Goals scored by goalkeepers are somewhat a rare event in football. Goalkeepers spend the majority of a match in the penalty area of their own team, a marked area around the goal they are defending in which they can handle the ball, in order to defend their goal. It is highly unusual for a goalkeeper to move far beyond this area and join an attack, as this leaves the defence vulnerable to long-distance attempts until the goalkeeper can return to defend it.
The most prolific goalscoring goalkeepers are those who take penalties or free kicks. Other occasions where goalkeepers sometimes score include set pieces where a goalkeeper joins an attack as a team is chasing a goal in order to prevent a defeat, or from goal kicks or otherwise regular clearances which travel the length of the pitch into the opposite goal. The following list comprises goalkeepers who have scored in a professional national or international competition.
Here are the top 20 goalkeepers who have scored the most goals in football history.
| Rank | Name | Team(s) | Goals |
| 1. | Rogério Ceni | São Paulo | 129 |
| 2. | José Luis Chilavert | Paraguay, Sportivo Luqueno, Guaraní, Zaragoza, Vélez Sársfield, Strasbourg, Peñarol | 67 |
| 3. | Jorge Campos | Pumas UNAM, Atlante, L. A. Galaxy | 46 |
| 4. | Johnny Vegas Fernández | Sport Boys, Union Huaral, Universidad San Martín de Porres, FBC Melgar, Sport Ancash, Cienciano, Alianza Atlético, Club Deportivo Pacífico FC, Defensor San Alejandro, Los Caimanes | 45 |
| 5. | René Higuita | Colombia, Atlético Nacional, Veracruz, Independiente Medellín, Real Cartagena, Bajo Cauca FC, Deportivo Rionegro | 43 |
| 6. | Dimitar Ivankov | Levski Sofia, Kayserispor, Bursaspor | 42 |
| 7. | Márcio | Atlético Goianiense, Goiás, Goiânia | 40 |
| 8. | Fernando Patterson | Xelajú, Cobán Imperial, Puntarenas, Ramonense | 35 |
| 9. | Fábio Rampi | Cruzeiro-RS, São José-RS | 35 |
| 10. | Hans-Jörg Butt | VfB Oldenburg, Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich II | 33 |
| 11. | Misael Alfaro | Luis Ángel Firpo, San Salvador, Águila, Alianza, Metapán | 31 |
| 12. | Dragan Pantelić | Yugoslavia, Radnički Niš, Bordeaux | 29 |
| 13. | Ante Vulić | Hajduk Split | 29 |
| 14. | Exar Rosales | Los Caimanes, Atlético Minero, Deportivo Municipal, Comerciantes Unidos, Juan Aurich | 26 |
| 15. | Žarko Lučić | Rudar Pljevlja, Budućnost Podgorica, Kom Podgorica, Mladost Podgorica | 25 |
| 16. | Marco Cornez | Palestino | 24 |
| 17. | Vincent Enyeama | Ibom Stars, Enyimba, Hapoel Tel Aviv | 24 |
| 18. | Rafael Dudamel | Venezuela, Santa Fe, Zulia, Quilmes, Deportivo Cali, Unión Maracaíbo, Estudiantes de Mérida | 22 |
| 19. | Phan Văn Santos | Đồng Tâm Long An, Navibank Saigon | 22 |
| 20. | Nizami Sadıqov | Turan Tovuz | 21 |
