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The 2020-21 season effectively highlighted the significance of goalkeepers and defenders in a side with the majority of the top five European leagues being dominated by defensive teams.
Lille's historic Ligue 1 win was built around an impenetrable defense, with Les Dogues conceding the fewest number of goals in the entire continent. Atletico Madrid seconded this hypothesis as Diego Simeone's side romped to their 11th La Liga title on the back of Jan Oblak and Co.
Best goalkeepers of the 2020-21 season, statistically
The aforementioned Slovenian shot-stopper claimed the Zamora Trophy for the fifth time in his career, by keeping 18 clean sheets in La Liga last season. In England, Manchester City's Ederson was awarded the Golden Glove for his 19 clean sheets.
Peter Gulacsi and Mike Maignan won similar awards for keeping 15 and 21 clean sheets in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, respectively. Samir Handanovic and Gianluigi Donnarumma shared the spoils in Serie A, with both goalkeepers amassing 14 clean sheets last season.
On the continental stage, Champions League winner Edouard Mendy managed an impressive nine clean sheets in his debut season with Chelsea. Dinamo Zagreb's Dominik Livakovic and title-winning Villareal's Geronimo Rulli were responsible for keeping the highest number of clean sheets in the Europa League. Neither of them conceded a goal in six games.
Although goalkeepers are primarily entrusted with keeping the ball out of the net, modern football has ushered in a revolution. Many goalkeepers across Europe are now comfortable playing out from the back to help their team's cause. In this segment, we profile the five best goalkeepers with the best ball distribution in the world right now:
#5 Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa and Argentina)
Emiliano Martinez has experienced a meteoric rise to prominence, shining for both club and country last season. The Argentine goalkeeper was instrumental in Aston Villa's respectable 11th place finish and topped it off by carrying his national side to Copa America glory.
Martinez kept four clean sheets throughout the competition, famously making three consecutive saves in the penalty shootout against Colombia to send Argentina to the final. The 28-year-old shot-stopper was named the tournament's best goalkeeper for his heroics.
In a career-altering transfer, Martinez decided to swap Arsenal's bench for a starting birth at Villa Park on the back of a brilliant FA Cup win. The Independiente graduate dazzled the footballing world in his debut season with the Lions, keeping an admirable 15 clean sheets. Moreover, his 29.8 passes per game ranked him ninth in the Premier League amongst goalkeepers last season.
Adept in creating decent chances from his spot between the sticks, Martinez provided 7 meticulous long balls per game in the 2021-22 season. His precise delivery and sublime range easily qualify him as one of the best distributors of the ball.
#4 Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona and Germany)
A long-time heir to Manuel Neuer's throne as Germany's number one, Marc-André ter Stegen has been a consistent performer for Barcelona over the past few seasons. The 29-year-old goalkeeper was signed by the Blaugrana in 2014 for a bargain rate of €12m. Ter Stegen has been nothing short of a revelation for Barcelona, going on to play 278 games for the Catalan giants.
The German goalkeeper offers much more than your average shot-stopper. In addition to his superb reflexes and astute range, Ter Stegen is excellent with his feet. His ball-playing ability is on-par with a hoard of outfield players and is often responsible for dispatching some of the most exquisite passes in the game.
The former Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper famously concluded the 2019-20 La Liga campaign with two beautiful assists to his name.
In what is considered to be a below par season according to his ridiculously high standards, Ter Stegen averaged 2.5 saves per game, almost identical to Zamora Trophy winner Jan Oblak.
However, the most interesting aspect of the German's game was his pinpoint ball distribution. Ter Stegen laid out a decent 4.6 accurate long balls per game last season but, unlike the rest of his competition, managed to balance it out by only giving the ball away 3.4 times in a game.
Barcelona are soaring headfirst into some uncharted territories in this post-Messi era and will require as much stability as they can muster. In Ter Stegen, the Blaugrana not only have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but also a specialist in passing.
Also read: Top 5 backup goalkeepers at club level - 2021
#3 Alisson Becker (Liverpool and Brazil)
After a string of mediocre goalkeepers following Pepe Reina's departure to Napoli in 2013, Liverpool finally found an adept replacement for the Spaniard in the form of Alisson Becker. Signed up for a world-record fee of €62.5m, Alisson has more than repaid every penny that the Reds have invested in him.
The Brazilian goalkeeper had an instant impact at Anfield, winning the Champions League in his debut season at Anfield. Under Jurgen Klopp, Alisson has transformed into arguably the best shot-stopper of the present time. In addition to his remarkable skills between the sticks, the former Roma goalkeeper offers a lot more in terms of on-field output. Alisson was responsible for providing 3.2 accurate long balls per game in the Premier League last season.
Not content with being a provider, the 28-year-old goalkeeper inexplicably scored a sensational header against West Bromwich Albion in the 95th minute, to rescue a cheeky 1-2 win for the Reds. Alisson's stock has skyrocketed ever since he swapped the Stadio Olimpico for Anfield in 2018. The Brazilian is currently the fourth most valuable goalkeeper in the world. And deservedly so.
#2 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich and Germany)
The quintessential sweeper-keeper, Manuel Neuer has revolutionized the goalkeeper post in his 10 years with Bayern Munich. The German shot-stopper reintroduced the concept of a goalkeeper being deployed as an outfield player, after the era of Lev Yashin.
After spending three years under Pep Guardiola's tutelage, Neuer embraced his updated role with open arms and subsequently became an ideal role model for the younger goalkeepers. The former Schalke player has kept a mind-boggling 212 clean sheets in the 435 games he has played for Bayern Munich, with 14 of them coming in last season itself.
Following an abysmal 2018 World Cup and a serious injury to his left calf in 2019, many believed that Neuer's time at the top had finally come to an end.
However, the 35-year-old veteran goalkeeper staged an emphatic comeback, starring in the Bavarians' fabled sextuple-winning campaign in the 2019-20 season. Neuer's everlasting brilliance is the only reason behind Marc-André ter Stegen's paltry 25 international caps, despite the latter being one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
#1 Ederson (Manchester City and Brazil)
Finishing up in the first place is, predictably, a Guardiola goalkeeper. Bought from Benfica in 2017 for a sizeable fee of €40m, Ederson was labeled as a panic buy to replace the erratic Claudio Bravo. However, the Brazilian goalkeeper has turned out to be one of the most astute signings made by Manchester City in the Guardiola-era.
In his four seasons at the Etihad Stadium, Ederson has managed to rack up a commendable 95 clean sheets, only allowing 145 goals in 195 appearances with the Cityzens. However, the 28-year-old shot-stopper is widely known for excellent technique on the ball, rather than his efforts between the posts. Ederson also possesses a keen eye for passing coupled with outstanding distribution.
The Brazilian is an ideal Guardiola player and, as a consequence, has thoroughly flourished under the Catalan manager. Due to his superior ball control and fine reflexes, the former Benfica custodian was given the nod over Alisson in the Copa America 2021. Although the Seleção eventually lost the final to a resurgent Argentina side, Ederson proved to be an inspired selection choice by Tite.
Also read: 5 players who could score more goals than Lionel Messi this season (2021-22)
