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In 1963, a certain Lev Yashin from the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) stole the headlines when he became the first goalkeeper to be awarded the Ballon D’Or (the honour conferred to the best player in Europe till 2009) . And guess what, he remains the only one to win it since the trophy’s inception in 1956. No shot-stopper barring the legendary German international, Oliver Kahn and Juventus’ Italian stars Dino Zoff and Gianluigi Buffon have even made the final short-list.
Zoff holds the record for going the longest duration without conceding in international tournaments (1,142 minutes) set between 1972 and 1974. But unfortunately for him, there was a prodigy in Johan Cruyff, who was crowned the best player. Kahn, who plied his trade with Bayern Munich, won the European Championship (1996), eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League (2001). The 45-year-old was nominated consecutively in 2001 and 2002 but finished third behind Michael Owen, Raul and Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos respectively.
Like Zoff, Buffon too finished second in 2006 behind his compatriot Fabio Cannavaro following their successful World Cup campaign in Germany. Going back to Yashin, (from what is written about him) he was the only goalkeeper of his generation and the ones that followed – to not be attached to the luxuries of the 18-yard box. He darted out to take his opponents by surprise; sowing seeds to the formation of the term, sweeper-keeper. His black attire earned him the nickname “The Black Spider” and in 2002, he was drafted into the FIFA Dream Team.
Fast forward to the current century, names like Kahn, Buffon, Iker Casillas, Petr Cech have come to the front but only the former pair have made the cut in a generation that is largely dominated by outfield players from Real Madrid and Barcelona alongside the presence of players from Juventus and AC Milan.
In 2009, the Ballon D’Or was clubbed with the FIFA World Player of the Year. Lionel Messi won it thrice before Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win it for the second time last year. The pair have a new contender in Neuer, who has been nothing short of outstanding for Bayern Munich and Germany. Breaking into the national team in 2009, the Schalke youth academy product joined the Bavarian giants two years later and went on to win everything there is to win in club football – from Bundesliga to Champions League to the FIFA Club World Cup.
Adding a cherry to the cake was winning the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and there is no doubt that the 28-year-old will continue to be the unprecedented shot-stopper for Germany at the European Championship in 2016. Under Jupp Heynckes and then Pep Guardiola, Neuer has evolved into a proper sweeper-keeper; making more passes (short & long) in a match than some of the top midfielders in the world.
Darting out of his 18-yard-box at will and yet keeping clean sheets, denying opposition attackers and despite this, there is not an iota of over-confidence. Neuer’s presence brings out the best in his defenders as well. Challenging Messi and Ronaldo for the world’s best player tag is no joke as the respective Barcelona and Real Madrid forwards have featured among the top three for the seventh time since 2007.
Ronaldo played a significant part in Los Blancos’ quest to secure La Decima (their 10th Champions League title) and Messi too was one of the star performers at the World Cup, helping Argentina reach the final. But it was Neuer, who played a larger role for Bayern as well as Germany. Yashin is the only goalkeeper to win the coveted prize and his performances were helped USSR to be crowned champions of Europe in 1960 and finish runners-up in the following edition.
Time has certainly arrived for the mantle to be passed on! Neuer has matured at a very young age in an era where most goalkeepers peak when they cross 30. It has been a two way affair between Messi and Ronaldo for the world’s best player crown but it is time that the FIFA Golden Glove winner at the World Cup is bestowed with the accolade on January 12.
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