Football fans would forgive a striker if he misses nine chances but scores the winning goal in his tenth attempt. But a keeper will go down as a villain even he fails to make an easy save.
An outfield player gets a second chance to rectify his mistakes but keepers rarely get second chances. Concede one sloppy goal and the pitchforks come out in full force.
However, it is ironical that keepers are not often held in as high regard as an outfield player.
We are privileged to have some incredible keepers in this generation. Manuel Neuer, David de Gea, Hugo Lloris, and Petr Cech are regarded as the best in the game right now, but what about the future? We take a look at five of the best young keepers who have what it takes to become greats of the game in the future.
#5 Jordan Pickford
Sunderland are going through a troublesome season this time around and might not manage to turn things around this time like they have done in the last few campaigns. David Moyes’ boys hardly had anything good to show for during this campaign, but one positive in this season has been the emergence of young English keeper, Jordan Pickford.
The 22-year-old started this season as the deputy to Vito Mannone but got his break due to an injury to the first-choice keeper. Since then, the youngster hasn’t looked back and it seems like he has a bright future ahead of him.
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Without Pickford in this season, Sunderland’s fate could have been much worse. It’s a shame that the young keeper had an injury setback to disrupt his golden form. The Englishman has made as many as 3.63 saves every game this season which is an excellent figure. Another area where he excels in is his distribution which is evident from his average pass length of 53.37 m.
Just 22, Pickford has what it takes to become a brilliant keeper in the future. His good run of form was awarded a senior call-up to the English national team and he could be the No. 1 for England in the future.
#4 Timo Horn
Germany have a reputation of producing some of the best keepers overs the years and have some excellent young keepers vying for a spot in the national team. Timo Horn is certainly one of those bright young keepers emerging in German football.
The 23-year-old has been at Koln throughout his career and has already represented the first-team in 154 occasions till date. Capped 40 times for different youth setups of the German national team and the Olympic team, Horn will certainly be a contender to take the gloves of Manuel Neuer when the German goalkeeper retires from international football, but he will face stiff competition from the likes of Bernd Leno, Marc-André ter Stegen, Loris Karius and Kevin Trapp.
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Like most German keepers, Horn is a sweeper keeper who likes to come off his line whenever an opportunity presents itself. The 23-year-old has a passing accuracy of 73% this season, which is an excellent figure for a keeper.
#3 Loris Karius
It is surprising to see Loris Karius struggling in his early days at Liverpool after his big move from Mainz last summer but his quality is unquestionable. Still just 23 years of age, the German has what it takes to come back strong in the future.
Karius had a solid reputation in Bundesliga before joining Liverpool in the summer. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp bought him as a first-choice over Simon Mignolet but the youngster had to wait for his chance as he missed the start of the season due to an injury.
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Mignolet had a run of poor games which prompted the Liverpool manager to replace him with Karius, but the German lost his place after two bad games. Since then, the German goalkeeper has impressed in the Cup games while Mignolet has been as erratic as ever.
Adjusting to the Premier League takes time for even the best of the players. Even David de Gea – who is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, if not the best – had troubles in his early days at Old Trafford.
Karius, therefore, makes our list despite not enjoying his best season.
#2 Jack Butland
Jack Butland was touted as the best young keeper in the world before this season but an ankle injury has forced the young Englishman to stay out of football for half a season.
There is a reason why he was the second-choice of England after Joe Hart from a very young age. Butland has everything that a modern keeper needs to have to be successful. The 23-year-old is blessed with a big frame of 6’5” and is pretty much an orthodox keeper which we rarely get to see nowadays.
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The Stoke City star is a commanding player who can organise his back four really well. Another area where Butland excels in is his handling of the ball – an aspect most keepers have struggled in, lately. Touted as the future No. 1 of England, Butland has been a target of several big clubs over the years and it is hardly a surprise.
The 23-year-old has been out of action for a long time now and we hope to see him stronger than ever after he makes his comeback.
#1 Gianluigi Donnarumma
AC Milan have a gem of a player in their young keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Just 17 years of age, he is the first-choice keeper at an iconic club like AC Milan, which speaks volumes of the quality that he possesses.
The youngster got his breakthrough to the first-team last season and replaced the experienced custodian, Diego Lopez, before eventually forcing the Spaniard out of San Siro. The teenager has already played 58 games for the Rossoneri.
(Video Courtesy: KrunoKovacevic YouTube Channel)
The Italian shot-stopper is a big frame standing at 6’5”, but despite this he possesses excellent agility and athleticism. He has displayed decision making and leadership that belies his young age.
The Italian international boasts an excellent ability to pick out his teammates which is one of the necessary traits of a modern-day keeper. If Donnarumma develops well, he can be the best keeper in the world in the future, and is destined to be Italy’s next No. 1 when his namesake Gianluigi Buffon retires.
