Football Series Special Part 3: Top 10 World Cup Saves

Now after getting your interest up after those two installments on blasters and headers, I'm going to introduce you to the top 10 saves of the Fifa World Cup.

Most of the time in football, strikers can miss 6 shots and score only 1 goal, but often they'll be viewed as heroes if their team wins. As for the goalkeepers it's a different story. Even if the goalkeeper made a string of stupendous saves, yet concedes a goal which condemns the team to a loss, the critics will be clamming down hard on him. That's how important a goalkeeper is to a team and how unstatisfying his job can be.

A great goalkeeper has to have great presence, leading and shouting by example at his defenders. He also has to have great reflexes, superb ball handling and extreme bravery. They usually have a longer career than players in other positions. Dino Zoff is one example. He captained Italy to the World Cup trophy in 1990 at the age of 40. Examples of great goalkeepers past and present include Lev Yashin, Gordon Banks, Dino Zoff, Gianlugi Buffon and Peter Schmeichel.

Fifa World Cup Top 10 Saves