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It is often said that a goalkeeper is the last line of a team's defence, an adage that proved its worth in a COVID-19-ravaged year like 2020 too.
More and more teams have been investing in world-class goalkeepers in recent times, reaping rich dividends in the process.
Alisson Becker has been a key player in Liverpool's Champions League and Premier League successes; Thibaut Courtois has come into his own at Real Madrid after a difficult first season at the club; Keylor Navas has helped Paris Saint Germain continue their domestic dominance and make their mark in Europe, and so on.
On that note, let us have a look at the top ten goalkeepers in 2020.
Top 10 goalkeepers in 2020
A top goalkeeper is worth its weight in gold for teams aspiring to win league titles and triumph in Europe. Recent cases in point are Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer, Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois and more recently Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak.
So, without further ado, let us have a look at which of these goalkeepers have impressed the most this year.
#10 Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach /Switzerland)
Yann Sommer has been a key performer for Borussia Monchengladbach since arriving from Basel in the summer of 2014.
In 267 games in all competitions for the Bundesliga club, Sommer has kept 73 clean sheets, with the 32-year-old particularly impressing in the Champions League this campaign.
Sommer may have kept only one clean sheet in 12 Bundesliga games this season, but impressed in the Nations League with Switzerland, denying Spain captain Sergio Ramos twice from the spot.
#9 Peter Gulacsi (RB Leipzig/Hungary)
Peter Gulacsi has been at the forefront of RB Leipzig's rise in the Bundesliga and in Europe in recent times.
The 30-year-old goalkeeper has been an assured presence for Leipzig, especially in the league since the 2018-19 season, keeping a Bundesliga-high 21 clean sheets (as on February 2020).
Gulacsi's exploits helped Leipzig finish a creditable third in the Bundesliga last season, with the Hungarian goalkeeper also helping his club to their maiden Champions League semi-final. In the process, Gulacsi also became the first goalkeeper to provide a direct assist in the 2019-20 German top-flight campaign.
This season as well, the Leipzig goalkeeper has continued his impressive form, keeping a creditable six clean sheets in 13 Bundeliga games. Gulacsi has also had two shutouts in as many games in the 2020-21 DFB Pokal.
#8 Ederson (Manchester City/Brazil)
Ederson has been a standout player in Pep Guardiola's Mancheser City since his arrival from Benfica in the summer of 2017.
The Brazilian goalkeeper kept an impressive 37 cumulative clean sheets to help City win consecutive Premier League titles. Although Ederson was impressive yet again in the 2019-20 edition of the competition, keeping 20 clean sheets, Liverpool denied City a three-peat.
Despite City's indifferent start to the 2020-21 season, the 27-year-old has already kept seven clean sheets in 14 Premier League games and has conceded just once in five matches in the Champions League.
#7 Samir Handanovic (Inter Milan/Slovenia)
Samir Handanovic has been a stellar performer for Inter Milan for close to a decade. He is arguably one of the best goalkeepers not to have won a Scudetto.
Despite being 36 years old, the Slovenian international has brought his experience to the fore, helping the Nerazzurri to a creditable second-place finish in the Serie A last season.
Handanovic has kept only three clean sheets in the league in 2020-21, producing a few uncharacteristic errors. Nevertheless, his form could be crucial for Inter winning their first Serie A title in over a decade.
#6 Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (Barcelona/Germany)
Barcelona's long-standing goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen was one of the few bright sparks in the second half of the 2019-20 season for the club despite letting in eight goals in a calamitous 2-8 defeat against eventual Champions League winners Bayern Munich.
The German goalkeeper tried his best to keep his team's citadel intact even as Barcelona squandered a lead atop the Liga standings to miss out on a league three peat in their first trophyless season in more than a decade.
After coming back from an injury, Ter Stegen has had three league shutouts and one in the Champions League in 11 games in both competitions this season.
#5 Keylor Navas (Paris Saint Germain/Costa Rica)
Keylor Navas has been in sparkling form since arriving at Paris Saint Germain (PSG) last summer.
The former Real Madrid goalkeeper has kept an impressive 29 shutouts in 53 games in all competitions for the French club, with 17 of them coming this year. Navas played a key role in PSG continuing their domestic dominance and reaching their first Champions League final.
This season, the PSG goalkeeper has been extremely dependable, keeping a staggering eight clean sheets in 12 league games, despite the French side's inconsistent domestic campaign costing the job of their manager Thomas Tuchel.
#4 Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid/Belgium)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced an impressive ten clean sheets this year to propel the Merengues to their first La Liga title in three years.
After an underwhelming first season at the club, the 2018 FIFA World Cup semifinalist emphatically answered his naysayers by proving why Real Madrid splurged big to land his services.
Continuing his good form and cementing his reputation as one of the game's finest goalkeepers at the moment, Courtois has had six league shutouts this season despite Real Madrid's inconsistent title defence.
#3 Alisson Becker (Liverpool/Brazil)
Alisson Becker has been one of the shining jewels in Jurgen Klopp's star-studded team, as the Brazilian goalkeeper's impressive exploits have helped Liverpool to triiumphs in the Champions League and Premier League in consecutive seasons.
The former AS Roma custodian, who is regarded as one of the game's finest in his position, bolstered his reputation by becoming the first Premier League goalkeeper to get selected in the FIFPro World XI in back-to-back years.
After coming back from an injury, Alisson may have only kept three clean sheets in 15 league games this season, but his exploits between the sticks could go a long way in Liverpool successfully defending their Premier League title.
#2 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid/Slovenia)
One of the best goalkeepers in world football, Jan Oblak has been a key player in Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.
The 27-year-old Slovenian international kept eight clean sheets since the turn of the year to help his team finish third in the league and qualify for the Champions League.
In the process, the Atletico number one became the fastest goalkeeper in La Liga history to keep 100 shutouts, lowering the previous mark by a whopping 40 games.
This season, the Rojiblanco goalkeeper has taken it up a notch. Oblak's nine Liga clean sheets in 13 games has propelled Atletico Madrid to the 2020-21 La Liga summit.
#1 Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany)
While many a fine goalkeeper has proved their worth for club and country during the year, none did it more impressively than the 34-year-old Manuel Neuer.
The Bayern Munich custodian produced ten clean sheets since the turn of the year to inspire the Bavarian giants to a record-extending eighth consecutive Bundesliga triumph. However, Neuer arguably reserved his best for the Champions League.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner pulled off a string of impressive saves in the final against Paris Saint Germain to help his side seal a second continental treble.
This season, Neuer recorded his 200th clean sheet for Bayern Munich in all competitions, a feat that was warmly applauded by the club's former goalkeeper Sepp Maier (199), who said in this regard:
"I am sure that he can even go past 300 clean sheets. He can do that. He will still perform outstandingly at the age of 39. I trust him to do that."
