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A goalkeeper's role is vital in football, yet their transfer fees remain lower compared to the expensive spending on top attackers and other outfield players. A skilled goalkeeper can decide wins or losses, and is capable of determining a team's trophy contention or mid-table finish. In recent times, goalkeepers' transfer fees have also been on the rise.
Gianluigi Buffon held the record as the world's most expensive goalkeeper for 17 years after a £32.6 million move to Juventus from Parma in 2001. However, that record has been broken several times in the recent past as the value of a quality shot-stopper remains ever-increasing in today's inflated market.
On that note, let's take a look at the five most expensive goalkeepers in world football today.
#5 Ederson Moraes (Manchester City) | £34.7 million
The fifth most expensive goalkeeper in the world is Manchester City's Ederson Moraes. The Brazilian goalkeeper joined the Citizens from Benfica in 2017 for a fee of £34.7 million.
Pep Guardiola's ideology of possession-based football is easier to implement with a goalkeeper who is good with his feet and can pick out long-range passes during breaks in plays. Ederson excels as a ball-playing goalkeeper, contributing significantly for Manchester City's continental treble last season.
He holds a personal record of three consecutive Premier League Golden Glove awards and has kept 104 clean sheets in 217 league games for the Cityzens.
#4 Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) | £35 million
Thibaut Courtois, a top goalkeeper, reigned as one of the finest and costliest globally for some time. The Belgian famously won the 2016-17 Premier League Golden Glove at Chelsea and the 2018 World Cup Golden Glove with Belgium, helping his nation finish third in the tournament. He then moved from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2018 for £35 million, becoming La Liga's most expensive keeper.
He has since kept 91 clean sheets in 230 games across competitions for Los Blancos. One of them came in their UEFA Champions League final victory over Liverpool in the 2021-22 season. He made an astounding nine saves in that game and deserving won the 'Man of the Match' award.
#3 Andre Onana (Manchester United) | £47.2 million
Following his medical at Manchester United, Andre Onana is set to become the third most expensive goalkeeper in the world ahead of his £47.2m move from Inter Milan. Onana, who is known for his excellent ball-playing skills will be replacing the legendary David de Gea at the Theatre of Dreams.
Onana became the first Inter Milan goalkeeper to keep the most clean sheets (seven) in a single UEFA Champions League season. He had joined Barcelona's famed academy La Masia in 2010, after which he signed for Ajax in 2015. He won three Eredivisie titles, two KNVB Cups and famously ended up on the losing side in the 2017 Europa League final against his current employers.
Erik ten Hag will, without doubt, be glad to reconnect with his former goalkeeper. He definitely bodes in well with his current restructuring of the Red Devils ahead of his second season in charge.
#2 Alisson Becker (Liverpool) | £67 million
Celebrating five years at Liverpool this week, Alisson Becker remains the second most expensive goalkeeper in the world. The Brazilian goalkeeper joined the Reds from Roma in 2018 for a fee of £67 million, and has shone in Liverpool's famous red jersey. In his debut season, he set a Premier League record for the longest unbeaten run by a goalkeeper after 20 games.
The Brazilian currently has a whooping 103 clean sheets in just 231 games for the Merseysiders. He has helped Liverpool secure the Premier League, Champions League, and FIFA Club World Cup victories.
#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) | £71.6 million
The most expensive goalkeeper in the world is Chelsea's Spanish shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The 28-year-old joined the Blues in 2018 but lost his starting spot to Edouard Mendy in 2020, who recently left the club to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli. The Spaniard still proudly wears Chelsea's No. 1 jersey but hasn't performed at anything close to the caliber of his enormous price tag since joining Chelsea.
Frank Lampard, during his time as manager had benched Kepa initially, and the latter couldn't win Thomas Tuchel's trust afterwards. However, with Edouard Mendy's departure, there's renewed optimism that new manager Maurico Pochettino might give Kepa a chance to rediscover his brilliance from his Athletic Bilbao days. The Ondarroa-born custodian has made 163 appearances fo Chelsea, keeping 59 clean sheets.
