notts County and Nottingham Forest, Hugh Owen was an opening batsman for Essex and captained them from 1895 until his retirement from first-class cricket in 1901.

Irish goalkeeper Paddy Neville, who played in goal for Drumcondra and Dundalk and made four appearance for the League of Ireland XI, represented Ireland at cricket and played a number of minor matches against Sussex, the touring New Zealand team and Worcestershire. Something of an all-round sportsman, he also played Gaelic football and hockey.

Wales international and Oswestry Town goalkeeper Richard Gough played cricket at county level for Shropshire between 1884 and 1903

Merchant Quintin Hogg is best remembered for being a philanthropist and a benefactor of the Royal Polytechnic institution in London (now known as the University of Westminster) but he was a keen sportsman in his youth, keeping goal for Wanderers F.C. and Old Etonians and played two first-class cricket matches for the colony of Demerara.

After retiring from football, former Stockport County, Lincoln City and Reading goalkeeper Leo Bullimer became the official scorer at Northamptonshire County Cricket Club, holding the role for 50 years. Legend has it that when Bullimer was unavailable, future Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman would occasionally act as substitute scorer.

Rotherham United goalkeeper Laurie Millsom was a keen cricketer, keeping wicket for Kimberworth Wesleyans, and topped the batting averages in the 1925 Rotherham and District Sunday School Cricket League.

The aptly named Edwin Diver enjoyed a first-class cricket career, turning out for Surrey and Warwickshire as well as in goal for Aston Villa.

Occasional Clapton Orient and Fulham goalkeeper Monty Garland-Wells played cricket for Oxford University and Surrey and once bowled the great Don Bradman.

Bahamas international Julio Jemison has also represented his country in T20 tournaments.

England test cricketer Graham Roope played in goal for a number of non-league twams including Corinthian Casuals, Ashford Town, Wimbledon, Hayes, Guildford City, Ramsgate, Margate, Kingstonian and Woking.

Former Falkirk and St. Johnstone goalkeeper Peter Gardiner played two first class cricket games for Scotland against Ireland between the wars.

Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Steve Perks played cricket for Much Wenlock Cricket Club during the off-season before returning for pre-season training.

Third Lanark and Scotland goalkeeper Archie Rowan turned out for bith the Caledonian Cricket Club and the West of Scotland Cricket Club during his playing career. He was also reputed to be something of a mean golfer and billiard player.

Rugby
Clapham Rovers' goalie Reginald Birkett was capped by his country at both football and Rugby Union.

Former Bolton Wanderers and Millwall goalie JW Sutcliffe was the last man to play both Rugby Union and football for England.

French World Cup winning goalie Fabien Barthez was brought up playing rugby and only turned to football when he was 15 years of age. After retiring from football, Barthez took up motor racing.

Another rugby playing goalkeeper was former Wales international Dai Davies, who turned out for West Wales Schools as a teenager.

Another keeper called Dai Davies, who played for Bolton Wanderers before the First World War, had spells playing both codes of Rugby alongside his football career and holds the distinction of being capped at international level by Wales for both football and Rugby League.

German keeper Oliver Kahn also enjoys playing rugby and regularly competes in local tournaments when not playing football.

Luxembourg international goalkeeper Stéphane Gillet, who enjoyed spells with SV Elversberg, Racing FC Luxembourg and Jeunesse Esch, took up up rugby at the end of his career, playing second row for Rugby Club Luxembourg.

Former Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa keeper Jimmy Rimmer played both rugby and football for Lancashire & England Boys

Bob Valentine combined a career keeping goal for Manchester United with playing Rugby League for Swinton. His brother Jim played both codes of rugby at a high standard.

England international goalkeeper Jack Butland was something of a rugby player growing up, appearing in the Somerset Schools' Cup final, but was forced to give up playing by Birmingham City after he broke his thumb in a game.

Former Queen's Park goalkeeper Gordon Wilson played Rugby Union with Melrose and Selkirk in the early 1970s.

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Brian Powney played Rugby for his local club side while acting as player-manager for non-league Southwick.

Former Clyde goalkeeper and Scotland international John Brown became a physiotherapist after retiring from football and worked with the All Blacks and the Scotland Rugby Union team.

New Zealand All Blacks forward Shannon Frizell was a keen goalkeeper when growing up in Tonga and in 2011 he was selected by Tonga Football Association to compete in the OFC Under-17 championship.

Before being signed by Everton in 1908, goalkeeper Clarence Berry was a regular for rugby league side Warrington but put his rugby career on hold to play for the Toffees. However, after his contract expired with the Merseyside club he returned to playing rugby with Warrington.

Blackburn and Tranmere Rovers keeper Harry Leyland played an active role at New Brighton Rugby Union Football Club after retiring and a stand at their ground was later named in his honour.

Wales and Bristol City Ladies goalkeeper Jo Price was drafted into the University of Wales Institute's Rugby team during her studies and was part of the team that won the British Universities Sports Association Cup, despite her having no knowledge of the game.

Australia and Newcastle Jets goalkeeper Hannah Southwell opted to play Rugby Sevens in 2016, making her first appearances for the Australian national team at that year's Oceania Women's Sevens Championship. Two years later, she switched codes again, and carved out a third career in Rugby League.

Ice Hockey
Former European Footballer of the Year Lev Yashin started life as an Ice Hockey goalie before finding fame with the powerful USSR side of the 1960s.

Sweden's Magnus Hedman also played Ice Hockey as a youngster before being picked for the Swedish U-15 football team and had trials with Stockholm's leading Hockey team.

While competing in ITV's Dancing on Ice, former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman revealed that he used to play ice hockey as a youngster and like Magnus Hedman had trials with several local sides before deciding on a career in football.

Just before the 2017/18 season kicked off, Arsenal's Petr Cech took to the ice in his native Czech Republic to keep goal for a period in an exhibition ice hockey game, a testimonial for former NHL star Martin Havlat. After retiring, he became a goaltender for ice hockey team Guilford Phoenix.

Sverre Fornes, who made over 500 appearances for Rosenborg between 1948 and 1965, also turned out for Rosenborg's ice hockey and handball teams.

In 2009, Katrin Lehmann made history by becoming the first woman to be involved two European club finals in different sports when she was named as the substitute goalkeeper for Duisberg in their UEFA Women's Club Championship final against Russian side Zvevda, which they won 7-1 on aggregate. A year earlier, Lehmann was part of AIK IF's title winning side that claimed the International Ice Hockey Federation's European Women's Champions Cup. She also represented Switzerland in both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

Norway international goalkeeper Arild Andresen played both football and ice hockey for Vålerenga.

After his career in football was brought to an end after he accepted a £300 bribe to a throw a game, former Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Esmond Million emigrated to Canada with his family, where he became active in professional ice hockey.

Swedish goalkeeper Hampus Nilsson, who has appeared for Djurgårdens and Falkenbergs, was a keen ice hockey player as youngster but gave the game up when he signed his first professional contract with Landskrona BoIS in 2017. During his spell with Djurgårdens he was a regular spectator at the club's ice hockey games.

Latvian goalkeeper Laimonis Laizāns, who played for FK Daugava Riga and Torpedo Moscow in the Soviet Union, combined his football career with one in ice hockey during the winter months in the Soviet Leagues. However, an injury on the ice curtailed his top flight career in the USSR and he saw out the rest of his playing days in the lower leagues.

Newcastle United and Slovakia goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka admitted in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that he could have easily have gone on to enjoy a career in ice hockey but for a childhood injury involving a machete.

Latvia international goalkeeper Arvīds Jurgens was something of a sporting all-rounder and also represented his country at the 1936 Olympics, having won the national ice hockey title five years on the spin. In additional to football and ice hockey, he also played basketball and bandy at a competitive level.

Sweden's Nils Johansson was another sporting all-rounder and Olympian who enjoyed a parallel career on the ice and football pitch. Aside from keeping goal with Djurgårdens, he also won ice hockey Silver at the 1928 Winter Olympics.

American Football
After the 1994 World Cup, USA goalie Tony Meola received a number of offers to play American Football professionally. His NFL career proved short-lived however, and he quickly returned to the game that made in him a household name in the States.

When Former Barcelona keeper Jesus Angoy decided that he needed a career change he didn't hang about weighing up all the possible options in front of him and signed for the Denver Broncos, then one of the hottest sides in the NFL, as a specialist field-goal kicker. The Catalonian custodian is still famous in Barcelona for marrying Johan Cruyff's daughter if nothing else...

Horst Muhlmann was rather more successful when it came to pursuing a career in American Football. The former Schalke 04 keeper played nine NFL seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles having previously played in the NASL with Kansas City Spurs.

Josh Lambo had a promising career as a goalkeeper before the bright lights of the NFL lured him away. At the age of 15, Lambo was invited to train with Everton during their summer tour of the States in 2006 and went on to join F.C. Dallas in the first round draft in 2008, being capped by the United States at Under 20 level in the process. However, by the age of 21 he had become disillusioned with football and switched codes, becoming a placekicker with the San Diego Chargers.

After a career with West Bromwich Albion, Scunthorpe United and Kansas City Wizards, Gary Germaine tried his hand as a field goal kicker with the Tennessee Titans.

Israeli goalkeeper Gal Mesika, who enjoyed spells with Maccabi Kafr Kanna and Hapoel Bnei Lod among others, became a placekicker for Israel's national American Football team in 2015 and earned an NFL try out after being recommended by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Basketball
Former Brentford and Hibernian Icelandic goalkeeper Oli Gottskalksson has represented his country at both football and basketball.

In his youth ex-Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Tim Flowers used to be something of a mean basketball player and represented the Midlands. He went on to have trials for England before deciding on a career in football.

The much-travelled American goalkeeper Brad Friedel was an All-State basketball player in Ohio and had try outs for UCLA before his goalkeeping career took off.

Everton's Tim Howard is also reputed to be something of a mean basketball player.

Another American goalkeeper with a strong basketball background is Celtic's Dominic Cervi, who picked up several High School awards while growing up in Oklahmoma.

India international goalkeeper SS Narayan, who represented his country at both the 1956 and 1960 Olympic games, played basketball alongside his football career, turning out for Maharashtra at the national championships.

United States goalkeeper Albert Cooper, who kept goal for America in the 1928 Summer Olympics, also played basketball for the Trenton Tigers and the Trenton Bengals of the American Basketball League.

American goalkeeper Claudia Dickey, who represented Team USA's Under-20 Women's side, represented North Carolina Univeristy in Basketball as well as football.

Golf
One-time Asian Goalkeeper of the Year and Malaysian international Chow Chee-keong became a professional golf coach after retiring from football.

Former Scotland and Glasgow Rangers keeper Peter McCloy was something of a keen golfer and represented Scotland at amateur level.

West Ham United F.C. goalkeeper George Kitchen, who played for the Hammers before the start of the First World War, was a professional golf player at the age of 14 and became a club pro after retiring from football.

Scottish goalkeeper John Jackson, who counted Partick Thistle and Chelsea amongst his clubs and was capped by Scotland eight times, became a professional golfer after retiring from football.

Wales international goalkeeper Bert Gray was a keen golfer, winning the Merseyside Footballers' title in 1933, 1934 and 1936 during his time with Tranmere Rovers.

Brechin City and Chelsea goalkeeper Colin Hampton was something of an all-round sportsman and a keen athlete when serving in the armed forces during the First World War. However, he enjoyed a round of golf and won The Daily Mirror Professional Golf Competition in 1921 and the Handicap Medal in the Coventy Gauge and Tool Company Golf Club competition in 1943.

Boxing
Another Hibs goalkeeper to excel at a second sport was William Harper, who was a heavyweight boxing champion in the Scots Guards and also played rugby for his regiment

Joe Nicholls, who played for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Bristol Rovers between the wars, was the Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the Grenadier Guards during his spell in the army.

Former Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Joe Paladino became a professional boxer in 1993, retiring four years later before later returning as an amateur.

Leroy Franks, who won a cap with the United States in 1957, was something of a mean boxer, winning 5 fights in 1954 Golden Gloves competition.

Track & Field
Ex-Manchester United and England goalkeeper Ray Wood had the opportunity to become a professional sprinter as a teenager but chose to play football instead.

Former Everton F.C. & Chelsea F.C. goalkeeper Ben Howard Baker had something of a sporting career that has yet to be surpassed. Not only was he capped by his country at football but he was also an international high jumper of some repute - He held the British record, was AAAs Champion and represented Great Britain at both the 1912 and 1920 Olympics.

Germany's Hans Jakob, who played in both the 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals, also enjoyed a successful Track & Field career, winning several Bavarian Hurdles titles.

Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny was a promising javelin thrower as a youngster.

Perugia and Reggiana Lamberto Boranga took up athletics after retiring from the professional game and has set Masters World records in both the long jump and triple jump.

Saint Kitts and Nevis international goalkeeper Adolphus Jones, who kept goal during the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, was also a successful athlete and competed in the decathlon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, finishing seventh.

England international Leonard Wilkinson, who was capped against Wales in 1891, gained a blue in both football and athletics while studying at Oxford University.

Arthur Wharton, who is best remembered as the first black professional to play in the Football League, was also something of a mean sprinter and in 1886 equalled the official World Record for the 100-yards dash.

Birmingham City goalkeeper Zach Jeacock was a talented sprinter as a youth and represented Birchfield Harriers as a junior.

Winter Sports

Henry Johansen, who played for Vålerenga and was capped by Norway prior to the Second World War, was also a dab hand at Ski Jumping and was awarded the Egebergs Ærespris, a prize awarded to Norwegian athletes who excel in more than one sport, in 1938. He was also a keen Ice Hockey and Bandy player.

Another Norway international goalkeeper who enjoyed a career in two sports was Strømsgodset's Inge Thun, who won a silver medal in the 1965 Bandy World Championship with Norway. He hit the headlines in the UK ten years later when Liverpool put eleven goals past him in the Cup Winners Cup.

Finland international keeper Lars Näsman was also capped by his country at bandy, being voted the Best Bandy Goalkeeper in the World in 1967, the same year he was bestowed the title of Footballer of the Year in Finland by the country's press.

Baseball/Softball
As a teenager, Bruce Grobbelaar was once offered a baseball scholarship in the United States but decided to stick with football.

Frank Borghi, who played in goal when the USA beat England 1-0 in the 1950 World Cup Finals, began life as a professional baseball player and always preferred to the throw the ball out rather than kick it.

Southampton, Derby County and England goalkeeper Jack Robinson won the British Baseball championship twice in the 1890s with Derby County Baseball Club alongside Steve Bloomer.

Another goalkeeper who played baseball with the Derby Country club was Nottingham Forest's Dan Allsopp.

United States international Archie Strimel was also a successful minor league baseball player, turning out for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Stanley Chesney, who played in the American Soccer League in the 1920s & 30s and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1966, also played baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell had a brief stint as a goalkeeper in the St. Louis Soccer League, which at the time was the only professional league in the United States.

James Trainer, who kept goal for Preston North End's Invincibles, also played baseball for the club and competed in the National League of Baseball of Great Britain.

New Zealand international Leslie King represented the United States women's national softball team on their tour of China in 1985. After moving to New Zealand to pursue her football career, she continued to play softball and was selected for New Zealand national team.

Fellow New Zealander Sue Jacobs was also a double international and was a member of New Zealand's first ever female squad back in 1975, a year before she represented her country at Sofball.

Former NASL and All American goalkeeper Cal Kern, who played for Toronto Metros and Rochester Lancers during his career, founded the Niagara Power, a New York Collegiate Baseball League side, in 2007 and remains the club's president.

After enjoying a career with Fall River FC (and their subsequent franchises New York Yankees and New Bedford Whalers) in the American Soccer League, Johnny Reder joined the Boston Red Sox in the MLB.

Hockey
Malaysian Michael Shepherdson was something of an all-rounder. As well as keeping goal for Selangor he was part of the Malaysia Olympic field hockey team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and competed in the Asian games in 1958 and 1962, where he won Bronze in Jakarta. He also captained the national cricket team.

Wilfred Skinner represented Singapore at both football and hockey, captaining the national hockey team in the 1962 Asian games, having first appeared in the 1954 games as part of Singapore's football squad.

Harry Cannon, who kept goal for Bohemians and the Irish Free State international side during the 1920s, was goalkeeper for the Railway Union field hockey team, going on to captain the Irish Olympic Team at Los Angeles in 1932. Something of an all-round sportsman, he also played club cricket with the Civil Service Cricket Club.

Northern Ireland international Angela Platt also played hockey for the All-Ireland team and carved out a domestic career in both sports before serving as general manager of the Northern Cricket Union.

Aussie Rules
Australian international goalkeeper Joanne Butland switched codes at the suggestion of her sister-in-law and gave up football to become play Australian Rules Football for North Cairns in the AFL Cairns Women's League. She was selected in the All-Australian team three times between 2005 and 2011.

Another Aussie international goalkeeper to ditch football was Brianna Davey, who took up Australian Rules with St Kilda Sharks in the Victorian Women's Football League in the winter of 2015 after missing out on selection for the Women's World Cup. Having played both codes in parallel for two years, Davey hung up her gloves for good and signed professionally for Carlton Football Club in the inaugural AFL Women's competition in 2016.

GAA & Shinty
Former Northern Ireland international Norman Uprichard played Gaelic football as a teenager and won a minor league medal with St. Peter's - however he was banned by the GAA before he could receive his medal because he had signed for Glenavon!

One-time Aston Villa and Leeds United goalkeeper Con Martin also played Gaelic Football, winning the Leinster title with Dublin, before he too was expelled by the GAA after they discovered he was playing a foreign sport with Drumcondra. Like Uprichard, his medal stayed with the GAA until 1971 when they finally lifted their ban.

Hugh Kelly, who carved out a career with Fulham, Southampton and Exeter City during the 1950s, represented County Armagh in Gaelic Handball.

Portsmouth and Ireland goalkeeper Matt "Gunner" Reilly played Gaelic Football before switching codes while serving in the armed forces in Glasgow.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Motherwell keeper Michael Fraser was a talented shinty player, regularly turning out for Glenurquhart Shinty Club, but gave up the sport in 2002 after signing on with Caley Thistle.

Ned Courtney played Gaelic football for Cork during the Second World War, winning the Munster Senior Football Championship, before winning three League of Ireland titles and playing in three successive FAI Cup finals with Cork United and Cork Athletic.

Shane Curran enjoyed a parallel career keeping goal for Athlone Town and Roscommon.

Ipswich Town's Shane Supple surprised many when the club announced that his contract had been cancelled by mutual consent after Supple decided that he'd had enough of Association Football and switched codes, joining Gaelic Football side St Brigid's in Dublin. He later returned to football and joined Bohemians in 2016.

After something of a journeyman career with UCD, Dundalk and Longford Town, Neil Gallagher opted to switch codes and play Gaelic Football with Louth.

Home Farm goalkeeper Charlie Nelligan also kept goal for Kerry and became an All-Ireland title winner. He also kept goal for Munster.

Former League of Ireland goalkeeper Shaun Patton, who included Derry City, Finn Harps and Sligo Rovers amongst his clubs, switch codes in 2018, going on to twice win the Ulster Senior Football Championship with Donegal.

Having helped the Republic of Ireland to victory in the 1998 European Under-19 Championship, Gary Connaughton decided not to pursue a professional career but did continue to keep goal for Westmeath in the GAA inter-county championship.

Former Republic of Ireland Under-21 goalkeeper Shane Redmond, who enjoyed spells with Burton Albion and Mansfield Town, later played Gaelic Football with St Mary's, Saggart in the Dublin Senior Football Championship.

Bowls
Ian Wilkinson, who made a brief appearance for Manchester United in the League Cup back in October 1991, went on to play crown green bowls at County level after injury curtailed his career.

One time Southampton and Fulham goalkeeper Ian Black represented Surrey at bowls following his retirement from football.

Former Bradford City goalkeeper Geoff Smith, who played over 250 games for the Bantams, played bowls for Skipton Vets during his later years.

Handball
Faroe Islands international goalkeeper Kaj Leo Johannesen also played handball at club level, playing 163 matches for Kyndil and scoring 625 goals.

Another Faroe Islands international to play handball was Jens Martin Knudsen, who achieved a certain amount of fame by wearing a bobble hat during games. Knudsen, who was also a champion gymnast, played for the Faroese top flight handball club Tjaldur and was capped at international level.

Spain international and former Real Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Ángel was a promising handball player before switching codes.

Saudi keeper Mohamed Al-Deyea could have had a career in handball but was persuaded by his older brother, Abdullah, to stick with football. He went on to make over 180 appearances for Saudi Arabia.

Fritz Herkenrath, who won 21 caps for West Germany in the 1950s, was initially a handball player before switching to football after World War II.

Russian goalkeeper Anatoly Akimov, who played for Spartak and Dynamo Moscow in the 1930s, also played handball for the later club.

SV Hamburg goalkeeper Walter Warning initially joined the club as handball player in 1933 before being converted into a goalkeeper for the football team two years later.

Lars Nordberg's football career was curtailed by injury, restricting him to a handful of appearances with Hamarkameratene after an unsuccessful trial with Rosenborg. He later enjoyed far more success playing handball with Elverum.

American goalkeeper Yaro Dachniwsky, who enjoyed a long career playing indoor soccer with the likes of Atlanta Attack and San Diego Sockers, was part of the USA's handball team that competed in the 1996 Olympics.

Randi Wardum enjoyed a parallel sporting career in the Faroe Islands, albeit in different positions. Depsite keeping goal for Women's national football team, Wardum played outfield when competing in handball but that didn't prevent her from becoming a double international.

Egon Sørensen was a double international for Denmark. Having been capped by the Danish football side in 1935, he went on to represent his country at handball at the 1938 World Men's Handball Championship.

Hungarian goalkeeper Andrea Farkas represented her country at Handball at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, where she won a bronze and silver medal.

Former Finland international goalkeeper Pertti Alaja, who enjoyed spells with Edmonton Drillers and Malmo, played handball at domestic level in the Finish league.

Wrestling
When Thomas Boric's goalkeeping career in the NASL, which included spells with Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Calgary Boomers, came to an end he decided to become a professional wrestler, fighting under the name of Paul Diamond.

In a similar vein, former Crewe Alexandra and Port Vale goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson began training as a professional wrestler after hanging up his gloves, earning a development contract with WWE. Fighting under the name Hugo Knox he made his wrestling debut at a WWE NXT event in November, 2014.

Former Germany international goalkeeper Tim Wiese took up wrestling after retiring from football, eventually making his WWE debut at a live event in Munich in November, 2016, adopting the name "The Machine".

Motor Sports
Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Peter Enckelman has a keen interest in motor sport and the 2007 British Touring Car Championship season featured a team named after him, Encke Sport.

Former Liverpool and Poland goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek took up motor racing after retiring from football. In 2014, he competed in the Volkswagen Castrol Cup, a Summer racing championship held in circuits around Eastern Europe.

Valencia and Spain goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares became a rally driver after hanging up his goalkeeper gloves, competing for the first time in the Spanish rally Championship in October 2010. He earned his first victory in June 2017 when he won the Rally de la Cerámica.

Tennis
Jack Moore's football career was cut short by the Second World War, having just signed his first professional contract with Port Vale. Following the cessation of hostilities, Moore went on to become something of an accomplished tennis player, making several appearances at the Wimbledon championships. He later became a tennis coach in Nottingham.

Years before he won the World Cup with France, Hugo Lloris was something of decent tennis player, ranking high in the national standings in his youth before he opted to concentrate on football.

England international and Great Britain's 1908 Olympic Gold Medal winning goalkeeper Horace Bailey represented Derbyshire in Lawn Tennis.

American goalkeeper Brendan Moore, who enjoyed spells in the Football League with Torquay United and Rochdale, was an accomplished amateur tennis player and captained his Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association's team to a C-4 Men's division title in December 2022.

Ballroom Dancing
Not sure if Ballroom Dancing is still officially classed as a sport, but Peter Schmeichel didn't do too badly on BBC TV's Strictly Come Dancing. Unfortunately the same could not be said of Peter Shilton while David James was the fourth celebrity to be voted off in 2019.

United States international goalkeeper Hope Solo was a contestant on the 13th season of the Dancing with the Stars television series in the USA but was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Thomas Ravelli appeared in the Swedish version of the show, Let's Dance, in 2019 becoming the sixth celebrity to be voted off.

Former Rapid Vienna and Austria goalkeeper Michael Konsel finished seventh in the Austrian version of the show, Dancing Stars, in 2007.

Zimbabwe goalkeeping coach Richard Tswatswa tried his hand at Ballroom Dancing in his younger days and won a bronze medal for Rhodesia in a competition in South Africa in 1979.

Other Sports
Former Southampton reserve goalkeeper Eddie Thomas represented Wiltshire at water polo in later life.

Australia international goalkeeper Jack Reilly, who played in all three of the Socceroos' World Cup games in 1974, became a horse trainer and breeder after hanging up his gloves.

Former Team USA coach Bruce Arena also represented his country at Lacrosse, winning the World title in 1974, a year after he won his one and only cap in goal for the States in a 2-0 defeat against Israel.

Cardiff City's Dilwyn John was also a talented snooker player and claimed the Welsh amateur champion title during the 1980s. He was also runner-up at the IBSF World Snooker Championships in 1985.

Ton van Engelen, who kept goal for PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord and Go Ahead Eagles, became a soigneur for a number of Dutch cycling teams after he retired, participating in over twenty Tour de France events.

Goalkeeper Jay Timo represented Tuvalu at the Pacific Games in both football and volleyball.

Singapore goalkeeper Amos Boon, who enjoyed a career with Marine Castle United, Sengkang Punggol and Geylang United among others, was a keen wakeboarder and President of the Wakeboard Association, representing Singapore in the Asian X-Games.

Trinidad & Tobago international Michael McComie was a mean table tennis player and served on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Table Tennis Association.

Daniel Miller Tenenbaum, who came through Flamengo's youth system in Brazil, was a talented rower in his youth, taking to the water with several clubs.

Former Tulsa Roughnecks goalkeeper Sonny Dalesandro is a keen student of Jiu Jitsu and competed in the American Grappling Federation's Nationals in 2015 and 2017. On both occasions he won gold in the no gi competition in his respective divisions.

Cushla Lichtwark became a double international representing her native New Zealand in both netball and football, a sport she only took up after retiring from netball in 2011.

United States women's goalkeeper Kim Wyant was a driving force in BMX racing in the United States and instrumental in the sport becoming an Olympic event.

Danish keeper Lukas Jensen was a mountain biking enthusiast in his younger days, competing in the European Mountain Bike Championships and Scandinavian Mountain Bike Championships

Swiss goalkeeper John Tollmannm, who was one of the founders of FC Basel as well as being the first secretary-treasurer of the Swiss Football Association, got his first taste of the game on a visit to England in 1893 when he was part the Basel rowing club.

Costa Rican goalkeeper Carlos Soley, who played for Català and Barcelona in Spain in the 1900s, participated in two national chess championships on his return home, finishing in the top ten on both occasions.

Quirky Coincidences

On August 28 1993, Ian Rush scored his 200th League goal of his Liverpool career against Leeds United goalkeeper John Lukic. He scored his first goal for the Reds 12 years earlier in a game against Arsenal. The Gunners' keeper that day was a certain John Lukic…

He may only have been capped twice, but England goalkeeper Ernie 'Tim' Williamson conceded three goals while on international duty. The strange thing was that Sweden's Harry Dahl scored all three goals in those two games - he grabbed two on May 21 1923 and then added a third four days later when the sides met for a second time. Dahl was the first foreign player to score twice, let alone three times, against England.

In 1963, Denis Law played at Wembley three times - once in the FA Cup Final for Manchester United, once for a Rest of the World select XI and once for Scotland. On each occasion the opposition goalkeeper was none other than Gordon Banks.

Not many goalkeepers can claim to have played in a Cup Final at Wembley. Even fewer could claim to have played in the final of three separate competitions and been on the losing side each time. Former Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough custodian Ben Roberts can. In 1997 he was in goal for Boro as they lost both the FA and League Cup Finals to Chelsea and Leicester City respectively, then in 1999 he was on the losing side again as Millwall went down 1-0 in the final of the Auto Windscreen Shield.

Speaking of Millwall, when they played in the 2004 FA Cup Final, they ended up facing the same keeper that kept goal against them in the AWS Shield Final in 1999, namely Northern Ireland international Roy Carroll. Carroll kept a clean sheet on both occasions.

Preston North End fielded amateur goalkeepers in their first two appearances in the FA Cup Final. Dr Mills Roberts kept goal in 1889 while James Frederick Mitchell was between the sticks in 1922.

All three goalkeepers in South Korea's 2002 World Cup squad - Lee Woon-Jae, Choi Eun-Sung and Kim Byung-Ji - were born in the month of April!

During the course of the 2004/2005 season, Rangers beat Dundee United 7-1 in the Semi-Final of the Scottish League Cup. Earlier that season, Manchester City beat Barnsley 7-1 in the English League Cup. Nothing strange about that, you might consider, except for one small matter - the same two goalkeepers played in both games. On the receiving end of the seven-goal thrashings on both occasions for Barnsley and Dundee United was Nick Colgan while his opposite number in the Manchester City and Rangers goal was Ronald Waterreus.

Arguably two of Scotland's greatest post-war keepers, Jim Leighton and Andy Goram both made their international debuts in the same month, against the same country and both kept a clean sheet. Leighton made his debut against East Germany in the 2-0 victory in October 1982 while Goram was capped in the corresponding international fixture in October 1985 which ended 0-0.

When Chic Brodie's professional career was ended after a collision with a stray dog while playing for Brentford at Colchester United's Layer Road ground, he became a taxi driver in the capital. While driving through Westminster he had to swerve his cab to avoid hitting another stray dog that had run out into the road and hit another vehicle, driven by former West Ham and England striker Geoff Hurst...

Barrow goalkeeper Alan Coglan had the misfortune to break his leg three times during his career. The strange thing was that on all three occasions he was playing in a reserve team fixture against the same opposition - Sunderland.

There must be something in the water in Barrow - striker Bobby Knox had the distinction of becoming the first substitute to come and score a goal when he netted against Wrexham on the opening day of the 1965/66 season. However, Knox also went on to become the first substitute to come on and save a penalty, after he replaced the injured Ken Mulholland and kept out a Doncaster spot kick.

From 1894 to 1936 Ireland's goalkeeper was named Scott for all but a handful of games. First to keep goal was Tommy Scott of Linfield, who won 13 caps before being replaced by Billy Scott, who made 23 appearances during a career that included spells with Linfield, Everton and Leeds City. After a break of five games either side of the First World War, Billy's brother Elisha of Liverpool became Ireland's first choice keeper and remained between the sticks for 16 years.

Swindon Town achieved something rather unique during the 2015/16 Football League season. On the opening day, debutant goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, who was on loan from Liverpool Football Club, saved a penalty during a 4-1 victory over Bradford City. On the final day of the season, teenage debutant Will Henry also saved a spot-kick for the Robins.

England goalkeeper Chris Woods eight-year, 43-cap international career began and ended with an away game against the United States. It was the only time the two teams met during this period.

In 1948 goalkeeper Ken Hough made his international debut for Australia against New Zealand. Ten years later, he made his debut for New Zealand against Australia.

The first goalkeepers to win the West German and East German variations of Player of the Year award did so in the same season - Borussia Dortmund's Hans Tilkowski and Leipzig's Horst Weigang doing so respectively in 1965.

German goalkeeping legend Sepp Maier and Italian great Dino Zoff share the same birthday - 28th February!

With Gordon Banks and Peter Bonetti having already secured two of the three goalkeeper berths available in Alf Ramsey's 1970 England World Cup squad, the fight for the remaining spot came down to Peter Shilton and Alex Stepney, who shared the same birthday - 18th September. Stepney won the race and sat on the bench for England's infamous quarter-final defeat to West Germany.

Aston Villa's European Cup winning goalkeepers Jimmy Rimmer and Nigel Spink both played just forty-five minutes of international football for England, against Italy in 1976 and Australia in 1983 respectively.

Scottish side Ross County remarkably started the 2020/21 season with three goalkeepers called Ross - Ross Laidlaw, Ross Munro and Ross Doohan, who came in on loan from Celtic.

Three of Italy's four World Cup winning goalkeepers - Gianpiero Combi, Dino Zoff and Gianluigi Buffon - played for Juventus at the time of their triumph. The odd man out was Aldo Olivieri, who kept goal for Lucchese.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland selected uncapped players for their third choice goalkeepers - Aberdeen's Jim Leighton and Linfield's George Dunlop - for the 1982 World Cup with both players being assigned the number 22 shirt.

Southend United goalkeeper Malcolm Webster had the misfortune to score an own goal against Charlton Athletic during games at The Valley in two consecutive seasons in the mid-1970s.

England World Cup goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Mary Earps share a birthday - 7th March.

John Lukic is one of seven goalkeepers to have won the English League title with two different clubs, doing so with Arsenal in 1988-89 and Leeds United three years later in 1991-92. In both cases he helped his team to end an 18-year wait for the title.

Facts You Probably Didn't Want to Know

The only player ever to be capped for England while playing for Stockport County was a goalkeeper. Henry Hardy made his one and only appearance in an England shirt in 1924 in a game against Belgium. He kept a clean sheet too, as the national side ran out 4-0 winners.

How many times have current Rangers and Celtic goalkeepers faced each other in an international fixture that didn't include Scotland? It certainly happened at Lansdowne Road in 1990 when Chris Woods and Pat Bonner were in goal.

Wigan Athletic had the "distinction" of providing both goalkeepers when Serbia met Ghana in the 2010 World Cup finals in the form of Vladimir Stojkovic and Richard Kingson. However, neither goalkeeper was retained by the Latics for the 2010/11 season after the club decided not to extend Stojkovic's loan spell and released Kingson from his contract.

When Wales played Finland at the Millennium Stadium in 2004, both first choice goalkeepers came from the same English club, namely Paul Jones and Antii Niemi of Southampton.

Liverpool provided both goalkeepers when Northern Ireland met Scotland in 1920 - with Elisha Scott keeping goal for the Irish and reserve keeper Kenny Campbell between the sticks at the other end.

Jones also became the first goalkeeper ever to come on as a substitute in the FA Cup Final, replacing the injured Niemi when Southampton faced Arsenal in 2003. The following year, Manchester United's Roy Carroll replaced Tim Howard in their FA Cup Final against Millwall.

In England's first ever international football match, against Scotland in 1872, goalkeeper WJ Maynard changed places with Robert Baker during the second half and played up front. Both keepers kept a clean sheet.

Not to be outdone, Scotland also changed goalkeepers when they played England in 1872. Captain Bob Gardner kept goals in the first half before changing positions with Robert Smith to play outfield in the second. Like their English counterparts, both keepers kept a clean sheet and the game - unsurprisingly - finished 0-0!

Former Leicester City and Millwall Football Club goalkeeper Kasey Keller used to be the proud owner of a gas-powered car that was unable to reverse.

The first West German player to touch the ball in the 1974 World Cup Final was goalkeeper Sepp Maier, who picked the ball out of his net after Holland's Johan Neeskens scored from the penalty spot in the opening minute.

Liverpool Football Club has a proud tradition when it comes to goalkeepers. In 2730 games only six players kept goal: Ray Clemence (656), Bruce Grobbelaar (643), Elisha Scott (467), Tommy Lawrence (387), Arthur Riley (338) and Sam Hardy (239).

Peru's Ramon Quiroga holds the distinction of being the only keeper ever to be booked during the World Cup Finals for a tackle in the opponents half of the field! It happened in 1978 when Peru met Poland.

Three goalkeepers have played against England without being registered to a recognised club. The first was Welshman Bob Mills-Robert who came out of retirement to play against England in 1892. At the time he was listed as being with a club called Llanberis, but Llanberis was simply the place where he lived and had no official team! The other two keepers were both from North America and played against England nearly a century later. In 1985 the USA fielded a team made up of college and Indoor League players but goalie Arnie Mausser, who was setting a new US record of 35 caps, had no club at all. Canadian goalie Paul Dolan found himself in a similar position a year later when he was selected to play against England. Both keepers were victims of the collapse of the NASL.

On October 16 1993, Colchester United became the first League club to have both keepers sent off in a game against Hereford United. John Keeley and Nathan Munson were both dismissed for professional fouls as the U's slumped to a 5-0 defeat.

When England played Malta in 1971, Gordon Banks touched the ball just four times - all from back passes - and didn't have a single save to make. England won 5-0.

Shaka Hislop used to work for NASA.

Towards the end of the 1998/99 season, Millwall conceded three penalties over the course of a few weeks. All three penalties were saved. The strange thing is, on each occasion the Lions had a different goalkeeper between the sticks - Phil Smith, Ben Roberts and veteran Nigel Spink.

In July 1999, all six races at Wolverhampton race track were named in honour of Mike Stowell, Wolves' long-serving goalie!

During the 1997/8 Second Division Championship season, Watford defender Steve Palmer wore all 14 shirts during the campaign. In the last home game of the season he started in goal and switched with the Hornets' regular keeper Alec Chamberlain after five seconds.

Sheffield Wednesday's Lee Bullen repeated Palmer's feat eight seasons later when he played in every possible outfield position for The Owls during the 2005/06 season, including a spell in goal when regular 'keeper David Lucas was injured during a game against relegation rivals Millwall. Bullen kept a clean sheet as Wednesday ran out 1-0 winners.

In January 2004, Jan Moons of Racing Genk became the first footballer to receive instructions from the bench via an earpiece in a first class professional game. Genk won and the goalkeeper insists he wasn't told which way to dive...

Despite producing some the best goalkeepers the game has ever seen, no keeper from the British Isles has ever topped the International Federation of Football History and Statistics' (IFFHS) goalkeeping rankings ever since they were first introduced way back in 1987. To make matters worse, the last British goalkeeper to even appear in the Top Ten was David Seaman in 1999 until Joe Hart claimed 7th place in 2011.

Brothers John and Charles Sutcliffe hold the record for the longest period between two brothers appearing in an F.A. Cup Final. Both goalkeepers, John kept goal for Bolton Wanderers when they lost to Notts County in 1894 while Charles turned out for Sheffield United 31 years later when they beat Cardiff City in the final in 1925.

Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Dick Pym won three FA Cup Winners' medals during the 1920s (1923, 1926 & 1929) and never conceded a goal at Wembley. He also lived longer than any other England international until he was overtaken by Luton Town's Ron Baynham.

When Ron Springett returned to Queens Park Rangers from Sheffield Wednesday in 1967, his brother Peter moved in the opposite direction as part of the transfer deal.

In a similar vein, when goalkeeper Bert Slater was transferred from Liverpool to Dundee, it was also something of a family affair. Reds manager Bill Shankly had sold the keeper to his brother, Bob, who was boss at Dens Park at the time.

German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is very protective of his image rights, so protective in fact that he refuses to lend his name to the popular computer game Football Manager. He therefore appears as 'Jens Mustermann' - Mustermann being the fictitious name used for sample IDs and passports in Germany, while the name Jens was selected as it's the name of his rival for the German goalkeeping shirt, Jens Lehmann.

Edwin van der Sar collects goalkeeping jerseys worn by the great custodians of the game. The Dutchman was also the first non-Italian player to keep goal for Juventus.

Mart Poom's last-minute goal for Sunderland against Derby County in 2003 inspired one local brewery to produce a special edition of a beer called Poominator Ale.

Bob Wilson - AnchormanIn November, 1985, TV presenter Bob Wilson signed for Bristol Rovers as a standby goalkeeper. He was 44-years-old at the time.

Peter Shilton was sent off for the first time in his career on August 28th, 1992 in his 971st League game.

When Spanish goalkeeper Íker Casillas first broke into the Real Madrid first team squad he was forced to travel to training by public transport because he wasn't old enough to hold a driving licence.

Italian goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi was a ballboy at the 1984 European Cup Final between Liverpool and AS Roma.

Olympiakos goalkeeper Kleopas Giannou won €1m in the Greek National Lottery in 2002.

Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar once won a bet by walking the length of Wembley Stadium on his hands.

DC United keeper Troy Perkins took a second job as a mortgage loan advisor at the start of the 2006 MLS season, which led to one wag in the crowd putting up a banner that read "Troy saves - and loans!".

Scotland goalkeeper Bobby Brown holds two distinctive international honours for his country. Not only was he the last amateur player ever to play for Scotland, doing so in 1946, but he also became their first full-time manager in 1967. As an aside, he's also the last player from Queen's Park to be capped at full international level by the Scots.

Ex-England goalkeeper David James collects Raleigh Choppers.

Germany international Tim Wiese apparently has an expensive collection of model aeroplanes and helicopters

World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon is a bit of a Subbuteo buff and has a personal collection of over 500 teams!

Former Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Scotland keeper George Wood is a keen bird watcher and has a nature reserve named after him back home in Lanarkshire.

In 1955 Doncaster Rovers Keeper Ken Hardwick was invited to attend an England Under-23 trial despite being 30 at the time. An embarrassed FA withdrew the invite once the error came to light.

When Pedro Almenez finally called it a day after twenty-two years between the sticks for Spanish amateur club Espira he was presented with a parting gift of one of the club's goals, complete with netting, which he set up in his garden as a hammock!

Former Hungary international Gyula Grosics finally got to play for his boyhood team, Ferencváros in 2008, 46 years after the Communist regime refused to allow him to sign for them. The then 82-year-old Grosics stood in goal for the opening minutes of a friendly match against Sheffield United before being substituted.

Tony Roberts has the distinction of being the only goalkeeper ever to be sent off in the opponents penalty box in an F.A. Cup ties. The former Welsh international recorded the "feat" in January 2008 while playing for Dagenham & Redbridge after clashing with Southend United's Peter Clark.

Former West Ham United and England centre half Alvin Martin scored a hattrick against three different keepers during a game against Newcastle United in April, 1986. He netted his first passed Martin Thomas, who was subsequently injured and replaced by defender Chris Hedworth, who Martin also beat. Hedworth was finally replaced by ex-England striker Peter Beardsley, allowing Martin to complete his hattrick in an 8-1 rout.

Belgian goalkeeping legend Jean-Marie Pfaff was dropped from Belgium's 1982 World Cup side after pretending to drown in the team's hotel swimming pool.

England and Old Etonians keeper John Hawtrey was the brother of famed stage actor Sir Charles Hawtrey

In June 2012, Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given had the honour of having a baby gibbon named after him. The ape, born in County Cork's Fota Wildlife Park, was christened Shay Gibbon after the name topped an online poll.

Scotland's Alan Rough was the only goalkeeper not to wear gloves during the 1978 World Cup finals. He let in six goals in three games as the Scots crashed out, despite beating eventual finalists Holland 3-2.

One-time Birmingham City and Wrexham goalkeeper Johnny Schofield survived a pit explosion at Baddesley Colliery in Warwickshire in November 1957!

Former AC Milan keeper Dida is the only Brazilian international goalie to be known by a nickname!

When the Republic of Ireland went to the World Cup in 1990 striker Niall Quinn was registered as their third-choice goalkeeper.

In March 2014, Eintracht Braunschweig goalkeeper Daniel Davari and his Borussia Mönchengladbach counterpart Marc-André ter Stegen both scored own goals in the same match. Davari has the misfortune of giving Mönchengladbach the lead in the first half before ter Stegen failed to control a back pass and ended up putting the ball into his own net. The match finished 1-1.

In 1978 France became the first team to field all three of their goalkeepers in a single World Cup tournament. First choice keeper Jean-Paul Bertrand-Demanes started both of France's opening games but in their second group game against Argentina, he was forced of the pitch injured after colliding with the goalposts and was replaced by Dominique Baratelli, who went on to concede the host nation's winner and like Bertrand-Demanes would never play for the national team again. Third-choice keeper Dominique Dropsy coming into the side for their final game of the tournament, making his debut in the process.

Other teams to have used all three goalkeepers at a World Cup include Belgium and Czechoslovakia, who both fielded all their custodians during the 1982 tournament in Spain, and Greece, who followed suit twelve years later as they struggled to keep out Argentina (4-0), Bulgaria (4-0) and Nigeria (2-0) in the group stages in the United States having gone undefeated through qualifying. Portugal used all of their goalkeepers during the 2014 World Cup Finals, with the Netherlands later following suit in the same competition.

In November 2014 Roy Carroll played two first class games in 24 hours. Having turned out for Northern Ireland in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Romania, the 37-year-old kept a clean sheet for Notts County against Coventry City in a League One clash the following afternoon.

Scott Howie went one better than Carroll back in February, 1993. Having played in Scotland's Under-21 3-0 victory over Malta, a game that kicked off at 1.30pm, Howie took the field for Clyde's 2-1 win over Queen of the South later that evening.

New York Cosmos and Boston Minutemen keeper Shep Messing posed naked for the December 1974 issue of Viva magazine, having previously posed for a centrefold in Playgirl. He was paid $5,000 and sacked by the Cosmos for his trouble.

Twenty years or so later, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and England goalkeeper Ian Walker was reputedly paid £10,000 for posing naked in For Women magazine in the UK.

In January 2015 an Australian ballboy by the name of Stephen White became the unofficial mascot and lucky charm of the China national team during the Asian Cup when he advised keeper Wang Delai which way to dive for a penalty during a group game against Saudi Arabia. Delai was seen consulting the ballboy prior to Naif Hazazi's spot kick and the 12-year-old correctly instructed the China keeper to go to his left.

Malaysia used three goalkeepers during their 10-0 thrashing by the United Arab Emirates in a World Cup qualifier in September, 2015. Khairul Fahmi Che Mat (four), Zamir Selamat (three) and Khairul Azhan Khalid (two) were all unable to keep UAE at bay as Malaysia succumbed to their heaviest defeat in international football.

In September 2015, Liverpool goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux had his loan spell with Swindon Town terminated after he paid a £50 fine for turning up late for training in pennies.

Queen of the South legend Allan Ball played over 700 games for the club and was only ever booked once - for blaspheming on Christmas Day by Scotland's most infamous referee, Tiny Wharton.

The last goalkeeper reputed to have pick the ball up from a back pass is believed to be Carlos Rivera, who kept goal for El Salvador during their 5-1 win over Nicuragua on July 23rd, 1992 a day before the rule change came into force at the Barcelona Olympic games. The last goalkeeper do the same during an FA Cup Final in England came at the end of the match between Liverpool and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium when Steve Nicol passed the ball back to Bruce Grobelaar.

Ipswich Town and Wales goalkeeper Jack Perry became a notable brick layer after hanging up his gloves and later "topped off" the Natwest building in London.

Middlesbrough goalkeeper Stephen Pears scored from the penalty spot during his testimonial at the end of the 1995 season. It proved to be the last goal scored at Ayresome Park before the club moved home to the Riverside Stadium.

Back in December 1891, Blackburn Rovers' Herby Arthur found himself in a bit of a predicament when the rest of his team left the field in protest during a game against Burnley following an altercation that saw a player from both sides sent off. The referee, Charlie Clegg, ordered the game to continue despite the fact Rovers now only had one player on the field. However, after Burnley scored Arthur successfully claimed offside and took so long to take the freekick that Clegg gave up and abandoned the match.

England international goalkeeper Arthur Savage was the organiser and participant in the first documented football match played in Australia, at Parramatta in August, 1880.

When Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart joined Serie A club Torino during the 2016/17 transfer window he became the first English goalkeeper to ever appear in the top flight of Italian football since the league's formation back in 1929.

Former Everton, Swansea City and Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies is a recognised druid, having been initiated into the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards in 1978.

Legend has it that the need for penalty box came about because of the antics of Royal Artillery goalkeeper Matt Reilly prior to the turn of the 20th Century. The Irishman, who had grown up playing Gaelic Football, had a habit of dribbling - or soloing - the ball downfield, bouncing the ball as he went. As a consequence, the box was added to the pitch to prevent Reilly and other goalkeepers from touching the ball with their hands beyond the 18-yard area.

Back in November 1970, Dutch goalkeeper Eddy Treijtel hit a seagull with one of his goal-kicks during a game between Feyenoord and Sparta Rotterdam. The bird has since become the subject of a strange custody battle between the two sides after it was stuffed and put in Feyenoord's club museum. Because the incident happened at Sparta's ground, their fans want the gull transferred to their own museum...

Hugh Whyte eventually managed to combine his medical studies with his football career. Having made five league appearances for Hibernian, Whyte refused to abandon his career in medicine when Hibs asked him to go full-time and left Easter Road to join Dunfermline Athletic, who were happy for him to play part-time for the club. Whyte established himself as first choice goalkeeper for the Pars and after hanging up his gloves in 1987, he became the club's doctor.

Watford's Reg "Skilly" Williams earned a move to the club after being spotted playing for Leavesden Mental Hospital. History fails to record whether he was an employee or a patient of said organisation at the time...

When Frenchman Willy Gueret decided to retire and hang his goalkeeping gloves up, he was offered a role as a goalkeeping coach with his former club MK Dons. However, Gueret, who also served Millwall and Swansea City with distinction, decided to return to France to set up a Cognac production company with his brother at Gimeux in southern France!

Former Fulham and Portsmouth goalkeeper Peter Mellor was the inspiration and founder the Major Beach Soccer championships in the United States.

Ex-Toronto Blizzard goalkeeper Sven Habermann, who was part of Canada's 1986 World Cup squad, appeared on the Canadian version of Dragon's Den, pitching a prototype pepper-spray self-defence product. All five of the Dragons liked his idea and invested.

According to the Factix card that was included in the Emlyn Hughes' Teamtactix boardgame that was popular in the 1980s, Everton and Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall used to collect clocks.

Former Old Malvernians goalkeeper Joe Mears was responsible for the security arrangements for Prime Minister Winston Churchill's bunker during World War Two.

Royal Engineers FA Cup winning goalkeeper William Merriman's father John, his grandfather John Snr and uncle James were all physicians to Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

Vince McBride, who kept goal for Walsall and Mansfield Town among others, has a bench at Sandiway Golf Club is set on the 12th hole in his memory.

Hartlepool United goalkeeper Eddie Blackburn once received a large turkey in the run-up to Christmas after conceding five goals in a game as part of an advertising promotion. Although Blackburn wasn't the only goalkeeper to concede five goals that day, he won the bird because he conceded a fifth before any other keeper. The turkey was donated to a local charity.

Jimmy Fraser was forced to withdraw from Australia's squad for the 1974 World Cup finals after failing to find someone to look after his dog security business. With twelve dogs to care for, Fraser, who had been his country's first choice keeper in qualifying, decided to stay behind while the rest of the squad travelled to West Germany.

Former Southend United and Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Tom Scannell was the father of Tony Scannell, who played DS Ted Roach in the television series, The Bill.

West Bromwich Albion's 1954 FA Cup winning goalkeeper Jimmy Sanders used to wear his medal around his neck when serving behind the bar in the pub he ran following retirement.

Eigil Nielsen, who kept goal for Denmark at the 1948 Olympics, founded the Select Sport company a year before he won bronze with the Danish team in London and would build the company up into one of the world's largest manufacturers of footballs. He was later credited with creating the popular 32-panel ball in 1962 using the now familiar 20 hexagonal and 12 pentagonal patches.

Dutch goalkeeper Jan De Boer helped develop the Ajax brand of fire extinguishers, named after his former club, that proved popular on the international market.

Sheffield United goalkeeper Harold Gough was once suspended by the club after he decided to become a publican in nearby Castleford. The move broke the conditions of his contract and he was suspended for six months in 1924, which effectively ended his spell with the Blades after playing over 250 games.

Ayr United goalkeeper Aidan McAdams was handed a two-match ban in December 2021 after he threw toilet rolls that had landed in his penalty area back into the crowd. The incident happened after Kilmarnock's Oli Shaw had scored a late penalty to win the match, leading to Killie fans chucking the rolls in celebration.

Harry Earle was forced to sign for Notts County in 1904 after the Football Association deemed him to be a professional after he accepted a set of furniture as a wedding gift from his previous club Clapton. The FA ruled it was a formed of payment and banned him from playing for the Tons.

Danish goalkeeper Bent Martin, who played with AGF Aarhus, Rapid Vienna and had a brief spell with Celtic, turned down the chance to play for Denmark in an international against Norway in June, 1973 because he had to take a banking exam on the day of the match!

John Tollmann, who was the first goalkeeper and one of the founders of FC Basel, was also a successful businessman, specialising in tea, and were for a time the only Swiss company that had their own tea plantations!

At the start of the 1979/80 season, Coventry City played three matches in the space of six days with three different goalkeepers between the sticks and didn’t concede a single goal in the process. First choice Jim Blyth had started the Sky Blues’ League Cup tie against Ipswich on August 29th but was injured in the warm up prior to their League fixture against Norwich City at Highfield Road the following Saturday. He was replaced by 17-year-old youth team keeper Steve Murcott, who had already played a game that morning, then the following Tuesday reserve keeper Les Sealey took over between the sticks for their second leg against Ipswich and recording his side’s third-straight shutout.

Sunderland goalkeeper Jimmy Thorpe was the last player to have been awarded a Football League championship winner’s medal posthumously, after the Rokerites won the 1936 tite. Thorpe had died earlier in the season as a result of injuries sustained in a match against Chelsea that caused complications with his diabetes.

England Lioness and Manchester United Ladies goalkeeper Mary Earps had a tram named after her in December 2023 in her native Nottingham (tram number 222!).

Portsmouth and York City goalkeeper Jim Cairney's brother, John, was a successful actor, appearing in such films as Lucky Jim, A Night to Remember, Cleopatra and Jason and the Argonauts before going on to star in a one-man show about Robert Burns.

When Polish goalkeeper Bishek Szajina-Stankowski turned out for an RAF side during World War Two at the Goldstone Ground, he was listed in the matchday programme as 'A. Pole' for fear of possible recriminations by the German army aginst his family back in Poland.

Chesterfield goalkeeper Ray Middleton was keen to do his bit for the war effort in 1940 and volunteered to work down the mines but insured his hands for £2,000 just incase anything happened to end his career.

Welling United Football Club was founded by former Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Leyton Orient goalkeeper Syd Hobbins and he remained the Wings chairman up until his death.

Sheffield Wednesday's Martin Hodge was reputedly the first goalkeeper to roll the ball out of his box before kicking it down field.