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 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:

Traits That Define Great La Liga Goalkeepers

Impact on Team: The first factor we considered while compiling this list of the greatest La Liga goalkeepers of all time was to look at their impact. What is their saving percentage, or how many penalties did they save?

Performances: The second parameter that was considered to rank the best La Liga goalkeepers, we have done a detailed analysis of these goalkeepers’ performance during crucial and crunch games, such as derbies.

Longevity: The third parameter for ranking the best La Liga goalkeepers of all time is to observe their career span and how long they performed at the very top.

Consistency: The last factor in ranking the best La Liga goalkeeper in the world is to look at the player’s consistency throughout his career.

List of 10 Best La Liga Goalkeepers

S No	Player	Club(s)	La Liga Appearances
10	Ricardo Zamora	RCD Espanyol, Real Madrid CF	108
9	Keylor Navas	Levante UD, Real Madrid CF	151
8	Thibaut Courtois	Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid CF	310
7	Claudio Bravo	Real Sociedad, FC Barcelona	298
6	Jan Oblak	Atletico Madrid	367
5	Víctor Valdés	FC Barcelona	387
4	Santiago Cañizares	Celta de Vigo, Real Madrid CF, Valencia CF	420
3	Luis Arconada	Real Sociedad	417
2	Iker Casillas	Real Madrid CF	510
1	Andoni Zubizarreta	Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona, Valencia CF	622

Top 10 Best Goalkeepers in La Liga of All Time

While it’s not easy to rank goalkeepers based solely on statistical numbers, sometimes small details like ball playing, last-second clearances, and coming out of the lines define the play style of some goalkeepers. There might be a few headshakes that will nod in disagreement with how we have compiled this list, but we have done our best and remain unbiased while making this list.

10) Ricardo Zamora (Spain)

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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
108	31	12

9) Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)

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 Levante UD and Real Madrid while 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 UEFA Champions League 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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
151	52	11

8) Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

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 contends for the 2025-2026 season as well.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
310	140	16

7) Claudio Bravo (Chile)

Yet another underrated goalkeeper from FC Barcelona. The Luis Enrique era at FC Barcelona was a resurgence in which FC Barcelona returned to its 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, and winning two La Liga titles as well. He also won two consecutive Zamora trophies, which is a very commendable feat.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
298	108	8

Also Read: 10 Goalkeepers with the Most Penalty Saves in the 21st Century

6) Jan Oblak (Slovenia)

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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
367	175	4

5) Victor Valdes (Spain)

Pep Guardiola and FC Barcelona back in the day formed the dream team comprising 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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
387	173	21

4) Santiago Canizares (Spain)

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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
420	164	11

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

3) Luis Arconada (Spain)

A defining and inspirational figure for Real Sociedad in the late 1970s and then the 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 which he amassed 414 appearances and maintained 157 clean sheets.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
417	149	4

2) Iker Casillas (Spain)

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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
510	176	18

1) Andoni Zubizarreta (Spain)

Andoni 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, 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.

Appearances	Cleansheets	Trophies Won
622	235	15

Also Read: Ranking the 10 Best Goalkeepers of All Time

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