Manuel Neuer wins IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper of 2014 award
Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper of Bayern Munich has added yet another feather to his cap when he was awarded the title of World’s Best Goalkeeper of 2014 by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). The vote was held as a part of 28th running of the IFFHS annual elections and the voting process saw officials from 60 countries from all the football continents vote.
The title of Word’s Best Goalkeeper was previously held by Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Iker Casillas. The Spaniard had earlier held the title for five consecutive years (2008 to 2012). Casillas’ domination was put to an end 2013 when Neuer won the title with a lead of 100 points. And the German goalkeeper won the title again with a commanding lead of 120 points.
The 28-year-old was part of the German National team which lifted the World Cup in Brazil after defeating Argentina in the final. He also went home with the Golden Glove award.
Germany’s Head Coach, Joachim Low had said of the sweeper keeper in July last year: “Manuel Neuer has the same technical skills as the others, he could play in the midfield, he also has great awareness and that's why we are happy for him to take these risks, and that's why he's so valuable. He can basically be a player behind the defence.”
In the race for the title, Manuel Neuer was followed by Chelsea and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in second place. Real Madrid and Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas came in third.
| RANK | GOALKEEPER | CLUB | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | 216 |
| 2 | Thibaut Courtois | Atletico Madrid & Chelsea | 96 |
| 3 | Keylor Navas | Levante & Real Madrid | 46 |
| 4 | Gianluigi Buffon | Juventus | 26 |
| 5 | Claudio Bravo | Real Sociedad & Barcelona | 16 |
| 6 | Sergio Romero | Monaco & Sampdoria | 14 |
| 7 | Guillermo Ochoa | Ajaccio & Malaga | 13 |
| 8 | Petr Cech | Chelsea | 4 |
| 9 | Hugo Lloris | Tottenham | 2 |
| Vincent Enyeama | Lille | 2 |