Ranking The 10 Best La Liga Goalkeepers Of All Time

The La Liga is the top tier Spanish League and arguably one of the best leagues in the world, being a platform for talented goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Being a goalkeeper is surely the most difficult position in football. Many underestimate how difficult being a goalkeeper is since a majority of people aspire to be an attacker, midfielder, or a defender and do not truly know how difficult it is. Some players have taken up being a goalkeeper since their childhood and have cemented their legacy amongst the greatest ever.

La Liga has had its fair share of iconic wingers such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr, Ronaldinho and many more, even iconic strikers, midfielders and defenders, but let’s talk about some iconic goalkeepers in La Liga. Here are the top 10 La Liga goalkeepers of all time:

List Of Top 10 La Liga Goalkeepers Of All Time

#	Player	Club(s)	La Liga Appearances
1	Andoni Zubizarreta	Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona, Valencia CF	622
2	Iker Casillas	Real Madrid CF	510
3	Luis Arconada	Real Sociedad	414
4	Santiago Cañizares	Celta de Vigo, Real Madrid CF, Valencia CF	418
5	Víctor Valdés	FC Barcelona	387
6	Jan Oblak	Atletico Madrid	300
7	Claudio Bravo	Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona	229
8	Thibaut Courtois	Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid CF	229
9	Keylor Navas	Levante UD, Real Madrid CF	70
10	Ricardo Zamora	RCD Espanyol, Real Madrid CF	Data not available

10) Ricardo Zamora

Imagine being so great that the best goalkeeper trophy (Zamora Trophy) in La Liga is named after you. Zamora truly pioneered the goalkeeper position. Zamora was renowned for playing with such technical ability which was way ahead of its time. He was a true leader who took it upon himself to set up the defensive line. There is not much media coverage showcasing Zamora’s abilities since back then it was difficult to do so, but it implies further that his influence on the game is too iconic, which is still remembered to this day.

Also Read: Ranking The 10 Best La Liga Strikers Of All Time

9) Keylor Navas

Keylor Navas is arguably the most underrated goalkeeper on this list despite being so good and playing a pivotal role for his teams, helping them win titles. Keylor has played at Levanted Utd and Real Madrid whilst he was in La Liga. It was at Real Madrid where he earned his reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga. His quick reflexes, shot-stopping ability helped Real Madrid retain a golden period where they won multiple UCL titles and a La Liga as well.

Navas has played in 162 La Liga matches, keeping 52 clean sheets and is definitely an unsung hero of Real Madrid and one of the great icons in La Liga.

8) Thibaut Courtois

Courtois has had the best performances of his career at Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, which have cemented him as one of the best goalkeepers of all time and in La Liga as well. Thibaut Courtois has shown on multiple occasions that he is a one-man team at times, making numerous decisive saves in one match. His best performance for Real Madrid came against Liverpool in a UEFA Champions League two seasons ago where he made seven saves.

After joining Real Madrid in 2018, he provided instant impact in the 2019-2020 season where he was one of their key players leading to Los Blancos winning the La Liga title. Thibaut Courtois amassed 280 appearances and maintained 80 clean sheets and is the only active goalkeeper in this list. He has won two La Liga titles in his career and will look to win more as Real Madrid contend for the 2025-2026 season as well.

7) Claudio Bravo

Yet another underrated goalkeeper from FC Barcelona. The Luis Enrique era at FC Barcelona was a resurgence in which FC Barcelona returned to their prime, winning multiple trophies. The main headliners at that time were obviously Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, Luis Suarez and many more, however, Claudio Bravo was also a key figure.

Claudio Bravo’s composure and ability to play from the back made him a perfect fit for FC Barcelona’s playstyle. He played at Real Sociedad and FC Barcelona, amassing 222 appearances, maintaining 80 clean sheets, winning two La Liga titles as well. He also won two consecutive Zamora trophies, which is a very commendable feat.

6) Jan Oblak

Atletico Madrid are renowned for being one of the best defensive teams in the world and Diego Simeone’s tactics have ensured this. Jan Oblak is a key reason behind this and has become one of the best goalkeepers in the world since joining Atletico Madrid in 2014. Oblak is one of the best shot-stoppers in the world and his towering and tall frame helps him a lot to prevent goals as well.

Jan Oblak has amassed 350 appearances, maintaining 180 clean sheets, winning one La Liga title and is still a key figure in Atletico Madrid’s team as they go on to contend strongly for the La Liga title as well as the UEFA Champions League title. Jan Oblak has won multiple Zamora trophies, which is awarded to the best goalkeeper as per goals saved to games played ratio.

5) Victor Valdes

Pep Guardiola and FC Barcelona back in the day formed the dream team comprising of players like Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and many others as well. The entire team was arguably the best team in history, fielding such iconic players and dominating the European circuit, winning multiple titles. Victor Valdes was a key pillar of that team and his name often goes unnoticed.

Valdes was the proper example of a modern goalkeeper with great footwork, composure to play out from the back which blended perfectly with Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka style of football. He has amassed 387 appearances, maintaining 173 clean sheets, winning six La Liga titles with FC Barcelona during a golden period for which both the team and he are remembered and respected.

4) Santiago Canizares

Santiago Canizares, famously known as Valencia’s Guardian, played a key role in Valencia’s resurgence in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Valencia has had their ups and downs in football and once upon a time they used to contend for the La Liga title as well as the UEFA Champions League. Canizares was a great goalkeeper with quick reflexes who played a key role in helping Valencia win two La Liga titles and reach two UEFA Champions League finals as well.

Canizares played for Celta Vigo, Real Madrid and Valencia in his career, amassing 418 appearances in La Liga, maintaining 146 clean sheets. Santiago’s quick reflexes, charismatic personality and consistent performances made him a fan favourite and soon he too cemented his legacy as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.

3) Luis Arconada

A defining and inspirational figure for Real Sociedad in the late 1970s and then 1980s as well. Luis helped the club win back-to-back La Liga titles in 1981 and 1982. Luis Arconada was a very agile goalkeeper and was the heart of the team as well as Real Sociedad’s defense. Luis Arconada’s leadership as well as his performances for club and country made him quite famous and established him as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.

Luis Arconada won two back-to-back La Liga titles with Real Sociedad, which is the only club he played at where he amassed 414 appearances and maintained 157 clean sheets.

2) Iker Casillas

The Saint Of Real Madrid is arguably the greatest goalkeeper Real Madrid has ever had. The majority of today’s football generation still looks up to Iker Casillas as the greatest goalkeeper of all time, which shows how great his legacy is. Casillas spent most of his time at Real Madrid where he earned the nickname ” San Iker” for his tremendous saves and ability to deliver consistently in high-stakes games. Iker’s quick reflexes as well as his leadership skills made him a formidable goalkeeper, which was key in Real Madrid successfully winning so many La Liga titles.

Iker Casillas has won five La Liga titles with Real Madrid and has garnered a lot of respect and stature as well. Casillas has amassed 510 appearances and has maintained 174 clean sheets, which is a very commendable record. The best thing about Casillas is that he made his Real Madrid debut at just 18 years old and just started performing so well right off the bat.

1) Andono Zubizarreta

Andono Zubizarreta, famously known as a persona of consistency in La Liga, is one of the greats of all time. The former Athletic Bilbao keeper holds the record for most appearances in La Liga with a staggering 622 appearances. Andono’s career spanned almost two decades and in that time period he became one of the best and most reliable goalkeepers in the league. Zubizarreta was a calm and composed goalkeeper with great shot-stopping ability and positioning as well, which brought forward a new perspective for goalkeepers as well as a new respected figure.

Zubizarreta also has won the most La Liga titles in this list with six titles (one with Athletic Bilbao and five with FC Barcelona). Furthermore, he also has the most clean sheets in this list with an impressive 233 clean sheets.

Also Read: Ranking the 10 Best Premier League Midfielders of All Time

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