1 Manuel Neuer Germany
Cristiano Ronaldo got an early clue
that this was not going to be his
tournament when Neuer produced a
superb save from a stoppage-time
free-kick to prevent Portugal from
salvaging even a sliver of consolation
from their crushing defeat by
Germany. But it is not his shot-
stopping that has distinguished
Neuer, it is the way he has
practically redefined the role of
goalkeeper, taking the sweeper-
keeper function to an extreme never
before showcased with such
success.
His charges out of his box prevented
Algeria, in particular, from revelling
in the space behind Germany’s high
defensive line, compensating for Per
Mertesacker’s lack of pace. In
addition to the obvious
effectiveness, the sight of the
hulking keeper hurtling towards
confrontation must have a potent
mindgame value – Asamoah Gyan,
for instance, fled ridiculously wide
when presented with the chance to
take on Neuer one-on-one. What is
more, Neuer’s superb distribution
makes him the first line of attack.
2 Guillermo Ochoa Mexico
Way to ace a job interview. Ochoa, a
free agent after three outstanding
seasons at Ajaccio, was unlikely to
be short of offers before the
tournament but his displays for
Mexico may have endeared him to a
new calibre of recruiter. The 28-year-
old’s agility, reflexes and robust
wrists enabled him to make an array
of improbable saves. Brazil players
wondered whether there had been
divine intervention when he helped
Mexico to draw against them, while
it took some devilry from Arjen
Robben to beat Ochoa in the end.
3 Keylor Navas Costa Rica
The 27-year-old came into the
tournament after a wonderful
season in which he set a clean-sheet
record for Levante but it has still
been a major surprise to see Costa
Rica advance to the quarter-finals
while conceding only two goals in
five matches – Uruguay, Italy,
England, Greece and Holland. Behind
a solid unit, Navas was a secure
presence. As the pressure increased,
his performances rose accordingly,
with his exhibitions of shot-stopping
against Greece and Holland among
the highlights of the tournament.
4 Vincent Enyeama Nigeria
Another goalkeeper who arrived
after a record-breaking season at
club level. Enyeama carried on the
form that made him nigh-on
unbeatable for Lille, pulling off a
series of extraordinary saves,
starting in the first match against
Iran, when Nigeria dominated but
would have lost if the goalkeeper
had not kept enough concentration
to tip away a header from Reza
Ghoochannejhad. He then kept
Bosnia-Herzegovina at bay before
thwarting Lionel Messi and Argentina
for long periods despite conceding
three. When a goalkeeper falls below
perfection, however, he can be
punished severely and Enyeama’s
mishandling of a cross against
France enabled Paul Pogba to score
the winning goal and ruined another
otherwise immaculate performance.
5 Tim Howard USA
Even though he made a tournament-
record number of saves against
Belgium, the American’s shot-
stopping was not the most
admirable aspect of his
performances in Brazil – and not
only because most of Belgium’s
efforts were straight at the
goalkeeper, their forwards’ odd lack
of composure seemingly making
them unable to spot Howard’s
tendency to go low prematurely, a
habit that Nani had exploited earlier.
That quibble aside, Howard’s
influence seemed immense as his
leadership helped coax valiant
resistance from defenders who
might otherwise have been torn
apart. He inspired his team-mates
with words and deeds.
6 Rais M’Bolhi Algeria
The Algeria No1 did not arrive in
Brazil with a big reputation. In fact
the Hearts manager, Robbie Nielsen,
admitted this month that he had no
recollection of M’Bohli being at the
Scottish club and they are one of
nine sides where he did a stint
before joining his present employer,
CSKA Sofia, where he is not a regular
starter. Like many of his team-
mates, he earned new respect. His
display against Germany was the
crowning glory, as he repelled a
fusillade with some spectacular
blocks such as the reflex stop from
a close-range Thomas Müller or,
best of all, a diving, fingertip save to
push a Philipp Lahm drive just round
a post. Unforgettable.
7 Júlio César Brazil
Researchers and sports scientists
spend lots of time and money trying
to figure out how best to prepare
for tournaments but none of them
has ever submitted a thesis
recommending a year on the Loftus
Road bench followed by a sojourn in
the boondocks of Toronto FC. But
that was César’s prelude to this
World Cup and the 34-year-old has
so far justified the manager’s
decision to keep faith with him. He
made sharp saves from Luka Modric
and Ivan Perisic to prevent Brazil
from suffering a shock defeat in the
opening game and made an
outstanding save in normal time
against Chile to keep out a shot
from Charles Aránguiz. Before the
shootout he told his team-mates to
“hit them with confidence and I’ll
stop three” and then turned away
efforts from Mauricio Pinilla and
Alexis Sánchez before Gonzalo Jara
tried too hard to put the ball out of
the goalkeeper’s reach and hit a
post.
8 Thibaut Courtois Belgium
Playing in front of Courtois must
give defenders the same sense of
security that a slight time delay gives
live broadcasters, who thus know
they may escape punishment for any
goof. Belgium did not sparkle in this
tournament but nor did they ever
really look in danger – except in the
dying stages of the game against the
USA, and in their moment of
greatest need Courtois was on hand
to bail them out, making a top block
to thwart Clint Dempsey after a
smart free-kick. And while Belgium
left the tournament with a whimper,
Courtois at least showed that his
own defiance remained intact as he
made a splendid late save to foil
Lionel Messi.
9 David Ospina Colombia
Colombia entertained with their
attacking play but on the rare
occasion that their defence was
infiltrated, Ospina proved a reliable
guardian. His display in the second-
half against Uruguay was especially
impressive as he made four crucial
stops to preserve his team’s lead,
including one excellent intervention
to deny Maxi Pereira. In the end it
took a scrambled goal from Thiago
Silva and an odd swirling free-kick to
confound the Colombia No1.
10 Tim Krul Holland
Was he really a penalty-saving
specialist before Louis van Gaal
introduced him from the bench just
seconds before the quarter-final
shootout against Costa Rica? His
record did not suggest so but the
unusual substitution planted the
idea in the opposition’s mind and
Krul’s two saves mean that now he
really can be considered a specialist.
A bluff that became a truth:
masterful.
Sources: http://
www.theguardian.com/football/
blog/2014/jul/06/world-cup-2014-
goalkeepers-brazil-tim-krul-holland

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