28 September 2024
A bumper update this month with some especially quirky facts, including the goalkeeper who ensured his hands before working in a coal mine, the keeper that formed his own football club and the Polish stopper that had to play under a pseudonym during the Second World War for fear of reprisals. There's also teenager Jack Porter's debut for Arsenal and Arijanet Muric debut to forget for Ipswich Town. If that wasn't enough, there's a couple of unique goalkeeper strips, the broken netting at Tynecastle and the former Manchester United and Southend United keeper who could was an accomnplished singer and piano player who used to earn a bit of money on the side playing gigs in midweek.
Quirky Facts, Getting Shirty, Goalkeeping Debuts, In the Net
26 August 2024
A Bank Holiday update that sees Gianluigi Buffon enter the Goalkeeping Greats Hall of Fame! If that's not all, there's also some more goalkeepers that have scored a goal, including the Vietnam international with over twenty goals to his name, and the goalie that turned down a chance of a trial with Celtic and turned his back on the game for religious reason. And of course, because it's August, there's some more debuts - both heroic and not so heroic - to celebrate the start of the new football season.
Goalkeeping Greats, Goalkeeping Debuts, Goalscoring Goalkeepers, Keepers of the Faith
28 July 2024
Having completely ignored the Euros last month, the latest site update includes some goalkeeping-related trivia from championships of the past, including the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets. There's also some good and bad debuts, including the Angola international that became Porto's youngest ever player, some keepers with disabilities that did not prevent them from making the grade and some more footballing families. There's also a couple of defenders who found themselves in goal due to injuries to their keepers.
Quirky Facts, Goalkeeping Debuts, Getting Personal, Emergency Measures
27 June 2024
A mid-Euros update that doesn't feature a single piece of trivia about the European Championships! Don't despair, however, there's still lots of quirky facts, including the South American president who began life as a goalkeeper, the keeper who had the misfortune to be the first player ever to be substitued in the Football League and the American goalkeeper who decided to put the name of their hero on the back of their shirt. There's also some more debuts, both good and bad, some sporting masters plus the Scottish goalie whose brother featured in several Hollywood blockbusters.
Quirky Facts, Getting Shirty, Goalkeeping Debuts, Politically Speaking
26 May 2024
A Bank Holiday update that features not one but two goalkeepers that ended up in hospital after being bitten by spiders (no pets were involved!). In addition to the arachnid angst, there's the American goalkeeper who ended up behind bars along with his wife, the Inside Right who was forced to play an entire game in goal for Newcastle United after his keeper was injured in the warm-up and the day Kaiserslautern lost not one but two goalies. There's also some more unfortunate goalkeeping debuts, including the unfortunate custodian who was beaten six times while on loan at Espanyol.
Goalkeeping Debuts, Quirky Injuries, I Fought the Law, Emergency Measures
28 April 2024
April's update is another feast of goalkeeping trivia, featuring Aston Villa's shirt faux pas and the Huddersfield goalkeeper who was forced to wear his opponent's shirt during an away match. There's also the former Tottenham keeper who released a rap single, the German international who played a character called Big John in a South African film and bunch of goalkeepers that found the net, including the Southampton goalkeeper who once scored five in a game. If that wasn't enough there some more goalie-themed quotes from some the game's most famous names.
Quirky Facts, Getting Shirty, Goalscoring Goalkeepers, Words of Wisdom
Goalkeepersaredifferent.com came to life in the summer of 1999. A treasure trove of goalkeeper facts, trivia and a whole lot more, it has kept football fans and goalkeepers alike amused and entertained with its collection of goalie titbits ever since. But don't just take our word for it...
"Educational and charming" - Oliver Kahn
"Excellent and well-written" - When Saturday Comes
"Excellent" - Guardian Unlimited
"Goalkeepers are the drummers of football... Great quirky facts, a great website" - Website Wasteland, The Gideon Coe Show, BBC Radio6 Music