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A quote that is thrown about a lot in football discourse is "Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles." Often, the individuals holding the defense on their shoulders are the goalkeepers. An effective barricade is only as good as its base.
Jurgen Klopp learned that the hard way. His fortification of Anfield started with the acquisition of Virgil van Djik, but remained incomplete until the subsequent arrival of Alisson Becker. In this era of flashy forwards and ball-playing centre-backs, the hard work put in by goalkeepers often goes unnoticed.
Every club prefers to employ two decent keepers in their ranks. After all, a no-nonsense defender won't be able to keep the ball out of his net all on his own. Second-choice goalkeepers often spend most of their careers with nominal game-time and recognition.
Exceptional backup goalkeepers who defied the odds
Despite these limitations, there have been a few goalies who rose through the ranks and established themselves as their club's number one. Nick Pope was comfortably behind Tom Heaton as long as the latter remained fit. However, when given a rare chance due to Heaton's injury, Pope proved to be even better than his superior. Pope's incredible goalkeeping meant Heaton was soon shipped to Aston Villa and he is now effectively third-choice at Manchester United.
But no goalkeeper has had a more meteoric rise than Emiliano Martinez in recent times. The Copa America 2021 winner was playing in the second tier of English football just two years back. A scarce opportunity at the end of the 2019-20 season turned his career upside down and he was picked by Aston Villa to be their number one in the following season.
Here we take a look at five such unsung heroes who have played second fiddle to other goalkeepers, despite having substantial capabilities -
#5 Mathew Ryan | Real Sociedad
Mathew Ryan has been the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper at the Amex Stadium ever since his transfer from Valencia was confirmed. However, he recently ended his four-year stay at Brighton with a permanent switch to Real Sociedad.
The Australian veteran was inexplicably dropped from the squad in December 2020, after a 3-0 loss to Leicester in the Premier League. According to reports, Graham Potter informed the Aussie goalkeeper that he needed to find a new club after that fateful game. Robert Sanchez has since replaced him between the sticks and gone from strength to strength.
In an interview with Optus Sport, Ryan relayed his thoughts about being axed from the Seagulls, stating:
"I am not the first player to be in the situation where you are not wanted or not perceived as being the best man for the job. There are a number of reasons that can happen, whether it is a performance thing, an opinion of a manager, or you never really know if there is a political or business thing behind decisions.”
Ryan was subsequently loaned out to Arsenal for the remainder of last season, where he worked as Bernd Leno's backup. The 29-year-old shot-stopper played a grand total of three games for the Gunners before returning to Brighton. Ryan was then perpetually released by the Seagulls at the end of the 20/21 campaign. He recently joined Real Sociedad on a free transfer.
Sociedad first-choice keeper Álex Remiro kept 18 clean sheets across all competitions for the Whites and Blues last season. Resultantly, Ryan will most certainly act as the backup goalkeeper at the Anoeta Stadium, come next season.
#4 David Ospina | Napoli
David Ospina often seems older to many than his actual age, but he is only 32. The Colombian goalkeeper was signed by Napoli from Arsenal, initially on a season-long loan. The club made the move permanent in 2018 to cover for the injured Alex Meret.
An acrobatic keeper with commendable ball control, Ospina has been a silent warrior throughout his career. He was regarded as a promising prospect in his earlier days at Nice, where he went on to make 189 appearances.
Ospina was snapped up by Arsenal in 2014 for an undisclosed fee. He was soon handed the number one role after regular goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny was fired due to professional reasons. The former Atletico Nacional shot-stopper was eventually replaced by Petr Cech the following year, despite enjoying an impressive debut campaign at the Emirates.
Ospina has played a rotational role in Naples ever since his arrival in 2018 on loan. He did become the preferred goalkeeper for a brief period of time under Gennaro Gattuso. But he was soon demoted to the bench following some high-profile errors.
Nevertheless, the Medellin-born goalie has been an ever-present member of his national side. Ospina was instrumental in Colombia's run to the Copa America 2021 semi-finals, keeping three clean sheets in six matches. He also heroically saved two penalties during a shootout victory in the quarter-final fixture against Uruguay.
#3 Neto Murara | FC Barcelona
With Marc-André ter Stegen firmly solidifying his place as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Neto hasn't had much to do at the Camp Nou. The Brazilian was signed from Valencia in 2019 in a swap deal which saw Jasper Cillessen head the other way. In the following two seasons, Neto has featured in a meager 17 outings for Barcelona, keeping seven clean sheets.
Having played as a subordinate to Gianluigi Buffon during his time at Juventus, Neto secured a €7m move to Valencia in 2017 for his showings. The 32-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed two full seasons as a regular starter at the Mestalla before Barcelona came calling.
Neto has always been a decent goalkeeper, who has looked confident about his capabilities and aware of his shortcomings. The former Fiorentina man has acted as an excellent cover for his German counterpart, providing top notch performances in ter Stegen's absence. With the Blaugrana in deep financial turmoil, Neto's time in Catalonia may be nearing an end. He remains one of the few sellable assets on Barcelona's books.
#2 Keylor Navas | Paris Saint-Germain
With nine goalkeepers contracted to PSG at the time of writing, the Parisians have some unnecessary depth between the posts. Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament Gianluigi Donnaruma was also recently signed as a free agent to add to PSG's already over-stocked roster of keepers.
The direct casualty of this transfer will undoubtedly be Keylor Navas though the 34-year-old Costa Rican has proved his class time and time again. This will be the second time Navas will have to vacate his number one spot at a club for a younger shot-stopper. The three-time UCL winner has hardly put a foot wrong during his time in Paris, which makes this situation extremely unfortunate for the former Madrid goalkeeper.
Navas has managed to keep an astounding 154 clean sheets in his senior career. He was acquired by Real Madrid in 2014 to serve as a backup for a subsequent Casillas-replacement. However, the side's bid to sign David de Gea collapsed at the last minute, forcing Los Blancos to thrust Navas into the spotlight. The veteran goalkeeper hasn't looked back since, defying the odds to carve out a successful career in Madrid.
Unfortunately, the advent of Donnarumma leaves only two options for Navas: the bench or the door.
#1 Dean Henderson (Manchester United)
Finishing comfortably at the top, Dean Henderson may not be a viable option for lists like these in the coming future. He has constantly breathed down de Gea's neck and was excellent last season. The English goalkeeper has seen a steady increase in his stock ever since his fruitful loan spell at Sheffield United came to an end in 2020.
Graduating from the esteemed academy of Manchester United, Henderson was excellent for the Red Devils in 2020-21. A huge dip in de Gea's form granted Henderson the chance to make a mark for himself. He appeared 26 times for United across all competitions.
Henderson impressed in his first full season since signing a senior contract five years ago. If not for a hip injury in the final hour, the young goalkeeper would've surely been the deputy to Jordan Pickford in Gareth Southgate's squad for Euro 2020.
Henderson is regarded as United's future, and it is evident that Ole Gunnar Solskjær plans to gradually phase him into the first team. The 24-year-old goalkeeper is still a novice at the highest level and has enough time to polish his skills even further.
With de Gea's prime closing to a premature conclusion, Henderson has the ideal chance to surpass his mentor in the next few years. He will hope to establish his supremacy as United's number one goalkeeper for years to come.
