When you think of a goalkeeper on the football field, the immediate image that comes to one’s mind is of a man in gloves with the ability to fling himself around. The man under the bar has one of the most important roles to play and World Cup history is replete with figures that have ranged from the brilliant to the simply outrageous.From Lev Yashin to Dino Zoff, from Rene Higuita to Oliver Kahn, goalkeepers have certainly played their part in deciding World Cup matches over the years. Indeed, there has been the fair share of top-drawer saves and ridiculous blunders.German goalkeeper Toni Schumacher made the news for all the wrong reasons in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. His gung-ho challenge on Frenchman Patrick Battiston almost cost the latter his life. Then there was the madness of Colombian Rene Higuita, who dribbled his way out of defence, only to lose the ball to Cameroon’s Roger Milla and along with it, the match.Most will remember Mexico’s young goalkeeper Jorge Campos for his colourful jerseys that distracted not only his opponents but his teammates as well. Then there were famous blunders like England’s David Seaman misjudging the flight of Ronaldinho’s free-kick or Denmark’s Thomas Sorensen allowing Emile Heskey’s header to slip under his body.But, if there were the gaffes, they were more than compensated by the good moments. The ‘Save Of The Century’ saw England’s Gordon Banks dive to his right and stop a certain goal from Pele’s close-range header in 1970. Frenchman Joel Bats displayed moments of pure magic to keep Brazil out in the 1986 quarter-final. Argentina’s Sergio Goycochea earned a reputation as a penalty stopper in 1990 and then there was the temperamental Paraguayan Jose Luis Chilavert.Chlavert was one of the world’s leading free-kick specialists and often took penalties. This unusual expertise for a goalkeeper has made him the all-time leading scorer among professional keepers. He scored 62 goals, including eight in international matches. Four of his international goals were scored during Paraguay’s qualification for the 2002 World Cup. He was voted World Goalkeeper of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1998.On the flip side, he was handed a three-match suspension by FIFA after he spat on Brazil’s Roberto Carlos during a 2002 World Cup qualifier. Among the current goalkeepers, this World Cup will definitely be the last for veterans Oliver Kahn, Edwin Van Der Sar, Mohamad Al-Daeyea, Fabian Barthez, Brad Friedel and Jean Jacques-Tizie.Barthez and Kahn have managed to reach the final of a World Cup, and while Barthez won it in 1998, Kahn’s error four years ago denied the Germans victory. Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Paul Robinson, Justo Villar and Oswaldo Sanchez have captured the public’s attention at club level in their native countries. They are considered among the best in the world and will be looking for the World Cup to be a stepping-stone to greater success.Then, there are also the young guns like Petr Cech, who was voted the best goalkeeper in the world recently. It’ll be difficult to predict who among the lot will come out on top, but what can be predicted with certainty is more moments of brilliance and goof-ups.-jaydipsen.gupta@expressindia.com
