Premier League Goalscoring Goalkeepers

Manchester City are having a penalty crisis. Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus have all missed from the spot this season. Kevin de Bruyne has the job currently, but there is some interesting talk that the best penalty taker in training is a surprising name. Goalkeeper Ederson has staked his claims to be the new man on the spot.

Across world football, there have been plenty of goalscoring keepers. Rene Higuita, Jose Chilavert and Jorge Campos all retired with over 40 goals to their name. Maybe it’s a South American thing?

It is a much rarer event in England though, with only a handful of goalscoring keepers in nearly 30 years of the EPL. Could Brazilian stopper, Ederson add his name to the shortlist of five? What would the odds be? Sure not great even at the best betting sites… probably not worth a punt.

Paul Robinson – Spurs v Watford 2007

Little more than a hopeful big-toe punt from Robinson. However, one huge bounce in the Watford penalty box took it over the head of the embarrassed Ben Foster.

Tim Howard – Everton v Bolton 2012

A similar punt from Howard. But this one was even further out with the American in his own penalty box. Watch the astonishing bounce over Adam Bogdan. If he was twice his height he would still have struggled to save this. Howard refused to join in the celebrations out of respect for his opposite number.

Asmir Begovic – Stoke v Southampton 2013

A sensational start to this match at a windy Britannia Stadium. Just 13 seconds were on the clock when Artur Boruc found himself bamboozled by this long clearance from Begovic.

Brad Friedel – Blackburn v Charlton 2004

So far, the goals we’ve seen have had an element of luck. However, some goalkeepers have scored intentional goals. Here is a very sharp reaction by Brad Friedel in the 90^th minute to get an equaliser for Blackburn. Alan Shearer himself would be proud of this finish. Annoyingly for Friedel, there was a sting in the tale as Charlton scored an even later winner.

Peter Schmeichel – Aston Villa v Everton 2001

The Great Dane scored a handful throughout his career, including one for Manchester United in European competition. However, it was near the end of his career that he became the first goalkeeper to score in the English Premier League. With Aston Villa trailing 3-1 at Goodison Park he ventured forward for a corner. Sadly, his coolly-taken volley was only a consolation.

So there we have it. An elite club of just five goalscoring goalkeepers. Nearly seven years have elapsed since the last goalkeeper goal, so surely it’s time for a new goalkeeper to repeat the trick. But, will it be Ederson?

About the author

Alan Penny

Editor-in-Chief

Alan hails from Northern Ireland and is an avid fan of all sports. He has been with us since 2017 and serves as SBO’s Editor-in-Chief. Alan passionately covers everything from the latest regulatory developments across the globe to tips on the latest football matches.