Goalkeeping Museum

Penalty shootouts provide goalkeepers with their opportunity to make a direct influence on a match - or tournament - it is the keepers moment to shine.

Oliver Kahn and Santiago Canizares shared the limelight in the world’s biggest stage in the 2001 Champions League Final, as the match between Kahn’s FC Bayern Munich and Canizares’ Valencia CF ended in deadlock after 120 minutes of normal play.

This penalty shootout ranks as one of the greatest ever in terms of drama and circumstance - a champions league final, which saw four penalties saved, and one missed.

Both keepers went into this match at the top of their game, and, for Kahn in particular, this match marked the height of his keeping powers.

Watch Oliver Kahn’s first penalty save low to his right, then marvel at the amazing reflexes he exhibits for the fourth pen: as he chooses to dive to his left and the taker aims directly at the middle of Kahn’s goal, with a hard, high shot. Miraculously, Kahn manages to get a solid hand on the ball, and tip it onto the crossbar.

Had that fourth shot gone in, it is very likely Valencia would have won the shootout, the match, and consequently the 2001 Champions League. In our opinion, that great penalty save therefore won Bayern Munchen the trophy.

Truly awesome.


The Spaniard, Santiago Canizares has enjoyed a long and successful goalkeeping career.

We discovered this amateur footage of a save from a Ronaldinho free-kick which he made at the age of 36.

This save demonstrates Canizares’ great agility, and he dives high to his left to turn away a free-kick from arguably the best outfield player of the past decade.

Canizares has made several show-stopping saves throughout his career, and this one is no different.

On the 19 May, 1973, the old enemies, England and Scotland met at Wembley in the (now no more) Home International Championship. The England goalkeeper, one Peter Leslie Shilton, made this phenomenal save, which will live on long in the memory of all England fans who were there at the time.

England won the game 1-0, which makes this special save all the more important: it was a match winner.

Peter Shilton would later become England’s first choice keeper for many years, finally finishing his international career well after his fortieth birthday.

This save is widely recognised as one of the best ever made. There are several reasons for this, not least because:

• it was in a World Cup;
• a header by arguably the best centre-forward of the era; and
• Banks managed to put the ball out of play.

Gordon Banks was a fine goalkeeper for England, perhaps one of the greatest ever, particularly given the success he enjoyed at the highest level.

England fans won’t remember Radoslaw Majdan with any fondness after the display he made for his native Poland.

One centre half in particular will have been very disappointed that the long haired Pole was on such top form:

As a defender, scoring an own goal is a real frustration, not to mention that its embarrassing. In this Champion’s League match between Manchester United and Celtic, Boruc of Celtic makes a great save from his own defender, and saves some blushes.

Having produced a fine penalty save against United in the home fixture, Boruc appears to enjoy playing United.