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In this day and age, goalkeepers are expected to do so much more than just save shots. In the last 25 years or so, football, as we know it, has changed. It has become more demanding and goalkeepers are expected to add other skills to their repertoire to emerge as matchwinners.
Most importantly, coaching has evolved over the years, so managers expect their goalkeepers to be involved in the build-up play or start things up from the back. There are a lot of factors involved when it comes to ranking the best goalkeepers in world football at the moment, so this is a really interesting debate.
Physicality is important for the role, but you don't necessarily have to be 6'6 to be a top goalkeeper. If you're in the right environment to flourish, all these factors will take a back seat. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, for example, can be the best goalkeeper at the level he's at right now. If the Indian national team can compete at the highest level, it will allow Gurpreet the opportunity to face the best attackers in the world and take his game to another level.
There are so many top goalkeepers in the world and there could well be impressive players from the leagues I don't follow, but these are the names I've gone for after analyzing all the factors involved.
#5 Alisson Becker | Liverpool, Brazil
I wanted to pick Jordan Pickford on the back of his performances for England at Euro 2020, as he did just as much as Gianluigi Donnarumma, if not more. He didn't win the tournament, but he conceded just one, which was in the semifinal against Denmark. However, it's important to remember that a major tournament is just four good weeks of football, which is why I've gone for Alisson Becker.
It was a very up-and-down season for him at Liverpool due to a string of injuries and a few external factors involving his personal life, but he's a top, top goalkeeper. It took him until the end of last season to get back into the form Liverpool fans expected of him, but that has no influence on what he's done for club and country in the past few years.
The goal he scored against West Bromwich Albion turned out to be absolutely priceless in Liverpool's pursuit of a UEFA Champions League spot - it was the icing on the cake. Alisson is a great character and has developed a reputation of exhibiting calmness in pressure situations, he showed great courage to put aside what happened to him earlier this season to deliver a string of impressive performances for Liverpool.
I rate Thibaut Courtois very highly, but he's never been my top goalkeeper at any point over the years. Keylor Navas is another brilliant goalkeeper and everyone knows how highly I rate him. His dexterity is superb and he's enjoyed remarkable success with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, but for me, he's not at the level of Alisson.
I also really wanted to give Gianluigi Buffon a shout as well, but there are so many top goalkeepers in the world, so I just couldn't put him in my top five.
#4 Jan Oblak | Atletico Madrid, Slovenia
Jan Oblak has been regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in world football for several years now and it's not hard to see why. He finally got his hands on the La Liga title and did so by conceding just 25 goals in the league last season, which is considerably fewer than any other side in the competition.
It was an interesting season for Atletico Madrid in the sense that they led the way for so long, but they had to scramble over the finish line at the end of the season. They've been lauded for their defensive solidity under Diego Simeone over the years and Oblak has been a huge reason behind their success.
Last season, Atleti won games 1-0 and 2-0, so it might look like Oblak didn't have much to do as the goalkeeper playing in front of a resolute backline, but that wasn't the case. He made a series of crucial interventions between the sticks and spearheaded his side to the title ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid, which is quite the achievement.
It wouldn't be too far if I said that his contributions and clean sheets played a big part in their title triumph, so he is definitely up there with the best goalkeepers on the planet. It will be interesting to see what kind of a season he has with Atletico Madrid, as Barcelona and Real Madrid will look to strike back after failing to hit their stride in the 2020-21 campaign.
Also Read: Paul Merson's 5 bold predictions for the 2021-22 Premier League season
#3 Ederson Moraes | Manchester City, Brazil
Ederson's influence is absolutely massive, whether he plays for Manchester City or Brazil. He recently usurped Alisson Becker as Brazil's #1 goalkeeper and will look to make that spot his own for the long term. He's a very successful goalkeeper who has been outstanding in many ways.
He reached the UEFA Champions League final with Manchester City and also won the Premier League and the League Cup in the 2020-21 campaign. A lot was said about the goal Brazil conceded in the Copa America final against Argentina, but in my opinion, that wasn't really his fault.
The world of goalkeeping isn't just about making saves - it's about what else you can do to become an invaluable asset for your team. Ederson has got it all in that aspect: his distribution is top-class, he commands the penalty area very well and is also capable of notching up an assist or two as he's shown over the years.
He is also really good with the ball at his feet and is the best distributor over long distances. Sergio Romero, who most recently represented Manchester United, was up there in this regard, but Ederson is also incredible with his distribution over short distances. It is very difficult to measure this quality and I'd argue that Jordan Pickford is another goalkeeper who does this really well. However, the difference is that Ederson has shown he can do it consistently with a lot of confidence, while Pickford tends to blow hot and cold.
12 months ago, he'd have been my #1 goalkeeper, but the two players I have above him proved their worth massively on the international stage, so he's third on my list currently.
#2 Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa, Argentina
Emiliano Martinez was a massive influence for Argentina at the Copa America and is amongst the best goalkeepers in the world based on current form. He performed well in an international tournament on the back of an impressive season for Aston Villa where he kept 15 clean sheets - which I believe is a Premier League record for a goalkeeper in his debut season at a club.
He proved his worth on the grandest stage and made defining contributions for Argentina at the business end of the Copa America campaign. Aston Villa didn't win a major trophy, but it was a successful season for Dean Smith's side, with Martinez playing a starring role for the club. He hasn't been in the limelight and spent multiple loan spells away during his Arsenal days, but he's finally found himself a home at Villa.
Martinez knows that his career has improved dramatically in the past 12 months and is in the right environment to perform consistently. The images will be of Lionel Messi kissing the Copa America trophy, but you could argue that without Martinez's defining contributions, Argentina probably wouldn't have been crowned champions.
#1 Gianluigi Donnarumma | Paris Saint-Germain, Italy
I had to make some hard calls, but in my opinion, Gianluigi Donnarumma is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment. At the age of 22, he was fundamental to Italy's success at Euro 2020 and proved on the biggest stage that he can be a matchwinner. He conceded just three goals in the competition and none of them were down to him, while his role in the two penalty shootouts can't be overstated.
In the final against England, Donnarumma didn't have much to do till the shootout. However, he dominated the penalty area and gathered crosses easily to avert any danger that came his way. He was a spectator for large parts of the game, but the fact that he came big for his side when it mattered most is a startling example of his quality.
Donnarumma cemented his status as one of the best goalkeepers in the modern game with his performances at Euro 2020 and it'll be interesting to see how he fares at Paris Saint-Germain. As I said about Emiliano Martinez earlier, he played a massive part in AC Milan's success in the 2020-21 season and backed it up with a fantastic showing at a major tournament.
I wouldn't say Donnarumma is head and shoulders above every other goalkeeper in world football, but at the moment, he's definitely #1 on my list.
