Rank Buffon, Casillas and Neuer

[giorno]

Neuer is the best, something even Buffon and Casillas acknowledge. He changed the position

As for the other two, Casillas peak years(2008-2012) were better than Buffon's, but the latter has longevity and arguably the longest peak(seriously, what were Buffon's peak years? He basically was near flawless for 20 years) ever

Plus for me there's nationality vs club loyalty to consider

 

[harms]

Neuer I first used to see at the club he was at before joining Bayern, I think United put 4 past him. Didn’t stand out to me tbh, but also back then what I noticed was shot stopping.

Seriously? His performance against us when he was at Schalke is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeeping performance in history of the tournament, and rightly so. Schalke were non-existent and he kept them in the game single-handedly for a good while.

 

[André Dominguez]

Neuer was the most complete keeper, agree. In terms of cross interceptions peak Buffon was amazing: you could cross into the box all match, he would get most of them.

I think Casillas was the less complete of the bunch, but his 1-on-1 was something amazing: you could see opposition players were already nervous when 1 on 1 against him at his peak.

Neuer is the complete package. Plus his skills with the ball on his feet combined with him reading the game like a sweeper would, made him probably the most valuable modern sweeper-keeper yet to exist. There are other keepers who are actually more skilled with their feet (Edérson has more tricks in the lock), but the way Neuer read the game, either by anticipation or by using his vision, is still one of a kind.

 

[HTG]

Neuer was the most complete keeper, agree. In terms of cross interceptions peak Buffon was amazing: you could cross into the box all match, he would get most of them.

I think Casillas was the less complete of the bunch, but his 1-on-1 was something amazing: you could see opposition players were already nervous when 1 on 1 against him at his peak.

Neuer is the complete package. Plus his skills with the ball on his feet combined with him reading the game like a sweeper would, made him probably the most valuable modern sweeper-keeper yet to exist. There are other keepers who are actually more skilled with their feet (Edérson has more tricks in the lock), but the way Neuer read the game, either by anticipation or by using his vision, is still one of a kind.

Can Ederson do that?

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

Seriously? His performance against us when he was at Schalke is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeeping performance in history of the tournament, and rightly so. Schalke were non-existent and he kept them in the game single-handedly for a good while.

Was thinking that reading that, wild to say didn’t stand out. Definition of standing out, top 3 goalkeeping performances I’ve ever seen.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Seriously? His performance against us when he was at Schalke is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeeping performance in history of the tournament, and rightly so. Schalke were non-existent and he kept them in the game single-handedly for a good while.

His performance against Porto two seasons before was even better. It was his first or second season as the number 1 at Schalke (21 yrs old), that was when people in Germany began to take notice of his immense talent.

Neuer was the most complete keeper, agree. In terms of cross interceptions peak Buffon was amazing: you could cross into the box all match, he would get most of them.

I think Casillas was the less complete of the bunch, but his 1-on-1 was something amazing: you could see opposition players were already nervous when 1 on 1 against him at his peak.

Neuer is the complete package. Plus his skills with the ball on his feet combined with him reading the game like a sweeper would, made him probably the most valuable modern sweeper-keeper yet to exist. There are other keepers who are actually more skilled with their feet (Edérson has more tricks in the lock), but the way Neuer read the game, either by anticipation or by using his vision, is still one of a kind.

The think the last part of his anticipation is very important and why he is the best sweeper keeper ever. For as much as people say he always had a mistake in him because of the aggressive way he would sweep, he did very rarely make mistakes sweeping from the back. I never paniced, as a Germany fan, when watching him charge forward because it rarely resulted in a goal. Another thing he was also very good at was remaining calm when either he might not be first to the ball when sweeping or when put under pressue on the ball. I've seen keepers panic and make rash clearances or foul players when trying to sweep, Neuer though would a lot of times, if not first to the ball, pressure the opposition player so much so as to effect their shot on goal even if they were first to the ball.

 

[Lyng]

Neuer was a goalkeeper revolution.

 

[Righteous Steps]

Neuer was a goalkeeper revolution.

In what way?

 

[Righteous Steps]

Can Ederson do that?

That’s easy to do, he’s just crazy enough to do it that time, Ederson is undoubtedly better with the ball at his feet than Neur is/was.

 

[Lyng]

In what way?

It felt like he was the first one to really show how the game could be played when your keeper is great on the ball.

 

[Pronewbie]

No sense comparing players across such big periods of time, I think. Maybe 5 people on the forum have watched Yashin.

Then let's never use Maradona or Pele as a comparison of any sort.

Yashin is an important figure in the history of goalkeeping. No one else played like him till he laid the blueprint.


The only thing Casilas arguably revolutionised is his fall from grace for a goalkeeper supposedly at his peak age.

 

[Acrobat7]

I’ll always remember Casillas as the 18 year old who was just breaking into the RM team and played against us in 99/00. He won them the game over two legs. You could see he was going to be a top top quality keeper.

Neuer I first used to see at the club he was at before joining Bayern, I think United put 4 past him. Didn’t stand out to me tbh, but also back then what I noticed was shot stopping.

Buffon is just an icon. Shame he doesn’t have a CL. Ideally would have been great if he spent some of the serie a lost years in a league other than the French league.

1. Heart says Buffon, but has to go to Casillas due to 3 CL, World Cup, 2 European Championships and competing during peak Barca era.

2. Buffon.. my hears first choice. But his loyalty cost him. A good part of his career was spent in serie a when it had gone downhill.

3. Neuer.. I know his highly rated. But I’ve seen him in a crap team and he didn’t stand out. Of course in a great team he is a very good keeper.

Wait... what?! You are certainly wumming?

 

[HTG]

That’s easy to do, he’s just crazy enough to do it that time, Ederson is undoubtedly better with the ball at his feet than Neur is/was.

Yeah, but this won’t stop me from using every possible excuse to post this. It’s a shame that the opposing coaches reaction is missing from the video. That was funny.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

I don’t think Casillas is in the conversation. I get he has an unbelievable trophy cabinet which will sway things with people, but I think peak De Gea was better. Casillas made great saves, De Gea made impossible saves and stylistically they were similar with similar weaknesses too.

 

[Righteous Steps]

It felt like he was the first one to really show how the game could be played when your keeper is great on the ball.

Im not sure wasn’t Valdes very good on the ball? They started their professional careers around the same time but it feels like Valdes came to prominence a little bit before.

Neur is the best Goalkeeper of the last 30 years though, don’t think that’s in question.

 

[Lyng]

I don’t think Casillas is in the conversation. I get he has an unbelievable trophy cabinet which will sway things with people, but I think peak De Gea was better. Casillas made great saves, De Gea made impossible saves and stylistically they were similar with similar weaknesses too.

Yeah have to agree with this. Casillas has never seemed like something special to me.

 

[Lyng]

Im not sure wasn’t Valdes very good on the ball? They started their progressional careers around the same time but it feels like Valdes came to prominence a little bit before.

Neur is the best Goalkeeper of the last 30 years though, don’t think that’s in question.

Valdes was quite good yes, though Id argue not as good at it as Neuer.

 

[Hammondo]

Buffon
Neuer
..
..
..
Casillas

This.

 

[troylocker]

I can't believe the general underrating of Casillas in this thread.
He's won more international trophies (EUROs, WCs and CLs) than any other GK. He guarded the Spanish goal 167 times and kept a 102 clean sheets, won a WC and 2 EUROs, he was 1st choice in goal for the biggest club in the world for 15 of the 16 seasons be was there and won his place in the 1st team at the age of 18. He won 3 CLs and countless domestic trophies all the way up till his retirement at 38.
He played 1048 games for club and country over 20 years of senior football and is critiziced for his longevity.

Neuer has played played 823 senior games in his career is being phased out of Bayern and will never catch Casillas in games played.

For me it's very tough to rank them because they were all extremely good over a very long time and they have so different skillsets. Neuer maybe the best of them 1on1, Buffon maybe the best shotstopper between them in his peak and Casillas is maybe the most complete of them for me.

 

[RedRocket9908]

Casillas
Neuer
Buffon

All 3 were miles better than David De Gea ever was

 

[Pughnichi]

Never too bothered by Casillas. I’d have a few in ahead of him. Schmeichel and VDS for starters.

I get that he was part of a Spanish team that dominated…but he had an unbelievably strong 10 players in front of him.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Im not sure wasn’t Valdes very good on the ball? They started their progressional careers around the same time but it feels like Valdes came to prominence a little bit before.

Neur is the best Goalkeeper of the last 30 years though, don’t think that’s in question.

Valdez started his career earlier than Neuer. Neuer's first season as a starting GK was 2006-07, Valdes had already won a UCL by then and was a started for a few seasons.

Neuer's impact isn't from his ability on the ball. As you noted Valdes was already very good at that, so too Reina and even VDS to an extent. Sweeper keeper isn't just about ball playing ability but, more importantly being, being able to play outside the box and act as a third defender. That was something no keeper in the modern era before Neuer was doing, even Valdes. That has been the revolution that contributed to the development of keepers like Ederson, Allison and Onana, who are expected to be able to intercept passes outside the box.

 

[ForFuchsSake]

Buffon maintained a world class level for around two decades and never really dropped off from the conversation of ‘world’s best goalkeeper’ during that time, whereas the same can’t be said for Casillas despite his peak being outstanding.

I think, ability-wise, Neuer is the best of the three but has been blighted by injury in recent seasons so perhaps falls below Buffon in the ranking. It might depend on the level he sustains throughout the rest of his career, though from what I’ve seen, he’s returned impressively since his injury.

In terms of goalkeeper legacy, longevity really plays a defining role. Look at how highly regarded de Gea was and how he might have been in the conversation for best ever United keeper (alongside Schmeichel and VDS) but unfortunately his drop off was so drastic.

 

[HTG]

I can't believe the general underrating of Casillas in this thread.
He's won more international trophies (EUROs, WCs and CLs) than any other GK. He guarded the Spanish goal 167 times and kept a 102 clean sheets, won a WC and 2 EUROs, he was 1st choice in goal for the biggest club in the world for 15 of the 16 seasons be was there and won his place in the 1st team at the age of 18. He won 3 CLs and countless domestic trophies all the way up till his retirement at 38.
He played 1048 games for club and country over 20 years of senior football and is critiziced for his longevity.

Neuer has played played 823 senior games in his career is being phased out of Bayern and will never catch Casillas in games played.

For me it's very tough to rank them because they were all extremely good over a very long time and they have so different skillsets. Neuer maybe the best of them 1on1, Buffon maybe the best shotstopper between them in his peak and Casillas is maybe the most complete of them for me.

Neuer being phased out is news to me.

 

[The_Midfielder]

1. Buffon: has a legitimate case for best of all time in his position considering peak + longevity;
2. Neuer: revolutionised his position and influenced subsequent keepers, which would make him number one but for a prolonged dip in form later in his career;
3. Casillas: was amazing for a decade, but his peak probably passed him sooner than it should have.

I mean Casillas was amazing too..
Won..captained everything ..
Why would Buffon be above him?

 

[Revan]

Casillas was essentially De Gea + trophies. An unbelievable shot stopper which made him a genuinely great keeper, but also useless in crosses, not good at passing or sweeping, and an incredibly fast fall from grace.

Buffon was Mr. Consistency. He was one of the best keeper in the world for around 15 years, and probably the best in the entire period of 2000-2010.

Neuer was Buffon but with passing and sweeping abilities. For me, he is the best ever. Buffon second. Casillas probably the third of his century, but mostly cause of trophies. I think that Alisson is a more complete package, and Cech/Van der Sar/Schmeichel while not as good shot stoppers (especially the first two), were more complete packages.

 

[Revan]

Neuer being phased out is news to me.

Also, Casillas was definitely not a complete keeper. He was bad at crosses, his passing was well ok, but not great. He made quite a bit of mistakes.

He was probably the best shot-stopper of all time (to be fair, I think that peak De Gea was just as good), but he was not a total package like Neuer.

 

[ShoePolish]

marry Neuer, shag Buffon, dump Cassillas.

Wait, what was the question again?

 

[giorno]

I get that he was part of a Spanish team that dominated…but he had an unbelievably strong 10 players in front of him.

yeah, and he bailed them out enough times the spanish sainted him...

 

[tomaldinho1]

It felt like he was the first one to really show how the game could be played when your keeper is great on the ball.

Van Der Sar was long before Neuer though - even Neuer says he was his biggest influence on ball playing back in his Ajax days/

 

[Stobzilla]

Never

Buffon












Casillas

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

I’ve opted for Buffon as number one but only just. Neuer a very very close 2nd. Casillas miles away in 3rd.

Buffon
Neuer




Casillas

 

[Acrobat7]

Neuer has played played 823 senior games in his career is being phased out of Bayern and will never catch Casillas in games played.

For me it's very tough to rank them because they were all extremely good over a very long time and they have so different skillsets. Neuer maybe the best of them 1on1, Buffon maybe the best shotstopper between them in his peak and Casillas is maybe the most complete of them for me.

I just spit out my coffee. What are you on about? They just extended his contract.

 

[The_Midfielder]

Casillas was essentially De Gea + trophies. An unbelievable shot stopper which made him a genuinely great keeper, but also useless in crosses, not good at passing or sweeping, and an incredibly fast fall from grace.

Buffon was Mr. Consistency. He was one of the best keeper in the world for around 15 years, and probably the best in the entire period of 2000-2010.

Neuer was Buffon but with passing and sweeping abilities. For me, he is the best ever. Buffon second. Casillas probably the third of his century, but mostly cause of trophies. I think that Alisson is a more complete package, and Cech/Van der Sar/Schmeichel while not as good shot stoppers (especially the first two), were more complete packages.

Casillas was the goalkeeper at Real when he was 17.. from there he played for Real, Spain.. and won everything..
For me he is number 1 on that list..

 

[DJ Jeff]

Neuer
Buffon


Casillas a distant third. Casillas was marvelous in his own way but very limited, basically DDG on steroids. Neuer edges it for his footballing ability and how he changed the position. If I was picking one to play in the mid 2000s I'd want Buffon cause he was the best all round goalkeeper of them.

 

[G3079]

Neuer has played played 823 senior games in his career is being phased out of Bayern and will never catch Casillas in games played.

Neuer being phased out? Wanna explain how you get that idea? He's been injured for most of the year, sure enough, but the moment he was back and fit he was #1 between the posts again. The club was even so certain that he'd be back as good as ever that they sold Sommer during the summer and decided to go into the season only with Ulreich, their longtime #2, as interim keeper with young Peretz and Huelsmann as backups. And so far they don't seem to regret banking on Neuer at all, his position as primary keeper seems as secure as ever from all I hear.

As for me, I'd put Buffon and Neuer both at the top. Neuer's proactive sweeper keeping is outstanding and unmatched in reliability and consistency. Buffon meanwhile had an absolutely incredibly long stretch of time at the top during which he was always in the discussion of top keepers, showing his insane consistency.
Casillas I'd put quite a bit below either. His skillset was more limited, even if his shot stopping, especially in 1v1 was outstanding. And his longevity at the top was nowhere near either of the other two.

 

[Martin(6)Buchan]

1. Neuer
2. Buffon
3. Casillas

Casillas way behind the other two

 

[Ekkie Thump]

1. Buffon
2. Neuer


3. Casillas

 

[Son]

Neuer was so entertaining between the sticks. Him and Schmiechel and Chilavert are my all time favourite keepers.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

I loved watching Neuer in his pomp. He was annoyingly good at pretty much everything too.

Buffon a classy second. His mentality was something else, and the loyalty he showed to Juve during his prime was commendable.

Casillas, was obviously a great keeper in his own right but I never felt there was a point where he was genuinely part of the conversation as the best in the world because of his own abilities, which is crazy given how long he played for Madrid and the fact you need to be the best in the world to play for them.

I felt in the CL tie back in 2003 as much as Barthez conceded some poor goals, so did he.