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Serie A has been an interesting league, especially in the last few years. From Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival and subsequent departure, to Inter Milan ending Juventus’ near decade-long dominance, the Italian top flight has never been short of excitement.
Serie A has been home to many world-class goalkeepers and defenders
One of the noticeable aspects of Italian football is their plethora of world-class defenders and goalkeepers. Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Dino Zoff are some of the yesteryear superstars who reigned supreme in the defensive third.
More recently, centre-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci have taken the limelight. World-class goalkeepers like Alisson Becker, Gianluigi Buffon and Samir Handanovic have also flourished in Serie A.
The UEFA Euro 2020 Player of the Tournament, Gianluigi Donnarumma, is another shot-stopper who made a name for himself in Serie A. Although he left for PSG this summer, he still ranks among the best Serie A goalkeepers in 2021.
On that note, let's find out who else makes the list of top five goalkeepers in the Italian top flight this year:
#5 Emil Audero
Emil Audero plies his trade for Serie A club Sampdoria. The 24-year-old may not have as many clean sheets as a few others in the Italian league. However, he merits a mention on this list due to the sheer amount of saves he makes.
Audero made 117 saves last season, the third-most in the league. The goalkeeper was one of the main reasons Sampdoria finished in the top half of the league table. He also saved a couple of penalties, which is always considered gold dust.
The Juventus youth academy graduate has already made over 50 saves this season. Without his efforts, Sampdoria would have been in the relegation zone. In the last few campaigns, his save percentage has been impressively in the high 60s.
#4 Wojciech Szczęsny
Juventus No.1 Wojciech Szczęsny had a rather forgettable 2020-21 Serie A campaign. The Polish international kept only five clean sheets, but that was also down to a leaky defence failing to effectively shield the goalkeeper.
Despite keeping just one clean sheet every six games last season, he had an impressive save percentage of 70.5. Moreover, the Pole also saved two penalties. Szczesny has already kept seven league clean sheets this term.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper has let in just 13 goals this Serie A campaign. His save percentage has marginally improved to 72.7%. He has faced two penalty kicks in Serie A this season, saving one of them.
#3 Gianluigi Donnarumma
Gianluigi Donnarumma was certainly the standout goalkeeper in Serie A last season.
The 6’ 5” custodian has been the talk of the town since his exploits for Italy at the Euros this year. Donnarumma kept 14 clean sheets in the league last season, joint-highest with Handanovic of Inter Milan.
The Italian goalkeeper could have taken pole position in this list had he not moved to PSG in the summer. Nevertheless, Donnarumma’s exploits during the first half of the year merit him a place in this list.
Milan’s return to Champions League football was largely due to Donnarumma's efforts. Although they weren’t able to win the Serie A title, finishing runner-up with a squad of their quality is a significant achievement in itself.
#2 David Ospina
David Ospina’s contributions to Napoli in 2021 have been largely underrated. The Columbian played just 16 games last season, but kept eight clean sheets. He also had a league-high tally of 76.9 when it came to save percentage in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign.
The Napoli man seems to be getting better with age. The 31-year-old has already kept nine clean sheets this term, keeping a clean sheet every second game. His save percentage hasn’t gone down, as he still keeps out 76.9% of shots.
Napoli are currently third in Serie A, and Ospina has played a key role in ensuring that. The Naples-based outfit have conceded a league-low 14 goals, with Ospina conceding only 0.76 goals per game.
#1 Samir Handanovic
Samir Handanovic is undoubtedly the most underrated goalkeeper of his generation. A three-time Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year winner, Handanovic continues to perform at the highest level despite being 37. He kept 14 clean sheets in the Serie A last season.
Handanovic kept as many clean sheets as Donnarumma last campaign, and is tied with Ospina for nine this season. The Slovenian won the Scudetto with Inter Milan this year, and is likely to repeat the feat next year as well.
His save percentage of 81 this term is enviable for any goalkeeper. The Inter Milan captain also saved a couple of penalties last season. Considering Handanovic has kept the most clean sheets in Serie A since the start of last season, he deserves the top spot in this list.
