From Terry to Pele: When outfield players go in goal

La Liga has returned with a bang, bringing goals, end-to-end thrillers and…outfield players in goal.

That is the position Levante's Ruben Vezo found himself in on Sunday night in his side's 3-3 draw with Real Madrid.

After Levante goalkeeper Aitor Fernandez was sent off and with all their substitutions exhausted, the centre-back stepped up to don the gloves for his side.

Although Vezo had very little to do in his stint between the sticks, the same can't be said for a number of outfield players who have been bestowed the responsibility in the past.

From Champions League shootouts to sensational howlers and even featuring the great Pele, Planet Sport looks back at the all-so-memorable occasions when outfield players went in goal.

Kyle Walker (Goalkeeper rating: 8/10)

In arguably the most bizarre game of his career, Walker spent around 10 minutes between the sticks for Manchester City in a Champions League game against Atalanta.

Pep Guardiola's side had already seen an injured Ederson replaced by Claudio Bravo at the half-time break.

Their goalkeeping situation took a further turn when the Chilean shot-stopper was sent off in the 81st minute for a rash slide tackle on Josip Ilicic.

It was Walker's time to shine.

The full-back made an immediate impact, keeping out the resulting free-kick from Ruslan Malinovskyi. 

Amazingly, he was the only one of the three Manchester City goalkeepers to make a save during the match. Did they share the clean sheet bonus, we wonder.

Cosmin Moti (10/10)

When the central defender stepped up to play in goal for Ludogorets, very few expected he would cement himself in European soccer history.

Ludogorets goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was shown red for denying a goalscoring opportunity late in the game.

Quite spectacularly, the Romanian made two saves in the shootout with his second sealing victory for his side and sealing their qualification to the Champions League for the first time ever.

Harry Kane (2/10)

Harry Kane is undeniably one of the best strikers in world soccer. His goalkeeping on the other hand left a lot to be desired.

The England captain was responsible for a different kind of goal altogether in Tottenham's 2014 Europa League clash with Asteras Tripolis.

After bagging a hat-trick earlier in the game, Kane took the gloves when Hugo Lloris was handed his marching orders.

After diving the right way for a free-kick, the forward somehow managed to fumble it back into his own goal in rather calamitous fashion.

Although the goal had little bearing on the outcome of the game, it is still far more memorable than Kane's earlier treble.

John O'Shea 9/10

A dramatic encounter at White Hart Lane saw Irish defender John O'Shea handed his goalkeeping debut for Manchester United.

It followed a horror injury to Edwin Van der Sar that saw the Dutchman's nose broken by Robbie Keane.

Sir Alex Ferguson had used all three of his substitutes and although Rio Ferdinand stepped forward, O'Shea was the chosen one.

Whether it was another tactical masterclass by Fergie or, more likely, luck, O'Shea took to his new role like a duck to water.

Pele (6/10)

Even one of the greatest players of all time wasn't immune to the odd stint in goal.

That was certainly the case for Pele when playing for Santos against Comercial SP in 1959.

With 20 minutes to play, Santos goalkeeper Lala was knocked unconscious after colliding with a Comercial player.

Santos would finish the game as 4-2 winners with goals from Coutinho, Feijo, Dorval and, yep you guessed it, Pele.

John Terry (7/10)

When Chelsea met Reading in 2006, another peculiar day of Premier League action brought two injured goalkeepers, two red cards and John Terry as a goalkeeper.

After Chelsea legend Petr Cech suffered a career-threatening head injury five minutes in, he was replaced by Carlo Cudicini. Cudicini was later to suffer a serious injury himself after colliding with Ibrahima Sonko.

Keen to add to his kit collection, Chelsea skipper Terry took on the goalkeeping role.

But despite Chelsea now being reduced to nine men - John Obi Mikel had been sent off earlier - Reading were unable to find a way past Terry in the final minutes as the Blues held on for a slender 1-0 victory.

Lucas Radebe (7/10)

Very few players are held in as high regard among Leeds United fans as centre-back Lucas Radebe.

The Chief was revered for years at Elland Road for his tough tackling and resolute man-marking but one encounter with Manchester United saw him adopt a different role entirely.

Having played in the Whites goal just a month before at Middlesborough after an injury to John Lukic, the South Africa international was trusted with the gloves again at Old Trafford.

After Leeds' substitute goalie Mark Beeney was sent off, Radebe was faced with the task of keeping United out for the remaining 72 minutes.

Despite his best efforts and an impressive save to deny Brian McClair, he was eventually beaten by Roy Keane.

Nevetheless, his performance was still in keeping with his iconic status in West Yorkshire.

Rio Ferdinand (7/10)

Over the years, Manchester United fans became accustomed to watching Rio Ferdinand putting his body on the line to keep their goal intact.

However, during the Red Devils' FA Cup clash with Portsmouth in 2008, he took it one step further.

With Edwin van der Sar injured and Thomas Kuzczak having seen red, Ferdinand's first task was to try and save a Sulley Muntari penalty - and he almost did.

Diving the right way, he was inches away from denying the Ghanaian. However, it wasn't to be as his side fell to defeat at the hands of Pompey.

Nevertheless, a valiant effort from the former England man.

Niall Quinn (9/10)

A crazy game for the Republic of Ireland striker saw him relegate Derby County from the top flight thanks to a goal...and a penalty save.

Quinn's first-half strike had given Manchester City a firm grasp on the game but they were rocked when goalkeeper Tony Coton was sent off for a foul on Dean Saunders.

After taking over goalkeeping responsibilities, Quinn made an emphatic save with his first action to keep out the Welsh international from the spot. 

Undeniably a man-of-the-match display, Quinn's goalkeeping heroics will forever be etched into City folklore.

READ MORE: Michail Antonio, Dirk Kuyt and eight other Premier League strikers who were criminally underrated