there are two ways to look at this: a) pick one of the four as better than the others without considering that these four are not among the best in the world. b) it's a stupid poll and no one but a complete tool would vote in it. ( i picked b, but i said, as an aside, that Pepe Reina should be included in a shortlist of best current keepers. )
What's the matter ? Lloris is 19 and Mandanda is 22 and they already have quiet an international level. If Frey is better than Buffon, then Coupet is probably the best goalkeeper through the Universe.
If Frey is better than Buffon, then Coupet is probably the best goalkeeper through the Universe. [/quote] ahahaha lol are you serious? i think most of the footballing world would disagree
What other keepers to do you rate? Personally speaking I would rank Buffon, Casillas and Cech in the top tier. I think most would agree. In the second tier there are lots of quality keepers with very little between them and I would probably put Reina there.
i don't watch La Liga matches nor Espana NT, so Casillas is known to me only by reputation, which is good. if you think that the quality of the play in La Liga is as good as EPL ( I don't ), then the best arquero in La Liga would be worthy of consideration in the pantheon of the premier goalies. Buffon is more known to me, because of World Cup and seeing an occasional Serie A match with Juve. Because I have a distaste for Juventus, born out of the fact that I don't like Fiat and the Agnelli family in general, Buffon suffers by association. Also, while I must respect the accomplishments of the Italian NT, I favor other nations, so Buffon suffers accordingly. His performance in the year following the World Cup has been less spectacular. Of course he led Juve out of the second tier, but he has conceded 13 goals in 13 matches ( unless he didn't play in all of them -- i can't find that info ), which is hardly stellar. As to Čech, his record with Chelsea speaks for itself. He benefits from a very solid back line, as does Reina, but his size and agility ( for a monster ) are very good. For me, I would rate Reina as one of the best penalty goalies in the world, which shows his individual skills. He's not got the size of Buffon or Čech, so he has to be very quick off his mark. Of course, being somewhat shorter may be to his advantage there, and what's an inch or two where penalties are concerned. The folks pimping Coupet and Frey can say all they want, but Coupet plays in an inferior league, and Frey has only been a prominent goalie for a short time.
For those of you who are writing that when Buffon hangs up his cleats he will be known as the best goalkeeper ever are clearly deluded! A certain Gordon Banks and Lev Yashin come to mind. There is no doubt his is great and is the current best, which is what the thread was about. I just want to add that Guillermo Ochoa is a great keeper and has some of the best reflexes and diving abilities in a young keeper. Yes he currently plays in Mexico, but he is only 22. He is making a big impact in the league, with a lesser team playing in front of him, and is currently on the books for a transfer to Old Trafford.
Van Der Saar, Kuszczak and Foster....do you think that this Ochoa is better than either of these three excellent goalkeepers? He wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of starting, even in a cup match. He needs to go to a lower tier European league, or a lesser Prem team, and maybe he would be able to start learning from elder keepers. 22 is too young to judge a keeper, anyway. As for Yashin, please, do not even mention this name until you've seen some games with him in the nets. It's like saying Leonidas was the greatest striker ever..he might have been, but how qualified are we to make that judgment?
Right now, Ochoa is really better than Kuszczak and Foster, maybe not van der Sar for the experience surely, but for performance this year...
Ochoa may be a solid goalie, but he doesn't have enough height ever to compete with the likes of Buffon and Čech.
Definitely, Buffon and Cech are higher than him, was only a comparison with Polish Kuszczak and English Foster.
Campos was a great keeper and he was freakin short, you just have to have good reaction and ups btw Ochoa is 6' 1", you know who else is 6' 1", Casillas so I dont know where you're trying to come with that statement cuz Casillas can def compete with Buffon and Cech [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tK1lMxjevQ[/youtube]
Thankyou Bigsoccer for wishing me a happy birthday today for my 27th. Much apprechiated (Soz can't spell that word, damn).
Really? I mean, REALLY? Forget Almunia, I support Bayern and I know even Rensing is better than Kahn right now...
Boruc hands down should be on that list... Sebastian Frey who plays in Seria A.. Honestly that list is shite.
Barthez and Keller??? Man, this poll is old! I'm going to have to go with the guy from Barcelona, Iker Casillas.
Buffon, Casillas and Cech are at the top of my list. On current form, Robert Green (yeah...homer, I know) from West Ham has been playing lights out. He's shaky on crosses, but his shot stopping, especially from the spot, has been incredible as of late.