5 best backup goalkeepers in the world right now

The one position where no manager wanted two great players was the goalkeeper one. Until now. With top clubs playing 60 odd games every season in this time, it is important to have a good backup for even the shot-stopper.

The trend began when Iker Casillas became the backup to Diego Lopez. It was soon followed by Keylor Navas when he became the backup to the former Real Madrid captain. And now, many clubs in Europe follow this practice of having two quality goalkeepers in their squad.

Keeping this in mind, here are the five best backup goalkeepers in the world of football currently.

---

#5 Jasper Cilessen

Now, some things in life are very weird. Asking people to go to hell when they are already in it, putting pineapple toppings on a pizza and the main goalkeeper of an international team playing second fiddle to someone who is the backup ‘keeper for his own nation.

Okay, I may have over-complicated things in the last paragraph, but what I was trying to convey is that it doesn’t really make sense for Jasper Cillessen – Netherlands’ number one – to play second fiddle to Manuel Neuer’s understudy for Germany, Marc Andre ter Stegen.

Regardless of that, one can’t really deny the qualities of the Dutchman as he has always shown stability in between the sticks whenever he got the chance to do in a Blaugrana shirt. His place as Netherlands’ number 1, though, might be in jeopardy should he continue at Barca with the World Cup coming up next year.

#4 Sergio Romero

Sergio Romero did an admirable job last term

This is another case of an international number one playing second fiddle for his club team. In this case, however, the Argentina number one plays the role of a backup to David De Gea – Spain’s number one goalkeeper.

Last season, Romero was the first-choice shot-stopper in Manchester United’s Europa League-winning campaign. Whenever he took on the pitch instead of David De Gea, he showed immense maturity and was a safeguard in front of the goal.

While he might have his flaws, Romero does represent someone who is too good to be a backup while also not being great enough to be the first-choice goalkeeper of an elite team in Europe. Nonetheless, being Argentina’s first-choice in itself gives him the tag of one of the best backups.

#3 Kiko Casilla

Casilla has a better games-per-clean-sheet record than Keylor Navas

At one point last season, there was a section of the Real Madrid fan base that wanted Kiko Casilla to start over first-choice, Keylor Navas. It has to be said that those calls were not unfounded the Costa Rican went into somewhat of a Manuel Almunia mode during that period.

Navas, in his first season at Real Madrid, was exceptional and easily among the top five goalkeepers in the world. However, his form became very erratic last term and that’s when Kiko Casilla was being touted to replace him between the sticks.

The move didn’t happen though, but the former Espanyol number one did start quite a few games owing to Zidane’s rotations at the crunch part of last season. And he did very well. In fact, one could argue that Casilla’s ability to organise the defence is better than the former Levante man.

Fun fact: Kiko Casilla managed to keep five clean-sheets in the 11 league games last season, Navas managed the same in 27 outings.

#2 David Ospina

Ospina might end up being the first-choice this season

There was once a time when Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper was a walking butter-man in the form of Manuel Almunia. Back in those days, Arsenal fans might as well have killed for just one quality goalkeeper in their squad.

Now, Colombia’s number one is their second-choice. David Ospina was brought in to be the understudy of Petr Cech before eventually replacing the former Chelsea man. And it might happen sooner rather than later.

Cech’s form has been on the decline for a while as David Ospina is the man preferred to take the goalkeeping reins in the Champions League, as we saw last season.

Who knows, this could be the season when the Colombian becomes the first-choice for Wenger as well.

Wojciech Szczesny

Buffon's new understudy

Speaking of Arsenal goalkeepers, one has left the club to go the best team in Italy and be the backup to the greatest Italian goalkeeper of all time, Gianluigi Buffon. Szczesny forged his way into the Arsenal team after his compatriot, Lukas Fabianski, actually displayed the impossible by beating Almunia in the ‘who has the most buttery hands’ competition.

However, despite being a better ’keeper, Szczesny’s inconsistency meant that Wenger had to look elsewhere, which prompted the Frenchman to sign Petr Cech. In the end, Szczesny moved to Roma last term – a move that worked wonders for him as helped the Roman club finish second in Serie A last term.

And now, with no place at Arsenal, he has permanently moved to Juventus. Buffon might be ageing like a wine, but everything has an expiry date – and Szczesny might as well become the first-choice at Turin after that.