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Whilst they don’t tend to get a lot of notoriety, goalkeepers play an incredibly important role in the modern game. With everything that’s required from the position, one can make a very strong case that it’s the most important position in world football.
A good goalkeeper can easily earn his side in excess of 10 points per season and becomes vital in knockout competitions like the Champions League. Teams are becoming increasingly aware of this, with the average goalkeeper fee soaring in recent seasons.
Fortunately, there are a ton of excellent keepers in the game today. The majority of them are actually in their mid 20’s, which means we should continue to see elite goalkeeping for a long time. Without further ado, let’s get into the list of the top 5 keepers in world football at the moment.
5. Alisson
Having impressed a lot for Roma in Serie A last season, Alisson is having a very solid debut campaign at Anfield. Whilst his price tag was definitely very steep, he has more than lived up to that so far. He has started all 31 Premier League games this season and has helped marshal a very solid Liverpool defence.
In addition to being a very strong shot stopper, Alisson is also renowned for his excellent ability to play out from the back. This is becoming an increasingly important trend for goalkeepers to have these days, particularly for top teams.
Despite facing some very tough competition from Manchester City keeper Ederson, Alisson also appears to be Brazil’s number one as long as Tite is the manager. He was integral to Brazil’s excellent World Cup qualification campaign and looks set to play a strong role going forward. At only 26 years of age, Alisson could definitely have another decade among the world’s top keepers.
Also see : women's world cup 2019, womens world cup schedule, Womens World Cup Standings
4. Marc Andre ter Stegen
Another young keeper with a very bright future ahead of him is Barcelona man Marc Andre ter Stegen. At just 26 years of age, he has already been the main man for Barca between the sticks over the last 3 seasons.
Ter Stegen has almost the ideal build for a keeper in this day and age. He has great height, agility, and fantastic reflexes. In addition to being one of the best shot-stoppers in football, he is also fantastic at playing the ball out from his feet.
Also ideal as a sweeper keeper, he is a perfect fit in Barcelona’s relatively aggressive system. If Manuel Neuer wasn’t held in such high regard, Ter Stegen would have definitely received more caps for Germany. At the top of his game right now, he definitely has close to another decade at the top.
3. Jan Oblak
Considered by many to be the best keeper in La Liga, Oblak has been the main man between the sticks for Atletico Madrid for the past four seasons. During that time, Atletico have become renowned for having one of the strongest defences in world football, which Oblak is at the heart of.
As with most players on this list, Oblak has fantastic reflexes and is an elite shot-stopper. His phenomenal clean sheet record speaks for itself. That said, perhaps his strongest attribute is his improved passing ability.
He is more than capable of playing as a sweeper keeper and helping his side out of trouble. Having also established himself as the Slovenian national keeper, a bright international career beckons. Also just 26 at the moment, Oblak should hang around for a fair while yet.
2. David de Gea
Widely considered to be the best keeper in the world, many will be surprised to see him in the second spot in this list. This is no slight at David de Gea but merely a complement to the one man who is currently ahead of him.
De Gea has had an incredibly strong career in the Premier League and has been Manchester United’s main man for 8 seasons now. During that time, he has established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in world football. At 6’4”, he is the tallest player on this list but he has more than enough agility to make up for it.
He has excellent reflexes and agility, which make for some truly spectacular saves at times. Many fans have wondered just how bad things could’ve been for United recently if not for the Spaniard. Whilst he is fantastic from a shot-stopping perspective, his struggles playing out from the back is the reason behind him sitting second in the list.
1. Ederson
Ederson is the best goalkeeper in world football at the moment. Whilst he tends to go under the radar as part of the phenomenal Manchester City side, Ederson is undoubtedly one of the most important players in the team.
In this day and age where passing out from the back is so important, Ederson is easily the best among his peers. He remains incredibly cool and calm under pressure, often starting some deadly Man City counter attacks with his accurate long passing.
Similarly, his shot-stopping ability is definitely amongst the best in the world. He has fantastic cat-like reflexes and elite athleticism, making for a ton of excellent saves.
Most Brazilian fans think he should definitely be starting over Alisson and it’s tough to disagree. At just 25 years of age, Ederson can even go up a level from where he’s at now, which is a dangerous thought for opponents of Man City and Brazil.
