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Home » What are The Different Types of Goalkeepers in football?

What are The Different Types of Goalkeepers in football?

“Everybody makes mistakes, but when a goalkeeper makes them, it is costly. That’s the nature of being a goalkeeper.”- Gary Speed.

From the outside looking in, it may seem as though goalkeepers have the easiest job on the team. They stay in the same spot throughout the entire football match AND they get to use their hands?!

Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. Don’t be fooled, goalkeepers arguably have the heaviest responsibilities on the pitch, when compared to their outfield teammates.

They are quite literally the last line of defence for their team.

With that being said, what characteristics make for a great goalkeeper and what are the different types of goalkeepers?

In summary, goalkeepers can essentially be broken down into three categories; pure shot stoppers, ball playing goalkeepers and sweeper keepers. Shot stoppers are deployed only to stop the ball from going into the net and nothing else. Ball playing goalkeepers are essentially shot stoppers that also have good passing ability. Sweeper keepers are specialised ball playing goalkeepers that are not afraid to leave their box to receive the ball

What are the different types of goalkeepers?

Despite having a fairly straight forward job description (stop balls from flying in the net), there is quite a bit of variation between the styles of different goalkeepers.

It goes without saying that each person is unique and that goalkeepers are no exception.

However, goalkeepers do tend to fall into three broad categories; shot stoppers, ball playing goalkeepers and sweeper keepers.

What is a shot stopper?

A shot stopper is a goalkeeper whose primary (and sometimes only) responsibility is to make saves and stop the ball from going into their net.

They do by performing acrobatic saves and anticipating the direction and power behind the shots of attacking players.

As a result of this, shot stoppers typically possess extreme athleticism, reaction time and hand eye coordination.

Because their primary mandate is to save shots, most dedicated shot stoppers do not possess high technical skills.

In addition, they usually do not possess great passing ability outside of regular goal kicks and free kicks in and around the penalty area.

Good example: David De Gea

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A good example of a dedicated shot stopper in recent years is David De Gea.

The Spaniard was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world at one point, and for good reason too.

Due to a questionable Manchester United defence, he found himself needing to make incredible saves game after game.

His shot stopping ability is often credited as being the main reason that Manchester United have maintained their big club status over the past couple of years.

With saves like this, it’s easy to see why people think that.

Other examples

Other great examples of shots stoppers are Hugo Lloris, Joe Hart and Jan Oblak.

What is a ball playing goalkeeper?

A ball playing goalkeeper is essentially a more modernized version of a regular shot stopper.

In addition to possessing great shot stopping ability, a ball playing goalkeeper has a wide passing range, and is also capable of contributing to their team’s offensive build up play.

With the fast pace of the game nowadays, being able to view your goalkeeper as a passing outlet is incredibly valuable.

This is further emphasised due to the fact that strikers tend to press centre backs relentlessly when they are in possession of the ball in their own half.

Good example: Alisson Becker

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Before Liverpool’s recent success, they were unfortunately subjected to a long line of subpar goalkeepers.

For several years, many believed that the only missing piece of their puzzle was a top-class goalkeeper. In steps Alisson Becker and their goalkeeping problems magically disappeared.

In addition to being a stellar shot stopper, Alisson has great technical ability and regularly participates in the build up play of Liverpool attacks.

Who can complain when their goalkeeper is pulling off assists like this?

Other examples

Other good examples of ball playing goalkeepers are Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ederson and Victor Valdez.

What is a sweeper keeper?

A sweeper keeper is essentially a variant of a ball playing goalkeeper.

However, the difference between a sweeper keeper and a ball playing goalkeeper is that a sweeper keeper is highly comfortable with leaving their penalty area and going infield to receive the ball.

This basically allows their team to play with 11 outfield players, as opposed to 10.

Apart from participating in build up play, sweeper keepers are also well known for reading the game and rushing out of their box to clear the ball when the opposition attempts long passes.

As you would imagine, being a great sweeper keeper not only requires great shot stopping and technical ability, but immense composure as well.

Good example: Manual Neuer

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Hands down, the best example of sweeper keeper in the past few decades.

Seeing Neuer rush out of his box to provide an inch perfect pass or thwart the oppositions attack has become a weekly occurrence at Bayern Munich.

However, behind that crazy goalkeeping style lies a highly competent goalkeeper that has been regarded as the best goalie in the world for several years now.

Here, we have Neuer in his natural playing position…

Other examples

Additional examples of sweeper keepers are Lev Yashin, Edwin van der sar and Fabien Barthez.

Why is being a goalkeeper so difficult?

What makes being a goalkeeper so difficult is the mentality required.

Goalkeepers need to be focussed for 100% of every match, despite the fact that much of the game may not be played near them.

The reasoning for this is that it is very easy for outfield players to capitalize on the errors of goalkeepers, despite being nowhere near them most of the time.

Nobody wants to be the guy that David Beckham caught sleeping on the job.

Just as the opening line of this article states; one slight mistake could end up costing your team the game. No other position has such a low margin for error.

In addition to requiring a strong mentality, goalkeepers have to be ready and willing to take a ball, boot or knee to the face, all in the name of preventing the opposition from scoring.

The bravery required to meet that criteria is insane.

What makes a great goalkeeper?

Following on from the previous section, what makes a great goalkeeper is the right combination of bravery and concentration.

This combination, in tandem with the necessary physical and technical requirements for being a professional athlete are essential.

Add a dash of craziness to the mix, and you might just have a world class goalkeeper. Just look at Rene Higuita in the clip below. No sane footballer (or person) would act like this.

What is the ideal height for a goalkeeper?

Contrary to popular belief, there is no ‘ideal’ height for a goalkeeper. Athleticism and overall technical ability take preference over anything else when it comes to scouting keepers.

For example, standing at 6 ft 0, Iker Cassilas is probably considered to be a short goalkeeper by many football fans. However, he is one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, and has captained his country to a World cup victory.

In the same vein, Thibaut Courtois stands at 6 ft 7, and has proven himself to be one of the best in the business in recent years.

Closing thoughts

The goalkeeper position is probably the most specialised position in all of football. It is also the least forgiving to human error.

Goalkeepers are a special breed and should be given the utmost respect for simply putting on the gloves and subjecting themselves to all that comes with the role.

For more detailed descriptions of player roles and positions, be sure to check out the articles below:

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