Ranked: West Ham’s five best-ever goalkeepers as John Victor heads in
West Ham will have a new face in-between the sticks next season as Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor joins the club.
The Hammers have moved for 29-year-old Victor following his impressive Club World Cup campaign with the Brazilian side.
Sources have also told Football Insider [August 4] that Graham Potter’s side are confident of getting a deal done for the player.
Victor’s performance sparked interest from Premier League club’s, but it is West Ham who have won the race for his signature.
West Ham have had some excellent goalkeepers over the years, but who are the best? Here are the Hammers’ top five of all time.
5 – Shaka Hislop
Hislop made 105 appearances for West Ham during the Premier League years of 1998 to 2002, signed by future Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.
The Trinidad and Tobago international won Hammer of the Year in his first season at the club, but faced competition when a young David James was signed in 2001, which ended his time as number one.
James though was known for some high profile errors at West Ham, whilst Hislop was a reliable goalkeeper keeping 48 clean sheets in 144 appearances before joining Redknapp at Portsmouth.
4 – Rob Green
Green joined West Ham in January 2006 and immediately his impact was evident as he helped the Hammers preserve their place in the Premier League.
The future England international was signed from Norwich and kept clean sheets away at Arsenal and Manchester United in his debut season at the club.
Another recipient of the Hammer of the Year award during the 2007/08 campaign and Green had a reputation for saving penalties.
Overall, Green kept 53 clean sheets in 267 appearances for the club.
3 – Lukasz Fabianski
One of the reasons West Ham have had to recruit Victor this summer is partly down to Fabianski leaving the club.
Fabianski spent seven seasons in East London after previous stints at Arsenal and Swansea in the Premier League.
The goalkeeper became the first Polish international to represent the club and was again a winner of Hammer of the Year for his performances during the 2018/19 season.
An ever present for much of his time at West Ham, Fabianski lost his place to Alphonse Areola and at 40 years old was not awarded a new contract.
Making 216 appearances for the club and keeping 55 clean sheets, Fabianski was a reason West Ham remain in the Premier League and enjoyed success under David Moyes.
| Appearances | 515 |
| Goals Conceded | 679 |
| Clean Sheets | 147 |
2 – Ludek Miklosko
Miklosko’s career was most known for his eight year spell at West Ham, in which he made 373 appearances for the club, keeping 99 clean sheets.
Signed by Lou Macari, Miklosko is still loved by the fans today and he had big gloves to fill after replacing Phil Parkes in-between the sticks.
Another Hammer of the Year awardee in 1991, he was involved in two promotion winning campaigns to the top flight.
Later in his career Miklosko would return to the club as a goalkeeping coach.
1- Phil Parkes
Parkes spent 11 seasons at West Ham between 1979 and 1990, winning the FA Cup and Second Division title during his time at the club and was also a runner up in a League Cup final.
The only footballer to have played over 300 times for two different club’s, Parkes was sold to West Ham from QPR for a then world record fee for a goalkeeper.
Parkes lived up to the £565,000 price tag, keeping 146 clean sheets in 444 appearances to make him the greatest West Ham goalkeeper of all time.