The primary job of any goalkeeper is to keep the ball out of the back of their net. They are the last line of defense in any team, and any lapse of concentration or mistake often results in the opposition scoring. Goalkeepers are also the first form of attack, distributing the ball and starting counter-attacks. However, some of them take the attacking one step further – some may say too far – and become out-and-out goalscorers.
It is naturally uncommon for a goalkeeper to score a goal. When goalkeepers venture into their opponent’s penalty area, it tends to be in the dying moments of a fixture, and they are mostly there to make a nuisance of themselves and be an extra body in the box. Alisson Becker is a prime example.
During the 2020-21 English Premier League season, Liverpool was tied with West Bromwich Albion in a game they needed to win to stay in contention for a place in next season’s Champions League. The game was five minutes into added time when Liverpool got a corner. Alisson took a space in the West Brom box and moments later rose like a salmon to head home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner kick, winning the game for Liverpool. Liverpool ultimately qualified for the Champions League, much to the dismay of the best Las Vegas sportsbooks who were set to make a small fortune on the Merseyside club missing out.
While finding a goalkeeper’s name on the scoresheet does not happen frequently, that was not the case if you attended a game where Rogerio Ceni, Jose Luis Chilavert, or Jorge Campos played. Between them, these eccentric goalkeepers an incredible 244 goals during their careers, with one of them scoring a hat trick!
Rogerio Ceni
Rogerio Ceni is a legendary figure in Brazilian soccer, particularly with Sao Paulo, who the 49-year-old now manages. Ceni made his debut in goal for Sao Paulo as a 20-year-old in 1993 and was the team’s number one through to 2015. He made an incredible 1,237 first-team appearances, which is a fantastic achievement in its own right, but what makes Cena extra special is that he scored 131 goals for Sao Paulo!
Cena scored his first goals in 1997 and ended the season with three to his name. A set-piece specialist, Cena took free kicks and penalties for Sao Paulo. He enjoyed a purple patch of scoring between 2005 and 2007 when he found the back of the net 47 times, including 21 goals during the 2005 season.
Jose Luis Chilavert
Jose Luis Chilavert is another South American who excelled at both ends of the field. His professional career spanned 22 years, during which time he made 729 appearances and was regarded as one of the world’s best goalkeepers in his prime.
Like Cena mentioned above, Chilavert was a dead ball specialist with wicked free-kick skills. Chilavert scored 67 goals during his long and illustrious career, including eight for the Paraguay national team, the most international goals scored by a goalkeeper. The Paraguyan is also the only goalkeeper to score a hat trick in 1999 for Velez Sarsfield; he finished that season with 12 goals.
Jorge Campos
Jorge Campos was an eccentric goalkeeper who loved to stand out from the crowd. The diminutive Mexican stood at only five feet six inches, which is very small for a goalie, and often war fluorescent kits that he designed himself.
What Campos lacked in size, he made up for in speed, athleticism, and bravery. Campos was comfortable with the ball at his feet and is regarded as one of the first so-called “sweeper keepers.”
During his early club career, Campos would often start in goal and finish the game playing as a striker. This versatility allowed him to score 34 career goals, all for UNAM in Mexico. Fans of the MLS may recall Campos played for both LA Galaxy and Chicago Fire, although he never found the back of the net for either franchise.