The top 10 outfield footballers who’ve played in goal - including Man Utd, Man City and Chelsea stars

In the humble opinion of this writer, there is nothing better in professional football than the sight of an outfield player donning the gloves and deputising as a goalkeeper. It’s a rare, simple thrill, like finding an onion ring in a portion of fries, albeit with an added dash of cartoonish peril. So perhaps more like finding an onion ring in a portion of fries and then an anvil falls on your head, or something along those lines.

In the modern game, with its substitutes and benchwarming understudies who are generally just as adept as their number one colleagues, it’s not often that we are treated to the rank and file making an appearance between the sticks, but when it does happen, it remains a spectacle to cherish.

With that in mind, and in the spirit of giving us all a treat this bank holiday weekend, here are ten instances of outfield stars who have done a shift in goal...

Harry Kane

The England skipper was called upon to go in goal during a European clash against Greek side Asteras Tripolis back in 2014. Having already bagged a hat trick, the striker deputised for Hugo Lloris after the Frenchman was sent off with three minutes left to play. It did not go well. Kane failed to deal with a pretty routine shot on target from a free-kick, spilling the ball from his grasp and into the back of his own net. Still Tottenham won 5-1, and he left the pitch with both the match ball and the number one jersey.

Felipe Melo

A decidedly more successful turn than Kane, Melo was the hero of the hour when called upon to play in net during a clash between Galatsaray and Elazigspor. After his goalkeeper was sent off for giving away a penalty, the Brazilian took his place, saved the resulting spot kick, and essentially won his side the game. EA even awarded him a special FIFA Ultimate Team card for his efforts.

Vinnie Jones

The madman’s madman, Jones stepped in at St. James’ Park in a match between Wimbledon and Newcastle United in 1995. At the time, the visitors were 3-0 down. By the final whistle, they had lost 6-1, but the midfielder - despite conceding a further three goals - had actually put in a pretty decent display, making a number of admirable saves and generally impressing.

John O’Shea

One of the best pieces of John O’Shea-related trivia (and boy howdy, there are loads of them) is that during his time with Manchester United, he played in every single position on the field at least once - and that includes goalkeeping. The Irishman took over when Edwin van der Sar broke his nose in a 4-0 whitewash of Tottenham, and completed a relatively incident-free five minute stint.

John Terry

Terry’s goalkeeping cameo was fairly rare in the sense that it came after not one, but two injuries to actual goalkeepers. This was the infamous match against Reading in which Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech fractured his skull, and then his replacement Carlo Cudicini was knocked unconcious. With no other option, the Blues turned to Terry, who pulled on the number one jersey and helped to see out a 1-0 win.

Kyle Walker

Like Terry, Walker was the third player to play in net during Manchester City’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Atalanta in 2019. Claudio Bravo replaced the injured Ederson at half-time, before getting himself sent off with nine minutes to go. Walker was introduced from the bench, and immediately saved a free-kick. Somewhat incredibly, that stop was more than either Ederson or Bravo had managed during the 81 minutes prior.

Rio Ferdinand

The last English defender on this list, and again, a replacement for a replacement. Ferdinand was called upon to deputise for Tomasz Kuszczak after the Pole conceded a penalty and was sent off in an FA Cup clash with Portsmouth in 2008. Kuszczak himself was only drafted in for an injured Edwin van der Sar earlier in the match, and unfortunately for Manchester United, Ferdinand could do little to prevent the subsequent spot-kick from nestling in the bottom corner.

Dani Alves

Look, you know the drill by now. PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp was sent off in the closing stages of a win over Sochaux, and with no subs left, the French giants turned to Alves to fill in. Another footnote in the career of the most decorated individual in the history of club football.

Jan Koller

Perhaps one of the better all-round goalkeeping displays on this list, Koller replaced Jens Lehmann in a tense clash between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, and didn’t look out of place in the slightest. The colossal Czech commanded his box well, made a couple of very smart saves, and even went up for a corner, combining his cameo with the other great goalkeeping idiosyncrasy of the beautiful game.

Niall Quinn

That being said, all-round displays full stop don’t get much better than Niall Quinn’s for Manchester City against Derby County in 1991. The big Irishman scored a stunning volley and then donned the gloves and saved a penalty in a 2-1 win that ultimately consigned the Rams to relegation. A genuinely remarkable performance.