Summary
Penalty shootouts give goalkeepers a chance to shine, like Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martinez.
Top goalkeepers are ranked based on penalty save percentage, notable saves, and shootout records.
Notable mentions include Gregor Kobel, Bernd Leno and Mike Maignan.
Playing as a goalkeeper is a treacherous position. One mistake in a critical moment can be pivotal, even if they've had an impressive match up to that point. Penalty shootouts are one of the few events in football that offer goalkeepers the chance to be the hero. From 12 yards out, the pressure is on the outfield player to slot the ball past the shot-stopper.
Goalkeepers who have perfected the skill of saving penalties include Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martinez. The former saved two spot-kicks in Paris Saint-Germain's recent victory against Liverpool in the Champions League round of 16, while Martinez has saved important penalties to help Argentina secure World Cup and Copa America glory in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Here is a closer look at the best penalty-saving goalkeepers in the world.
Ranking factors
Record saving penalties in normal time: Penalty save percentage in normal time.
Penalty shootout record: Notable saves in penalty shootouts which have led to team victory.
Memorable penalty saves: Impressive penalty saves in normal time or in a penalty shootout.
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10 Gregor Kobel
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel celebrating
Gregor Kobel has firmly established himself as Borussia Dortmund's number one. He played a key role in the club reaching last season's Champions League final, which they lost to 15-time winners Real Madrid. This run included a penalty save to deny AC Milan's Olivier Giroud in the group stage.
So far in his career, Kobel has faced 50 penalties, saving 10. Three of these have been in the Champions League, while only one has been for his country, Switzerland. His most impressive penalty save came in January 2021, when he somehow denied Emil Forsberg with his outstretched right foot to divert the ball onto the crossbar.
9 Bernd Leno
Fulham
Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno applauding the supporters
Bernd Leno has become one of the most underrated goalkeepers in the Premier League. Since signing for Fulham in 2022 from Arsenal, the German shot-stopper has been a dependable figure for Marco Silva, helping them challenge in the top half of the table.
In his 16-year career to date, Leno has saved 14 penalties, including three in the Premier League. Recently, he was the hero in the FA Cup round of 16 when Fulham beat Manchester United via a penalty shootout. He saved Victor Lindelof and Joshua Zirkzee's spot-kicks to book the Cottagers' place in the last eight of the competition.
8 Mike Maignan
AC Milan
Mike Maignan
Mike Maignan made his professional debut for Lille on 18th September 2015. He made his mark for the Ligue 1 side, saving a Paul-Georges Ntep penalty in the second half. It took a while for the French goalkeeper to usurp Vincent Enyeama as the club's number one, but became an ever-present figure between 2018 and 2021, earning himself a move to AC Milan.
In his career, Maignan has saved 14 penalties, denying the likes of Mohamed Salah, Memphis Depay and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for club and country. His most recent penalty save came in October 2024 when he kept out Fiorentina's Moise Kean from 12 yards.
7 Wojciech Szczesny
Barcelona
Szczesny
Wojciech Szczesny has had an extremely impressive career, plying his trade for the likes of Arsenal, Roma, Juventus and Barcelona. He has also featured at multiple international tournaments for Poland, including two World Cups in 2018 and 2022.
Throughout his career, Szczesny has saved 20 penalties, denying Lionel Messi and Victor Osimhen on the last two occasions. The Polish shot-stopper went on an impressive run of penalty-saving in the 2021/22 season for Juventus, saving three consecutive spot-kicks in Serie A. Midway through this campaign, the domestic game stopped for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which saw Szczesny save penalties against Argentina and Saudi Arabia.
6 Lukasz Fabianski
West Ham United
West Ham United goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski celebrates with a trophy
Since 2007, Lukasz Fabianski has played in the Premier League for three different clubs - Arsenal, Swansea City and West Ham United. In this time, he has saved 11 penalties - the most in Premier League history. He is two ahead of Heurelho Gomes, Ben Foster and Robert Green.
Impressively, Fabianski saved three penalties in the 2021/22 campaign - denying Alexandre Lacazette, Jorginho and Riyad Mahrez. He has become less of a regular for the Hammers in recent times, playing only 16 matches in all competitions this season. With 14 penalty saves in his career, though, nobody can deny his ability to deny attackers from the spot.
5 Jordan Pickford
Everton
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford cheering
During Gareth Southagte's time as England manager, he won three out of four penalty shootouts. This was largely down to the heroics of Jordan Pickford, who even saved two Italy spot-kicks in the Euro 2020 final that the Three Lions went on to lose.
The Everton goalkeeper has faced 20 penalties in shootouts for his country, saving five. If you exclude the third-place play-off in the 2018/19 Nations League finals against Switzerland, Pickford has saved four out of 14 penalties at major international tournaments. For the Toffees, the English shot-stopper has saved eight spot-kicks, including an Erling Haaland penalty in December 2024.
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4 Manuel Neuer
Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for the last decade. Since joining Bayern Munich in 2011, he has played over 550 times for the Bavarian giants, winning the Champions League on two occasions. He also tasted success for his country in 2014, winning the World Cup with Germany.
During his career, Neuer has saved 17 penalties. His best performance in a penalty shootout came in the 2012 Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. He denied Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka from the spot, booking Bayern's place in the final against Chelsea at the Allianz Arena.
3 Lukas Hradecky
Bayer Leverkusen
Hradecky
Lukas Hradecky signed for Bayer Leverkusen in 2018 and captained the club to their maiden Bundesliga title last season. The Finnish goalkeeper has won three trophies at Leverkusen, including the DFL-Super Cup in August 2024, thanks to his heroics in the penalty shootout. He saved Frans Kratzig's spot-kick to secure the club's first Supercup trophy.
Hradecky has been involved in six penalty shootouts during his career and has a 100% win record. The only other goalkeeper to achieve this feat in Europe's top five leagues was Jean-Marie Pfaff, who played for the likes of Bayern Munich and Trabzonspor. Hradecky has also saved 11 penalties outside of shootouts, including when he denied Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for Finland at Euro 2020.
2 Emiliano Martinez
Aston Villa
Emiliano Martinez
Argentina have become the dominant force in international football in the last couple of years, winning the World Cup and Copa America in 2022 and 2024, respectively. Their success, especially in the knockout stages, has had a lot to do with the penalty-saving brilliance of Martinez.
Since Martinez established himself as Argentina's number one in 2021, he has played in four shootouts, winning every one. From the 24 penalties faced, he has saved nine, with two hitting the post and one missing the target. Attackers have therefore had a 50% conversion rate against Martinez in these four penalty shootouts. In fact, during his career for club and country, he has played in seven shootouts, only losing one.
Emiliano Martinez's Six Penalty Shootouts Victories
Year
2021
2022
2022
2024
2024
1 Gianluigi Donnarumma
Paris Saint-Germain
Liverpool's Darwin Nunez has his shot saved by Paris St Germain's Gianluigi Donnarumma
Donnarumma has won six out of the seven penalty shootouts he has played in domestically and internationally. This included Paris Saint-Germain's recent spot-kick victory against Liverpool in the Champions League, which saw him deny Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones from the spot. England fans will also remember the Euro 2020 final when Donnarumma saved two penalties in the shootout as Italy lifted the trophy at Wembley Stadium.
The Italian goalkeeper has faced 60 penalties in his career, saving 14. His record in shootouts is particularly impressive, though, as he has a save percentage of 23.3%. Of the 43 penalties he has faced in shootouts, Donnarumma has saved 10.
Donnarumma Penalty Record - Includes Shootouts
Team
Italy
AC Milan
PSG
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Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt - correct as of 19/03/25.