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It's been a bumpy ride for La Liga fans this term as the summer transfer window has brought them more bad news than good.
Undoubtedly, Spain's elite division houses plenty of potential and as the new season lines up, Liga fans are excited to see what this year brings.
There are many individual and team performances that await in another intense season. While the light often shines upon goal scorers and playmakers, we are going to discuss the goalkeepers in La Liga.
There is something special about the Liga goalkeepers. Their composure and agility are second to none. Spain's top-tier league has yielded enough goalkeepers with supreme abilities for the world to remember forever.
Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and Ricardo Zamora are prime examples of the same.
Many top-level goalkeepers have plied their trades in La Liga and each season we discover surprising talent. At the same time, the expected ones keep on raising their bars.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top five goalkeepers to watch in the 2021-22 La Liga season.
#5 Álex Remiro - Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad has been experiencing a fine run in form for the past couple of seasons. The 2020-21 La Liga saw Los Txuri-Urdin finish 5th in the table with 62 points that included 17 wins, 11 draws and 10 loss.
Sociedad conceded just 38 goals off 38 games, tallying Barcelona's numbers. While the Catalans' goal was guarded by the ever-famous ter Stegen, Real Sociedad had their own man — Álex Remiro, to take up the duty.
Remiro had a stellar season last term. He ended the season with 14 clean sheets. The Navarre native also saved two penalties (out of five) for his team. As Real Sociedad aims to finish above their last year's position, it is certain that Álex Remiro will have a massive role to play.
#4 Marc-André ter Stegen - Barcelona
It would be a surprise to see Barcelona's main man not in the top three. Well, the club's recent painstaking transition has had an effect on everybody.
Barcelona saw a disappointing end to their 2020-21 La Liga campaign by finishing third behind champions Atletico Madrid and bitter-rivals Real Madrid. However, with 24 wins, seven losses and seven draws, Barcelona's season has been below-par only as per their own standards.
The German goalie earned his 100th clean sheet with Barcelona the previous season and also helped them secure the Copa del Rey trophy. With 11 clean sheets and 2.5 saves per match, ter Stegen remains one of the goalkeepers to watch out for.
#3 Yassine Bounou - Sevilla
Yassine Bounou, who bagged 15 clean sheets last term, is the next one on our list. He finished behind Atletico's Jan Oblak and Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois (more about them later). The Moroccan shot-stopper also had a better season than Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Sevilla finished 4th in the league table (15 points clear off 5th placed Real Sociedad). Bounou, or simply Bono, had a massive role to play in the same. The 30-year-old made an incredible number of 82 saves throughout last season in La Liga. Averaging 2.4 saves per match.
He was also an important element in Sevilla's European outings. While Sevilla continue to be a threat to the top three teams, Bono, who impressed the club in his first full season, remains strong between the sticks.
#2 Thibaut Courtois - Real Madrid
Courtois arrived in Santiago Bernabéu to replace the in-form goalkeeper — Keylor Navas. Despite having proven himself with Chelsea and city rivals Atletico Madrid, the Belgian knew his stint with the Blancos would be none like before.
Immense pressure and expectations topped by having to replace Keylor Navas, who was at his peak, were supposed to break the 29-year-old. However, he did more than a good job and won three trophies in his three seasons with Real Madrid.
Thibaut Courtois ended the previous campaign with 17 clean sheets (the second-most). While he made 90 saves (off 38 Liga games), the former Chelsea man was very crucial for his team in the Champions League.
As Courtois readies himself ahead of the upcoming season, fans are keen to see if he can grab the golden glove this term.
#1 Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
Oblak is arguably the current goalkeeping standard. For the past few years, the Slovenian goalie has set his bar really high.
He has won the Zamora Trophy (the award given to the goalkeeper who has the lowest "goals-to-games" ratio) for a record number of five times (tallied with Antoni Ramallets and Victor Valdes). The shocking fact is, he has won the trophy five times in just seasons in La Liga. As opposed to decades of that of Ramallets and Valdes.
Oblak started every game for Atletico in their title-winning campaign. He made a mammoth 103 saves throughout the period. The 28-year-old also saved 3 out of spot-kicks faced.
Will he continue to be the top goalkeeper in La Liga? Let's wait and watch.
