Russian footballer crowned greatest goalkeeper ever
Soviet footballing legend Lev Yashin has been named the greatest goalkeeper in the sport’s history by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Yashin leads the organization’s latest all-time ranking, ahead of Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer.
The updated ranking, announced Friday, also includes Iker Casillas, Gordon Banks, Petr Cech, Dino Zoff, Sepp Maier, Ricardo Zamora, and Oliver Kahn.
Yashin, who played his entire club career for Dynamo Moscow, remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or – a prestigious annual award presented by the magazine France Football since 1956 to the best football player in the world. He received the honor in 1963. Yashin earned 74 caps for the USSR national team, winning the 1956 Olympic gold medal and the 1960 European Championship.
Yashin was previously named the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by IFFHS and was included on the FIFA World Cup All-Time Team.
The Soviet legend was born in 1929 in Moscow into a working-class family – his parents were factory laborers. From early childhood, Yashin was immersed in sport, laying the foundation for an extraordinary career.
He spent an unmatched 22 seasons with Dynamo Moscow, winning the USSR Championship five times and lifting the Soviet Cup on three occasions.
His farewell match took place on May 27, 1971, at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in front of over 100,000 fans.
He played a total of 358 matches for Dynamo, setting a club record with 178 clean sheets. He is widely credited for having helped redefine the role of goalkeeper in football.
Yashin passed away on March 20, 1990, in Moscow at the age of 60.
