Neymar Ranked His 5 Favourite Goalkeepers in Football History

Brazilian winger Neymar once named just one European when listing his five favourite goalkeepers to have ever played football. The Brazilian has played out a fascinating career, though that is not to say that every aspect of it has been praised.

The winger came through the ranks with Santos in Brazil and was hailed as the country’s next big prospect. In 2013, Neymar moved to Europe. After much discussion over where he would go, the winger decided to sign with Barcelona.

Over the next few years, Neymar established himself as one of the best wingers in the world. Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the fearsome “MSN” attacking trio fired Barca to numerous honours, including a Champions League in 2015. The Brazilian, who is his country’s all-time leading goalscorer, would spend four years in Catalonia in total.

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Cristiano Ronaldo missed out on Neymar’s selection as the then-PSG winger also overlooked any of his Brazilian compatriots.

There was shock when, in 2017, it was announced that Neymar wanted to leave the club. Even more so when his next team was revealed to be Paris Saint-Germain, with the French giants making Neymar the most expensive player in history. Much was said about the player’s decision to move to Ligue 1, a league that is not considered a step up from La Liga, in the prime of his career.

Despite high hopes, Neymar would only win domestic honours during his time in Paris, failing to guide the team to what would have been their maiden Champions League. In 2023, he moved to Saudi Arabia to join Al Hilal, but injuries have meant that Neymar has made just three appearances for the club in almost two years.

Valdes Ranks as One of Neymar’s Best

He is the only European to be featured

In a Red Bull article, Neymar detailed who were his favourite shot-stoppers in history and his decisions may seem surprising at first. Victor Valdes (5th), a former Barcelona shot-stopper, is the only European to feature on the list, with the Spaniard having been a cornerstone in the Barca side for Pep Guardiola’s reign as manager and in the years afterwards.

In fourth, Neymar had Claudio Taffarel, one of four Brazilian players within his top five. Taffarel won over 100 caps for his country across his career and was part of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 1994 and were beaten by France in the final just four years later, having turned out for clubs such as Parma, Atletico Mineiro and Galatasaray domestically.

A Top Three of Brazilians

Julio Cesar, Dida and Marcos were all praised

Julio Cesar is best known for his time at Inter Milan and was part of Jose Mourinho’s continental treble-winning side at the turn of the 2010s. Cesar would later spend time with Queens Park Rangers and Benfica, while internationally, he racked up close to 90 caps in a career that overlapped ever so slightly with Neymar’s international endeavours.

Dida, the ex-AC Milan shot-stopper, was ranked second by Neymar. Though the Brazilian was prone to an occasional error or two, he had a long and successful career in which he won the World Cup twice with his country and spent a decade in Italy with the Rossoneri.

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According to Neymar, however, no goalkeeper in history holds a stronger place in his heart than Marcos. Part of the Brazil team that won the 2002 World Cup, their fifth and most recent World Cup victory, Marcos spent two decades playing professional football, all of which were with Palmeiras. He is known as “Saint Marcos” in his home country, an epithet that more than describes how good he was.

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 18-01-25.