Goalkeeping Museum

The BBC voted this Thomas Kuszczak save for West Brom as their “Save of the Season” - it isn’t hard to see why!

This demonstrates great awareness, drive and most of all a will to stop the ball at all costs, as he dives at Roberts’ feet and pulls off a great save.

Kuszczak would move to Manchester United at the end of this season, a transfer surely at least in part due to this fine save.

Watch this excellent save made by Doni of Brazil in their Copa Anmerica final against arch rivals Argentina.

Riquelme gets plenty behind his drive for the top-right corner of Doni’s goal, but the keeper is up to the task of saving it.

Another Brazilian to look out for plying his trade in Italy.

In the international between Ghana and Australia at Loftus Road on November 14 2006, Autralia led 1-0 and had this corner.

Richard Kingson (AKA Faruk Gürsoy) pulled off this incredible save from the header. The game eventually finished 1-1 - thanks in no small part to the athletic actions of Kingson.

Kingson would go on to sign for Birmingham City in summer 2007.

In Chelsea’s Premier League match against Portsmouth in the 2006/07 season, Chelsea led 1-0 and a great cross was met by the head of veteran goal-scorer Andrew Cole. Unfortunately for Cole, Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper, performed an extraordinary reflex save to his left to deny Cole.

Polish Cech, in his early 20s, looks destined to be a goalkeeping great, and is sure to add to the trophies he has collected so far with Chelsea.

Have a look at former Brøndby goalkeeper Mogens Krogh saving from Steffen Højer of Viborg.

This overhead volley looked destined to be a great goal, but the keeper had other ideas!

As a keeper, you know you’ve done well when the man you just saved from congratulates you - it is also nice to see football played in this spirit.

Krogh is currently the goalkeeping coach at Brøndby.

Watch this great save from Nelson Dida at point blank range for Milan in their Champion’s League match versus Ajax.

Technically, it would appear as though Dida has taken the logical assumption that this is where the shot was likely - rather than being a purely ‘reaction’ save - however, it is a great strong arm save and Dida puts the ball into safety.

We found this footage of a great Angelo Peruzzi penalty save from 1988/89 Serie A season from Italy where Roma took on Atalanta.

With the Romans leading 2-0, they looked good for victory, until a penalty was awarded to Atalanta.

Angelo Peruzzi, who would later enjoy a long period as Italian first choice goal keeper, made a terrific save right in the bottom right hand corner.

Notice how he makes little of the save, and distributes the ball well to start off another Roma counter-attack, compare this to the reaction of Buffon, the present day Italian keeper, when he saves a pen!

The second choice goalkeeper for Bahrain Under 23s in their match against Qatar (which they lost 0-4) showed just what you have to do to recover from an error.

After a horrible clearance went straight to the opposition center forward, leaving him effectively stranded, he sprinted back to produce a last ditch save of the resulting shot. Great determination!

A good lesson for any aspiring goalkeeper: never give up (especially if it was your mistake!).

It’s Gianuigi Buffon again! This time, watch as he dives low to his right to save a Figo penalty for Juventus in their Champions League match against Real Madrid.

There could well be an entire category here devoted to Buffon by the time he retires!

Currently considered the best goalkeeper in the world by many, Gianluigi Buffon also sets standards when it comes to goalkeeping dress.

During the recent European Championship Qualifier against Scotland, played on a particularly cold and wet Glasgow evening, the Italian goalkeeper set a new trend by wearing a woolen hat, and a bench jacket underneath his goalkeeper shirt.

It is often said that “goalkeepers are different” and that one must posses a certain level of eccentricity to be prepared to spend so long trying to do the opposite of every other player on the pitch. Buffon, it seems, is no different!