The Juventus goalkeeper was preferred by his peers and surpassed Lev Yashin in the votes
Gianluigi Buffon was named the greatest goalkeeper of all time, according to a survey of 18 of the best goalkeepers in the world, including past and present figures. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, from Italy, ‘Gigi’ was chosen with the most votes.
Even Jorge Campos, an exporter from Mexico, cast his vote, which was not for the Italian, but for Lev Yashinas he considered it the best in history; however, he launched a statement of support for Buffon.
“Buffon is a great infinity like Óscar Pérez, the legendary Mexican goalkeeper. It was a disappointment when Sweden eliminated Italy and took away the possibility of a sixth consecutive World Cup. My best goalkeeper forever? The Ballon d’Or is too important, it makes a difference, ”Campos told the Italian newspaper.
Buffon had seven votes among the 18 contestants, four of which abstained from naming and the rest cited elements such as Lev Yashin, Dino Zoff or Gordon Banks.
Among the most prominent names who took part in the investigation were Manuel Neuer, the current goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the German national team. In the same way, they were historically like Peter Schmeichel, one of Manchester United’s foremost goalkeepers.
Mythical Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who was a figure of Inter Milan and the Brazilian team, voted for Buffon, Rogerio Ceni and Claudio Taffarel. Meanwhile, Santiago Cañizares gave his voice to Iker Casillas.
The ‘Black Spider’ came second in the vote with five entries, including Campos, who saw him as an idol. However, praise went to the Italian, who will be celebrating 27 years of uninterrupted career in 2021.
“’Gigi’ is an incredibly large man, with an unusual character. He has always been an example to me, not only on the field as a great goalkeeper with phenomenal reflexes, but also as a personality off the field. It’s amazing what he’s been doing for the past 26 years, ”said Neuer.
So they voted for the best goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer – Gianluigi Buffon y Lev Yashin
Peter Schmeichel – Abstained
Michel Preud’homme – Lev Yashin
Dino Zoff – Sepp Maier, Gordon Banks, Lev Yashin and himself.
Julius Caesar – Gianluigi Buffon, Claudio Taffarel and Rogerio Ceni.
Thomas N’Kono – Abstained
Santiago Cañizares – Iker Casillas
Gabor Kiraly – Abstained
Jerzy Dudek- Lev Yashin
Rustu Recber- Peter Schmeichel
Vyaceslav Malafev – Gianluigi Buffon
Thomas Ravelli – Gianluigi Buffon
Alex Manninger – Gianluigi Buffon
Bernard Lama – Abstained
Antonis Nikopolidis – Gianluigi Buffon
Fernando Muslera – Gianluigi Buffon y Ladislao Mazurkiewicz.
Jorge Campos – Lev Yasmin
Jan Jongbloed – Dino Zoff