Who Saved The Most Penalties?

We have had a crystal clear discussion on who has missed or scored most penalties. Penalties are one of the extremely significant ways to determine the winner of a game when the result of a match is drawn. In case of a draw, when a penalty is awarded to the opposing team, it becomes a responsibility of the goalkeeper to prevent the score. The goalkeepers play a leading role in preventing loss for their team and some of the most skilled ones are globally known for doing their job. 

In this article, we are going to tell you such prominent names who have used their prolific skills to save most penalty saves and become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Players with best stats and Penalty saving records in football today. According to the recent reports of publications like Transfermarkt and Goal, here is a list of top ten goalkeepers who have saved most penalties. 

1. Samir Handanovic

The Inter Milan professional goalkeeper has topped the list of best goalkeepers with most penalty saves (38) Handanovic played for Milan in the 2022/23 season alongside Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana. The Milan goalie has more than a 1 goal per game rate of scoring as he conceded 777 gaols in just 711 appearances while keeping over 250 clean sheets. 

2. Gianluigi Buffon

Having saved a total of 30 penalties, Gianluigi Buffon has made s record for being the best goalkeeper with second most penalty saves. For record, it has always been clear that he is one of the best goalie of all time since he has one of the highest numbers of clean sheets in Serie A. Despite announcing his retirement after the 2021/22 season, Buffon has led his former teams including Juventus FC and Parma to several victories. One of the most evident examples for this is his extreme significance in leading Bianconeri to the 2002 UEFA Champions League final.

3. Diego Alves

With unprecedented and invincible preventing abilities, the top former Serie A custodian has recorded a total of 26 Penalty saves. Since his professional football Debut in 2004, he has registered 147 clean sheets conceding 598 goals in a total of 494 games he played in his career. Referring to his incredible penalty shot stopping heroics, he told Goal, “I know it is a subject that is very much debated, because I save a lot of penalties, but I take it naturally. I do not like facing penalties. However, I am always prepared”. 

4. Manuel Neuer

Regarded as one of the greatest well-known goalkeepers of all time, Manuel Neuer is popularly known as “SuperManu”. One nickname was not enough for Neuer as he earned another one “The Wall” in 2016 after recording 100 goals in 183 matches beating the existing record holder, Oliver Reck. 

The brilliant Bayern Munich goalie has saved 25 penalties. He serves as captain for Bayern Munich and also won a Golden Glove after helping Germany to win the matches against Algeria, United States and Portugal in the 2014 World Cup. Neuer’s most iconic and memorable moment was when he saved a Romelu Lukaku penalty to lift the UEFA Super Cup Munich in 2013.

5. Petr Cech

Petr Cech is counted as one of the top goalies with most clean sheets in the Premier League. Cech, the goalkeeper who minded the Guildford Phoenix ice Hockey net, is known for his unending strength. Despite suffering from one of the most critical injuries in football, he didn’t stop and kept on playing until he became one of the highest rated goalies of all time. 

Throughout his career, he had won 341 clean sheets and 695 goals in a total of 700 appearances. The fifth best goalkeeper with 25 saves, retired in 2019 but in culmination of his undisputed and evident legacy that he left behind, he made a comeback to his former team Chelsea as a performance advisor. He served there until June 30, 2022. 

6. Iker Casillas

If not top five, Iker Casillas at least succeeded in securing a place in top ten goalkeepers with most penalty saves. Widely known for his heroics and brilliant performances, Casillas is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time as well as the Goalkeeper with most Champion League penalty saves. Casillas saved 20 penalties throughout his career alongside winning five consecutive World Awards for IFFHS Best Goalkeeper from 2008 to 2012. 

The former Real Madrid star also led the Spanish National football team to its first World Cup win in 2010. The Golden Glove winner got appreciation from the great legend Gianluigi Buffon as Buffon told UEFA.com, “I don’t have to use up many words to say how good he is. The results are there for all to see. He has won everything there is to win and has been on the same great level for so many years”. 

7. Pepe Reina

Pepe Reina provided a proof of his ability after breaking David James’ record for eleven consecutive EPL clean sheets at Liverpool during his career. He made it evident how good he is. Having said that, he has also saved a total of 19 penalties. Throughout his entire career he made 177 clean sheets in 134 games for the Premier League while as a whole he made 394 appearances. It’s said truth doesn’t need evidence. Although Reina didn’t make as many appearances as other prominent players, he gave vengeful performances with his incredible goal preventing abilities.

8. Tim Howard

Tim Howard with a total of 18 penalty saves, is USA’s first choice goalkeeper with coveted attributes. Although the proud USA goalie retired from International stage, he still continues to play actively for the Memphis 901, a team he is co-owner of. Howard holds the World record for most World Cup saves after netting 16 goals against Belgium in Round 16 of Brazil’s 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

Howard has always been one of the legendary and prolific goalkeepers for all the teams he played for. In 2012, he scored a sole goal for Everton against Bolton Wanderers. Although Everton didn’t win the match 2-1, he became the fourth goalkeeper to score goals in the Premier League.

9. Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny is currently playing for  Poland National football team as a goalkeeper. Szczesny is a three times Italian Champion who has contributed to the success of Juventus in several victories. The former Polish goalie has 17 penalty saves and 179 clean sheets in 479 appearances he made throughout his career. 

Interestingly, Szczęsny is not the only one with 17 saves, other former goalkeepers like Sebastian Frey, Hans Jorg and AC Milan’s former goalie Antonio Mirante as well as Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris share the same number of saves. 

10. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Gianluigi Donnarumma is not just tenth goalie with most penalty saves but also Widely Known and talented goalkeeper of all time. He is globally popular as one of the top scoring goalkeepers with highly astonishing stats. According to Donnarumma’s FBREF profile, he has an 84.8% save percentage in Ligue 1 and 80% save rate in UEFA Champions League. 

Although he currently has a total of 16 penalty saves to his name, he stands at tenth position in the list of most saves tieng with former Sevilla Netminder Andres Palop as well as Fulham’s Bernd Leno who share the number of saves. 

Top five Goalkeepers with most Premier League penalty saves in the world

Notable names in football history

Which African Goalkeeper has the most Penalty saves?

Most recently, in 2021 the Mamelodi’s former goalkeeper Dennis Onyango obtained the place among only few keepers to ever stop five consecutive goals in one shootout against Cape Town City FC. He became the second player to save the most penalties ever in a shootout after German Player Daniel Batz who first blocked 5 goals in one go. 

It seems that Denis Onyango has done masters in Saving penalties. Players like him are those top keepers who with most penalty saves take charge of ensuring heroic victory of their team in culmination of which they sometimes become the most celebrated and admired players by everyone. 

Who is the King of Penalty?

After Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2022 with two penalty shootouts, everyone must be aware of the significance of the penalty. Penalty is often used to determine the results of a tie match. It makes even the audience nervous when they see the tension between goalkeeper and the penalty taker. 

Being one of the greatest footballers of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo is referred to as the god of penalty. Known for his dribbling and goal scoring skills, he is one of the most popular footballers around the world as well. All of his career success makes it inevitable to leave him out of this list. Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the best and most successful Penalty takers in the world. 

The Portuguese superstar can cause a large hole in the net with his powerful shot. The former Manchester United forward has scored penalties for La Liga, English Premier League and Serie A becoming their last chance at win. He has a 84% rate of penalty conversion which is best though he has lost a couple of penalties in high octane situations like missing the spot kick for United against Chelsea in 2008 Champions league in Moscow.