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Goalkeepers have seen an incredible increase in reputation lately as top clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool have paid more than €50 million to fill this particular position. They can play a crucial part for their respective teams and can even single-handedly save their club from inevitable defeats at occasions.
The goalkeepers of old, such as Oliver Kahn and Edwin van der Sar, established themselves as one of the most popular sportsmen in the world. Surprisingly, the shot-stopping role has evolved in modern football as several clubs tend to prefer a goalkeeper with excellent ball distribution skills.
Attacking football has garnered considerable attention recently as several clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea have appointed a manager with this kind of philosophy. Hence, a ball-spraying goalkeeper would help them a lot to implement the style and to build attacks from the back.
Nevertheless, several 'traditional' shot-stoppers, who rely heavily on reflexes, such as Jan Oblak, can still catch considerable attention. Without further ado, let's take a look at this season's top five goalkeepers.
#5 Samir Handanovic
Inter Milan might have struggled to compete with Juventus for the Serie A title this season, but many might not notice that the Milan-based club are the second-best defensive team in the league. Luciano Spalletti's men have conceded just 28 goals in the league this season, just one mor than Juventus' 27.
Apart from their reputable defenders such as Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij, Inter also have Samir Handanovic, who has performed splendidly this season. It is no secret that the former Udinese goalkeeper is considered one of the best in his position in Europe.
Bought for just €6 million by Inter in 2012, Handanovic has been a bargain signing for the Italian giants as he has been the club's undisputable number one for the last seven seasons. A quick and impressive penalty stopper, who can save numerous threatening close-range shots, the 34-year-old has recorded an impressive 17 clean sheets in the Serie A this campaign.
Handanovic also excelled in Europe as he made seven saves when Inter faced Frankfurt at the San Siro and kept a clean sheet in more than half of his Europa League matches.
#4 Ederson Moraes
The Brazilian has been a huge hit for Manchester City since arriving at the Premier League in 2017. He has justified his huge €40 million price-tag and has established himself as one of the highly-rated goalkeepers in Europe this season.
Ederson's efficient goalkeeping, coupled with impressive ball distribution have enabled him to slot into Pep Guardiola's tiki-taka system seamlessly. He has completed an average of 83.8 percent of his passes combined in the Champions League and the Premier League, one of the highest among goalkeepers.
He even provided assist this season, thanks to his impressive long-range passing. He is also defensively sound as he recorded 20 clean sheets in the league, second-best behind Liverpool's 21.
However, his total number of saves have been very abysmal compared to other Europe's top goalkeepers. He also managed just three clean sheets in 10 Champions League games this season.
#3 Marc-André ter Stegen
The German shot-stopper endured a tough debut season at Barcelona after arriving for €12 million from Monchengladbach in 2014. Fortunately, he has been able to gradually move into the Catalan giants' starting line-up and has now become one of the world's best at his position.
A complete goalkeeper who has no visible weaknesses, Ter Stegen has been one of the most consistent performers for his team in the last three seasons. He has made a massive 85 saves and kept a clean sheet in more than half of his Champions League games.
His Barcelona DNA is also noticeable as he has completed an average of 82.2 percent of his passes combined in both the Champions League and La Liga. His resolute goalkeeping and pin-point passes have transformed him into a terrible opponent for any team.
#2 Jan Oblak
Joining Atletico Madrid for just €16 million from Benfica four years ago, Oblak has established himself as one of the greatest in his position. The Slovenian has put in several outstanding performances this season, despite his team getting knocked out of the Champions League in the Round of 16.
His record of 20 clean sheets in one of the world's most technical leagues speaks volumes of his shot-stopping abilities. He has conceded just 26 goals in La Liga this campaign, considerably higher than previous season's tally of 19, but enough to make Atletico the team to concede the least foals this season.
An imposing goalkeeper, who is impressive in stopping both close and long-range shots, Oblak has amassed a total of 101 saves in La Liga this season. His ball distribution, however, has been somewhat poor as he only completed an average of 50 percent of his passes combined in both the Champions League and La Liga.
Nevertheless, his outstanding reflexes and shot-stopping ability have outweighed his weaknesses by a considerable margin.
#1 Alisson Becker
The Brazilian has been no less than phenomenal for Liverpool after joining the team only last summer. He quickly established himself as arguably the best in the world at his position this season and has done more than enough to justify his colossal €62.5 million price-tag.
He might miss out on a spot to Ederson in the PFA Team of the Year, but he has beaten his Manchester City counterpart in nearly every goalkeeping stat this campaign. A monstrous player who has no particular weakness, Alisson has recorded the most clean sheets in the Premier League and won the Golden Glove award.
He conceded just 19 goals in the Premier League, while also being one of Liverpool's standout players in the Champions League. He had his best moment when he recorded five saves and kept a clean sheet against Barcelona at Anfield.
Aside from his impressive defensive abilities, he also has excellent ball distribution skills as he has completed 80 percent of his passes in all competitions this season. Overall, his outstanding progress in both the Champions League and the Premier League earns him the number 1 spot in this list.
