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Goalkeeping, perhaps, is the most thankless job in football. While the strikers may miss a thousand sitters and score two, they shall be lauded, but for the goalies, it is quite the opposite. A very recent example of such bland partiality would be Loris Karius, a key player in Liverpool's run to final and also the much-publicised villain.
Goalkeepers make or break great teams. Iker Casillas, Spain's favourite hero from the 2010 World Cup victory epitomised the team's fall from grace four years later. Thus, any team with a goalkeeper who can instil doubts in the opposition's minds will have a better chance of winning the coveted cup.
Here, we try to rank the goalkeepers who will be showcasing their skills in the FIFA World Cup 2018, on the basis of clean sheets kept in the past season.
Honourable Mentions:
Leonel Moreira - Costa Rica
The Costa Rican, who plies his trade with CS Herediano in his native country, has kept the joint most clean-sheets among all the goalkeepers going to Russia this summer.
However, due to the fact that he does not play in any of top leagues in the world or his continent, coupled with the fact that he is Costa Rica's third choice behind Keylor Navas of Real Madrid, who clearly is a better keeper sees him being just an honourable mention.
He kept 24 clean sheets in 51 matches for the club and country during the 2017-18 season.
Alireza Beiranvand - Iran
Alireza is probably the best player on his team. A key member of the squad, Iran would lean heavily on him if they were to progress to the next round. However, just like Leonel Moreira, unfortunately, the mediocrity of his club side robs him of a place in our list. He has kept 23 clean sheets in just 37 matches for his club, Persepolis Tehran, in the 2017-18 season.
Also, if your other favourites have unfortunately not been included on this list, then this means they have been below par as far as clean sheets are concerned. For once, you can curse the outfield players for ruining their clean sheets.
#5 Igor Akinfeev - Russia
Matches: 44
Clean Sheets: 22
Goals Conceded: 39
The Russian number 1 has spent quite some time on the edge of the elite and not so elite bracket of goalkeepers. For some, he is the textbook example of world football's ignorance of players from outside Europe's top five leagues.
For others, he is an above average goalkeeper who has made a name for himself in a league which is not quite at par with those of the elites.
Whichever side you might be in this debate, there is no denying of his apparent quality in between the post. A CSKA Moscow legend and one of the biggest hopes of the host nation, Akinfeev kept 22 clean sheets in all competition for club and country in the 2017-18 season.
While there are other goalkeepers too who have kept the same number of clean sheets, it's the league in which he plays that has seen some points being deducted from his favour.
Nonetheless, Akinfeev is a solid goalkeeper, a bit error-prone from time to time, yet one of the most experienced and reliable goalkeepers of the tournament.
#4 Alisson Becker - Brazil
Matches: 49
Clean Sheets: 22
Goals Conceded: 47
The Brazilian has been a revelation this season. Not many knew who he was at the start of this season. Not many were left oblivious of him at the end though.
Roma had a great season and Alisson had a major hand (pun intended!) in it. The Brazillian was a rock solid wall in front of a fragile defence. While Eden Dzeko's heroics led them to the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League, it was certainly built on the solidity provided by the Brazillian at the back.
He has kept 22 clean sheets in all competition for club and country in the 2017-18 season. However, he has also let in the maximum number of goals among all the goalkeepers on this list and hence he has been limited to just the fourth spot on this list.
#3 Pepe Reina - Spain
Matches: 47
Clean Sheets: 22
Goals Conceded: 43
Another SerieA goalkeeper on our list and our first Spaniard too. Pepe Reina is not a new name on such lists based on a goalkeeper's merit. The veteran has been a solid performer for his team for quite some time now, to be a bit more precise, he has been on top of his game for more than a decade and a half.
That is quite a long time for a professional footballer and to perform at a peak for this long is a testament to his calibre and legacy as a goalkeeper.
This is the first time Napoli have mounted a serious title challenge in years. While Sarri alongside his players made Napoli play some of the most beautiful football on display in Europe, such freedom to the outfield players was only possible on the bank of Pepe's heroics between the stick.
He has kept 22 clean sheets in all competition for club and country in the 2017-18 season. This kind of performance at such an age from Spain's second choice is certainly very encouraging for La Furia Roja and it's supporters after the recent managerial fiasco.
#2 David de Gea - Spain
Matches: 43
Clean Sheets: 22
Goals Conceded: 31
Another Spaniard in the list and quite possible and arguably, the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment. He is only second on this list because we chose clean sheets as the benchmark. Anything else, he could have topped the list.
The Premier League's goalkeeper of the season was quite literally impermeable. His miserly behaviour in giving away goals was a major reason in his side's ascent to the 2nd spot in the table despite not having an extremely reliable defence.
He has kept 22 clean sheets in all competition for club and country in the 2017-18 season. If the kind of performances he dished out at Manchester United were anything to go by, breaching Spain's goal is going to be one of the hardest for any striker in the league.
#1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen - Germany
Matches: 46
Clean Sheets: 24
Goals Conceded: 34
While we do feel sorry for De Gea, it would be an injustice if Ter Stegen's efforts this season were to go unnoticed and unacknowledged by us. This season, the German has finally come into his own, fulfilling all his talents and early promises, to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Barcelona went through the league almost unbeaten and won a record fourth Copa del Rey on the trot. He was also the goalkeeper for his national team when they won the Confederations Cup.
His game, as of now, doesn't seem to have any weaknesses. He is an excellent shot-stopper along with being a superb sweeper keeper. Not many in the football world have succeeded at balancing both of them and even fewer have done better than our German.
He has kept 24 clean sheets in all competitions for club and country in the 2017-18 season. However, despite all these efforts, he might not start in the goal for Die Mannschaft.
With the return of Manuel Neuer in the team, Loew has his work cut out regarding the selection of goalkeeper. Either way, the Germans have been blessed with the best goalkeeping duo among all the participating nations.
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