2026 FIFA World Cup Countdown - Day 9: Chilavert Almost Makes History

91 Days to Go: Chilavert Nearly Becomes First Goalkeeper to Score at a World Cup

We’ve discussed world-class goals, outrageous controversies, horrific errors and commentary genius, but on day 9 of our 2026 FIFA World Cup, it’s time to discuss our first near miss, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a goalkeeper is our protagonist.

Paraguay’s Jose Luis Chilavert has gone down as an anomaly in goalkeeping history – regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in South American history, he was also one of the most prolific goalkeepers of all time, ranking second on the list and eclipsed only by a fellow South American, Brazil's Roberto Ceni.

A master of the dead ball, Chilavert was one of the most lethal free-kick takers of his day, scoring a combined total of 67 career goals, with eight of these coming on the international stage for Paraguay.

¡Porteros goleadores! 🧤⚽

De los tiros libres de José Luis Chilavert a los goles de último minuto de Rogério Ceni, estos arqueros demostraron que también saben encontrar la red. 😱🔥

¿Quién es tu favorito? pic.twitter.com/SIociIdyeR

— Kinki Muniain (@Kinki_muniain) March 10, 2026

Having scored both in the 1999 Copa América and in multiple World Cup qualifying campaigns, there was just one goalscoring feat Chilavert had left to accomplish – to score a World Cup goal.

Best in the World

Even aside from his goal-scoring prowess, Chilavert was seen as an elite goalkeeper – his ability to find the back of the net was just an added bonus for whichever team he played for.

Chilavert knew it too – ahead of the 1998 World Cup, he boasted multiple times about being the tournament's best goalkeeper, having been awarded the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) World Goalkeeper of the Year three times between 1995 and 1998.

He backed himself up, to be fair, keeping two clean sheets and helping Paraguay to the round of 16 before falling to Laurent Blanc’s historic golden goal winner. Though it was heartbreak for him and his nation, he would have been cheered after being selected as part of the tournament's all-star XI, alongside France's stopper and eventual winner Fabien Barthez.

He came close to becoming the first goalkeeper to score at a World Cup finals tournament while helping his side to the last 16, narrowly missing the target in their group stage match-up with Bulgaria, but it was the only opportunity he would be presented with at the tournament – he would be forced to wait another four years before his next opportunity.

Here's José Luis Chilavert in 1996, lobbing River's Germán Burgos from inside his own half and celebrating like he's trying to burst every single blood vessel in his body. Enjoy the rest of your day.pic.twitter.com/0VH81JDUUF

— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) June 10, 2020

In that time, he managed to get banned for spitting on Roberto Carlos during qualifiers for the 2002 iteration in South Korea, won the Coupe de France with Strasbourg, and scored a further 18 goals across spells at Velez Sarsfield and Strasbourg.

When the 2002 World Cup did eventually arrive, Chilavert was adamant – he promised that if he got a free kick “within range”, he would become the first ever goalkeeper to score in the greatest tournament on earth.

Chilavert Goes Oh So Close

And so, Chilavert’s pursuit of that history-making goal began. Banned for the first game of the tournament against South Africa thanks to his run-in with Roberto Carlos, Chilavert was thrust back into the starting XI against an up-and-coming Spain side.

Trailing 2-1 with 12 minutes left, with one of the goals a direct result of Chilavert missing an interception, the goalkeeper was looking to redeem himself, and although it was not a perfect opportunity, a chance still arrived when Paraguay won a free kick 30+ yards out.

Naturally, Chilavert stepped up to take it, hungry to redeem himself for his earlier error, but his attempt was easily caught by a young Iker Casillas – the Paraguayan had seen his first opportunity come and go in a flash.

Profesyonel futbol tarihinin en golcü ikinci kalecisi olan Jose Luis Chilavert, ülkesi Paraguay'ın 2023'teki başkanlık seçimlerine adaylığını koyduğunu açıkladı. pic.twitter.com/MH8TI2jrBI

— Socrates (@SocratesDergi) December 24, 2020

They would go on to lose 3-1, leaving the South Americans requiring a win against Slovenia to progress – it could potentially be Chilavert’s last opportunity to write himself into the history books.

However, Paraguay’s chances were severely dented by an early yellow card for Carlos Paredes, an error which was then compounded when Chilavert allowed an easy catch to dribble through his arms and legs and into the back of the net, handing Slovenia the lead right on the stroke of halftime.

However, inspired by substitutes, Paraguay came roaring back, with substitutes Nelson Cuevas and Jorge Luis Campos netting twice in eight minutes to hand Paraguay a surprise lead. Then Chilavert’s second opportunity of the tournament presented itself.

Arguably further out than his attempt against Spain, it was a long shot in every sense of the word. However, the extroverted keeper was never one to shy away from a challenge and stepped up to take it, history in the forefront of his mind.

Struck beautifully, the ball swerved with pace and power towards the top right corner, and if it hadn’t been for Mladen Dabanovic’s full-stretch dive to tip the ball onto the bar, Chilavert’s celebrations would have been customarily wild.

However, he was denied by the thickness of the crossbar, the closest any goalkeeper has ever come to scoring in the World Cup finals. Down the other end, he made up for his earlier error, making a couple of vital saves before Cuevas found the net six minutes from time to secure Paraguay’s place in the second round, where they would face Germany.

🌎🏆 FIFA World Cup Countdown!

Day 9/100: Chilavert Almost Makes History

One of the top-scoring goalkeepers in football history and one of South America's best shot-stoppers ever, there was just one thing missing from Jose Luis Chilavert's bucket list – a World Cup goal.

He… pic.twitter.com/PkCVvHTG2C

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) March 12, 2026

Unfortunately, his attempt against Slovenia would be his final shot on target on the World Cup stage, as against the Germans, Chilavert was forced to face the more traditional side of his job, this being shot-stopping.

He put in a superb performance, but eventually the Paraguayans were outclassed and, thanks to an Oliver Neuville finish, were dumped out of the World Cup in the first knockout round.

Chilavert retired from international football a year later before quitting the game altogether in 2004, meaning that the most likely goalkeeper to score on the World Cup stage was now out of the equation.

In the modern day, goal-hunting goalkeepers are rare in the extreme, with most goals coming from shot-stoppers, either accidental or last-minute throws of the dice.

José Luis Chilavert becomes the first goalkeeper to score a free-kick in the first division of Argentine football, 1994. pic.twitter.com/IkLSISMrUF

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) February 25, 2019

There was nothing accidental about Chilavert’s approach – one of the finest dead-ball artists in the world for a while and a regular penalty taker; it was more bad luck than anything else that prevented him from scoring on the biggest stage of all – he is certainly the goalkeeper to have come the closest.