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ENGLAND'S DREAM TEAM

Player Profiles: Goal Keepers

PLAYER:GORDON BANKS

BORN:Sheffield, 1937

TEAMS:Chesterfield, Leicester City, Stoke City, Fort Lauderdale Strikers

CAPS:73

What can you say about Banksie? A sportsman, a gentleman and a legend to boot. Will always be remembered for the Save of the Century at Mexico 70. No scientist has yet explained how he kept out Pele's effort. The greatest player in the world hit an unstoppable header toward the corner of the net and Banks seemed to leap backwards through time and space to get there and claw it away - like a Time Lord-come-keeper. Unbelievable. Didn't stop us losing, though�

PLAYER:PETER SHILTON

BORN:Leicester, 1949

TEAMS:Leicester City, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Derby County, Plymouth Argyle, Leyton Orient

CAPS:125 Shilts replaced Gordon Banks at Leicester as a 17-year-old and went on to be one of the most brilliant and consistent keepers we've ever had. He played a record 125 times for England and a record 1005 league games by playing on until he was a record 137-years-old. Legend has it that he lengthened his arms by hanging from banisters, and he kept himself in peak condition by running - occasionally from tabloid journalists asking awkward questions about gambling debts and married women.

PLAYER:FRANK SWIFT

BORN:Blackpool, 1913

TEAMS:Manchester City

CAPS:19

Many believe that the tradition of goalkeepers being mad stems from the great Frank Swift. Old boys with fuzzy memories recount tall tales of how he'd catch the ball in one hand before asking quizzically, 'Or was that me mother?' And that was in the days when footballs were made of iron. Legend has it that at corners he would hang from the crossbar with one hand and catch the ball with the other. Barking. First keeper to captain England, against Italy in 1947.

PLAYER:DAVID SEAMAN

BORN:Rotherham, 1963

TEAMS: Leeds, Peterborough United, Birmingham City, QPR, Arsenal, Manchester City

CAPS:75

Sadly, the affable Yorkshireman will probably be remembered as much for Nayim and Ronaldinho's lobs as for the great saves he made for England and Arsenal. That's how it is for all keepers, especially those who wear hair and a moustache from two very different eras, neither of them current. Behind the meanest defence he won lots of pots, conceding only 18 goals in one championship year. But what about that Sakiri of Macedonia scoring straight from a corner?

PLAYER:RAY CLEMENCE

BORN:Skegness, 1948

TEAMS:Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur

CAPS:61

A one-time deckchair attendant, Ray Clemence was keeper for Liverpool during their period of dominance of English and European football. Quick and agile, Scousers will tell you he's their best ever netminder. At any other time in England's history he would have had a trillion caps, but even with Shilts around he still managed an incredible 61. Clemence then went on to spawn a Premiership footballer in his son, Stephen. How many keepers can say that?

PLAYER: DAVID JAMES

BORN:Welwyn Garden, 1970

TEAMS:Watford, Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City

CAPS:22

David James? England's best keeper of all time? Stop laughing at the back! Let's just look at the facts, shall we? He's quick out of goal, he's extremely agile, and he has an outstanding physique for goalkeeper. Oh, and he's an excellent shot stopper. And he's good looking. Apparently. But yes, he does seem to have a Transylvanian fear of crosses. They'll put that on his grave, I've heard it so often. Not a cross, obviously. That would be in bad taste.

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