Popularly known as the Three Lions, England's national football team has been playing since the 1860s. Some of the most skilled football players have won numerous caps from the team in that time. Dig in to discover who were the best goalkeepers for England.

Naming all the best keepers ever to guard the Three Lions net may be a tall order, given the sheer number of talented goalies who have played for the team since 1863. This article will rank the top 10 most capped goalkeepers for England.

Who are the best England goalkeepers ever?

According to England Football Online, 116 net minders have guarded the men's national football team's net between 1872 and 2022. Here is a detailed summary of the best goalkeepers in England's history.

Who are the top 10 England goalkeepers by appearance?

Player	Caps	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Frank Swift	19	18	9
Nigel Martyn	23	17	13
Paul Robinson	41	22	24
Chris Woods	43	25	26
David James	53	46	21
Joe Hart	75	48	43
Ray Clemence	61	54	27
Gordon Banks	73	57	35
David Seaman	75	44	68
Peter Shilton	125	80	67

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10. Frank Swift

Swift played for Manchester United and the national football team before he retired from football in 1949. The keeper who played for England in the years following the Second World War received 19 caps where he conceded 18 goals.

Who is England's number 1 goalkeeper? — Peter Shilton, in action playing for the England national football team in the international friendly match against East Germany at Wembley Stadium in London on 25th November 1970. England would go on to win the match 3-1. Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive.
Source: Getty Images

9. Nigel Martyn

Martyn, who played between April 1992 and May 2002, received 23 call-ups from the Three Lions, where he conceded 18 goals. His ten-year-long career ended with a 56.5% clean sheet record with 57% career points.

8. Paul Robinson

During his active career, Robinson played for Tottenham Hotspur FC, Leeds United, and the national side. As one of the greatest goalkeepers for England, he won 41 caps with 22 conceded goals and a 60% clean sheet record.

7. Chris Woods

Woods received 43 call-ups, where he maintained an impressive clean sheet record. He started 34 times as the first-choice goalkeeper in his seven-year career with the Three Lions.

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Which England goalkeeper has kept the most clean sheets? — Tony Waiters, former Blackpool and Burnley goalkeeper, also won 5 England international caps between 1964-1965. Photo by Bob Thomas Sports Photography.
Source: Getty Images

6. David James

James is among the best shot-stoppers ever who played for the Three Lions. The talented netminder, who also played for Aston Villa, Man City, Liverpool, and Watford, made three major appearances in 2002, 2006, and 2010 World Cup tournaments.

5. Joe Hart

Hart appeared in 33 games for the Three Lions, conceding 27 goals. Unlike most of his counterparts in this list, Hart is an active player with Celtic Football Club.

4. Ray Clemence

Between 1972 and 1983, Clemence made 63 appearances for the national football team. The former Liverpool keeper is remembered for his influence on the Three Lions team as a player and later as part of the coaching team.

England football team goalies of all time — David Seaman in action during the World Cup match between England and Colombia at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on June 26, 1998 in Bordeaux, France. Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance.
Source: Getty Images

3. Gordon Banks

Banks is undeniably one of the greatest goalkeepers for England. The legendary netminder is remembered for one of the best saves against Pele's header during the 1970 World Cup match between England and Brazil. At the time of writing, Banks iconic 'Save of the Century' is remembered as the greatest save of all time.

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2. David Seaman

Seaman was Arsenal's and England's first-choice goalie at his peak. The number one goalie was called up to the national team 75 times, where he kept an impressive record. Seaman, who made a name for himself as 'Safe Hands', retired in 2004 with four FA titles, three Premier League titles and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

1. Peter Shilton

With the highest caps for any English player, Shilton is a football legend who takes the top spot with 125 appearances for the national team. His 20-year international career between 1970 and 1990 included three World Cup tournaments. Before joining Plymouth as a manager in 1992, he played for Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Stoke.

Who is the best England goalkeeper ever? — Gordon Banks England's goalkeeper, punches the ball clear of the cross bar as he makes a save during the 1963–64 British Home Championship match against Wales at Ninian Park in Cardiff, Wales, 12th October 1963. Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive.
Source: Getty Images

Who are England's best female goalkeepers of all time?

England Lionesses, who play for the national women's football team, rank highly in world rankings. We have used archival information as well as recent publications to bring you the top ten female goalkeepers in England.

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Earps is one of the best current goalkeepers for England, beating experienced players such as Carly Telford and Karen Bardsley. She has a career record of 474 clean saves, over 50 shootout records and 49 clean sheets.

Top 10 England football team goalies of all time — Mary Earps punches the ball clear during a FA Women's Super League match between Reading and Manchester United at Select Car Leasing Stadium on January 22, 2023 in Reading, England. Photo by Bryn Lennon.
Source: Getty Images

Which top goalies have played for the Lionesses? Here is a list of England women's national football team goalkeepers.

Player	Caps	Major tournament
Mary Earps	33	The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
Annie Hastie	-	1920 Women's International match against French
Siobhan Chamberlain	50	2015 World Cup 2017 European Championships
Rachel Brown-Finnis	82	2012 London Olympics
Karen Bardsley	82	2011, 2015, and 2019 World Cup tournaments
Sue Buckett	30	-
Carly Telford	27	The 2021 Tokyo Olympics
Theresa Wiseman	90	1984 Euro Cup match against Sweden 1991 World Cup pre-qualification match against Germany
Ellie Roebuck	8	The 2020 Japan Olympics
Tracey Davidson	15	1993 Euro Cup Quarterfinals matches against Italy

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Goalkeepers are charged with intercepting goals from the opposing teams. Between the 1800s and 2023, the best goalkeepers for England's national football team have showcased true talent in international friendlies as well as major tournaments.

Best goalkeepers in England — Photo: canva.com (modified by author)
Source: UGC

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Authors

Ciku Njuguna

Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.