Having a good goalkeeper is essential if your team wants to win titles. Often, goalkeepers don’t get enough credit. Generally, we pay more attention to their misses and goals allowed.
However, with their saves, goalkeepers can change the course of a game. Arguably, a good save is almost the same as scoring a goal. There are many good goalkeepers in the game today. We decided to celebrate this by ranking the best of them in a top 10 list.
It was difficult to do so, but this top 10 is based on the performances of players during the 2020-2021 season and the status achieved by the players during their careers. So, who are the best goalkeepers in the world?
Who are the Top 10 Goalkeepers in the World?
- Jan Oblack
- Ederson
- Keylor Navas
- Manuel Neuer
- Thibaut Courtois
- Ter Stegen
- Alisson
- Donnarumma
- Eduard Mendy
- Mike Maignan
10. Mike Maignan
Team/Country: AC Milan/France
Age: 26
Our top 10 goalkeeper list starts with Mike Maignan; a French goalkeeper who has been the revelation of the French League. After a 10 year drought, Lille won the French League in 2021. He was a very important player who contributed a lot to this win.
Maignan is the goalkeeper with the highest number of clean sheets (20) across Europe’s top five leagues. This season he moved to Milan and to replace Donnarumma. He has had a good start so far and he might have another great season.
He is not ranked better because he has only had one excellent year. He will have to retain this form if he wants to climb this list.
9. Edouard Mendy
Team/Country: Chelsea/Senegal
Age: 29
Edouard Mendy is another goalkeeper that shined this year. The story of Edouard Mendy is incredible and very motivational. While playing in the third division in France, he did some tryouts in England. Unfortunately, no team wanted him. As late as the 2017-2018 season, he was still playing in the second division in France.
However, last season, Chelsea was struggling with the keeper position. Kepa was not performing well. So, they decided to give Mendy a shot. It proved to be a great choice because he helped the team win the Champions League.
He made saves that kept Chelsea in the game. He is also tied in 4th place with Thibaut Courtois for most clean sheets in league matches (16). As his success is recent, he has to perform well this season to be ranked better next season.
8. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Team/Country: PSG/Italy
Age: 22
Gianluigi Donnarumma has been a wonderkid for many years and has rarely disappointed. However, he struggled with his relationship with AC Milan’s administration and fans despite always performing well. He is the youngest player on this list and still has his whole career in front of him.
With his national team, he has performed splendidly. In fact, he has conceded more than one goal only once (in a semi-final Nations League match against Spain). This stat is even more incredible when you consider that he has been playing for the national team for five years.
He also recently won the Euro Cup with his country, and took the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.
He now faces a new challenge at PSG because he will have to fight for playing time against another great keeper: Keylor Navas.
7. Alisson Becker
Team/Country: Liverpool/Brazil
Age: 28
Alisson was at the top of his level when Liverpool won the Champions League in the 2018-2019 season. Unfortunately, Liverpool has not won a Premier League since the 2019-20 season nor have they reached another final since then.
Yet, Becker has still performed very well with Liverpool, which is still one of the best teams around. On the international stage, he normally splits duties with Ederson. As such, he did not play in the Copa America. Liverpool has started this season well. So, Becker might receive more attention again.
6. Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Team/Country: FC Barcelona/Germany
Age: 29
Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been a world-class goalkeeper for many years now. In the last few years, Barcelona has struggled defensively and he has often saved them. He is also very good with his feet, which is essential when you play for Barcelona.
He allows the team to keep the ball instead of giving it away with clearances. Unfortunately, he is not the first-choice goalkeeper of his national team it’s due to an unusual situation.
The German national team has very good selection of goalkeepers to choose from and Manuel Neuer has always had the confidence vote. Even if Barcelona is struggling right now, he is performing well and he is helping them a lot. Without him, Barcelona could be even worse.
5. Thibaut Courtois
Team/Country: Real Madrid/Belgium
Age: 29
Thibaut Courtois just made the top five football goalkeepers. He is a very big keeper with amazing reflexes. He has been one of the best goalkeepers for the last five years.
Last season, he finished in 4th position with 16 clean sheets in the league matches (tied with Édouard Mendy). He came to Real Madrid to replace Keylor Navas and he has done a good job even if they have not won any championships since he arrived.
4. Manuel Neuer
Team/Country: Bayern München/Germany
Age: 35
Manuel Neuer has been one of the best goalkeepers for many years. At 35 years old, he still performs at a top-level. He will retire as one of the best keepers in history.
He is a legend in his position and he has won everything except a European Football Championship. He modernised the position with his high positions and his ability with his feet. He had a very good season but other goalkeepers performed better, which is why he only made it to number four on this list.
3. Keylor Navas
Team/Country: PSG/Costa Rica
Age: 34
Keylor Navas is one of the most underrated players in the world. People forget that he has won three Champions League being a key player. He did not win the French title with PSG and that was a huge upset. Yet, it is not his fault as he still performed well.
This season he will face a new challenge: Donnaruma. The Italian goalkeeper arrives as a young prodigy. Navas, at 34 years old, will have to fight for the starting position.
2. Ederson Moraes
Équipe/pays : Manchester City/Brésil
Âge : 28
Ederson Moraes has been really important to Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. He has changed the game style of City. Now, they have a keeper that allows them to counterattack easily.
With his strong arm, he can throw passes over 50 m and open the game. This allows City to play open and have more space. He is not always the starting keeper with Brazil but he played in the Copa America.
He had a very good year: he made it to the final of the Champions League, Copa America, and he won the Premier League. He confirmed his status achieved over the last years and quality thanks to his good performances.
1. Jan Oblak
Team/Country: Atlético Madrid/Slovenia
Age: 28
Jan Oblak is currently the best goalkeeper in the world! For the last five years, he has consistently been one of the top goalkeepers. He has been in the top three for a long time now and he is starting to build a serious status as one of the best keepers of our era.
He won La Liga this season with Atlético Madrid. He is a key player for Atlético because they are a defensive team and the “last defender“ is the goalkeeper. He has a lot of saves, he talks a lot to his defenders, and gives confidence to the team. This allowed him to be a factor in the success of Altético Madrid.
Do you agree with our choices? Which goalkeeper would you have included?