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#4 Keylor Navas
The story of Keylor Navas is a strange one. The goalkeeper is one of the game's most underrated positions. But in Navas's case, it is not just the media who do not value him highly. His club also does not seem to hold him high regards.
Navas shot to fame with his performances for Costa Rica in the 2014 World Cup. He had already made a name for himself in LaLiga with Levante, but the world took notice after his brilliant shot-stopping in Brazil. There was no surprise when it was known that many clubs were interested in signing him, but what did surprise many is who finally bought him.
Real Madrid stayed away from the usual path of signing a Galactico, to buy a talented but lesser known player. While he was brought in as a back up to Casillas, he inherited the No.1 shirt after the Spanish goalkeeper left the club in 2015. But the first sign of Madrid's low valuation of Navas was clear that summer.
In a swap deal, Real Madrid wanted David De Gea from Manchester United and send Navas the other way. While all the papers were ready, they were sent too late to FIFA. The transfer fell through, and both players and clubs were caught in limbo. De Gea moved on by signing a new contract with the Red Devils, and Keylor Navas became Madrid's No.1.
As Real's first choice goalkeeper, he showed the Madristas his world-class abilities. He won the Champions League with Real and only let in 3 goals throughout the competition, keeping 9 clean sheets in the process. In the next two seasons, he won the Champions League twice and added a LaLiga title to his trophy collection.
All this success should have naturally guaranteed Navas an undisputed starting berth. But throughout his time at Real, he has had to fight off speculation of De Gea coming to Real. And during all that time he has been a professional and stayed on top of his game.
But this season with the arrival of Thibaut Courtois, Navas lost his place. His performance did not dip nor did he make any high profile mistakes. He simply became the second choice because his counterpart is better known. To be fair Courtois is also a great goalkeeper, but the lack of movement in the transfer market for Navas is simply surprising.
Whether Navas will be content with playing second fiddle will be seen. At 32, he still has some more good years left in him, and there are many top clubs who could benefit with a player like him. The question is will they come for him.
