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Top footballers are fetching millions of euros in transfer fees now a days. As a matter of fact the €100 million barrier has been breached seven times in just the last six years. It seems we are now headed into the new era of football where clubs will not hold back from spending huge amounts of money to sign the player they want.
Well, now even the goalkeepers have not been left untouched from this spending spree, as we saw the transfer record for the goalkeepers broken twice last summer. This clearly indicates club's willingness to pay top dollar for the No.1's of the game who are usually not associated with big money moves, but are seeing their market values surge following the growing importance of their role in the modern game.
Market values for any player is calculated by how well they play, age and their brand value. Without much ado, let us take a look at the 5 most valuable goalkeepers in the world.
Values courtesy – Transfermarkt
#5 Alisson Becker - €65 million
Given the great ease with which current Liverpool No.1 Alisson Becker has settled into the Premier League, it is easy to forget that the Brazil international only joined the Reds last summer.
Having impressed one and all with his performances between the sticks for Italian side Roma in his breakthrough 2017-18 season, he completed a move to Anfield for a record-breaking €72.5 million in July last year.
A few eyebrows were raised when such a huge sum of cash was spent in securing the services of the player who'd really had only one full season of experience of European football, but his 20 clean sheets in his debut season have shut every critic down.
The 26-year-old is one of the best keepers in Europe, mainly because of his excellent anticipation of the incoming shots, ability to adjust his position according to the movement of the ball and finally his distribution from the back, that sets off the Liverpool attack, that has been so lethal this campaign.
It will not be wrong to say that the player, an archetype of the sweeper-keeper, has essentially resolved the club's goalkeeping problems that had been bothering them for the past few seasons and if he continues his form, he will become the world's best that's for sure.
#4 Thibaut Courtois - €65 million
Thibaut Courtois, the winner of Golden Glove at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, was made the most expensive goalie in LaLiga history by Real Madrid, when they signed him for €35 million, following a third-placed finish with his nation at the world's biggest football tournament in August last year.
Though he has not had the best of the seasons since moving to the Spanish capital, it would be naive to judge his goalkeeping prowess based just on that.
The Genk youth academy product, boasts the award for being the best goalkeeper over a season in not just one, but two of the biggest European leagues, having bagged the Ricardo Zamora Trophy in La Liga in 2013 and 2014, while also claiming the PL Golden Glove in 2017, as Chelsea went on to win the league.
He is known for his agility and quick reflexes, ability to command his defenders well and his two-meter frame allows him to dominate in the air and claim or clear dangerous crosses coming into the box.
He had a career-defining loan spell at city rivals Atletico Madrid between 2011-2014, in which he transformed himself from an exciting prospect to a world-class shot-stopper, let's hope he recovers that form with Los Blancos soon.
#3 David de Gea - €70 million
Few players had been more consistent than David de Gea in Manchester United's last few turbulent seasons.
This season has been forgetful for the Spaniard, having let in 50 goals in the current PL campaign of the Red Devils, but his four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year trophies indicate just how important he has been at Old Trafford for the club, proving that he really is worthy of the No.1 jersey at the club.
The player who had attracted the attention of some of the world's biggest club's during his time with Atletico Madrid, costed United a whopping €25 million in 2011, a huge sum for the-then 21-year-old promising talent.
But, in his eight-year spell with the club, that deal has time and again proven to be a bargain, with the Spaniard providing some of the best saves seen in the English top-flight to rescue valuable points for his club.
It has been established beyond doubt that he is one of the world's best keepers and one of the things that he does particularly well is saving the ball with his feet, that just adds another dimension to his already top-notch game.
#2 Marc-Andre ter Stegen - €80 million
Barcelona are a club that have always been renowned for their attacking prowess throughout their history. Which is understandable given that they have had - Johan Cruyff, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Villa, Neymar in their ranks, aside from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez currently, who have continued to terrorize LaLiga defenders.
But, no team can win games without a solid defense, as a leaky one would undo all the exploits of in their attacking third. And that's where Barca's only German player makes himself indispensable to the squad.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is now counted among the best shot-stoppers in the business, joined the Spanish side for an absolute bargain of €12 million in 2014 and has since delivered performances worth at least ten times over his transfer fee.
The Borussia Mönchengladbach youth product has got the ability to save, control the ball with the feet and keep cool even when the team is defensive all in his arsenal, which makes him a something of a wall behind a defense line led by Gerrard Pique.
Though the 26-year-old has never won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy, he could take pride in the fact that he came consistently second best only to the world's most valuable goalkeeper, who we'll be checking out next.
#1 Jan Oblak - €80 million
We find two goalkeepers from LaLiga sharing the honor of the world's most valuable goalkeeper, with Barcelona's ter Stegen and Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak both valued at €80 million.
Oblak, who was brought to the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in 2014 for €16 million from Benfica, was the most expensive goalkeeper in the Spanish top-flight at that time.
The Slovenian had huge shoes to fill in for, as Los Colchoneros had to let go of their star shot-stopper Courtois after his three-year loan spell ended in 2014. Based on his superb form, it can be said that he hasn't disappointed.
He has won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy three seasons in a row now and even created history in the 2015-16 season, when he conceded just 18 goals throughout, the lowest tally of goals conceded in the Spanish top-flight campaign.
The 26-year-old is one of the last remnants of the traditional style of goalkeepers, in this age of ball-playing keepers. He is a master of handling the ball with his hands, he’s an expert at taking crosses and often waits until the very last second before committing himself at the feet of opponents.
The 6ft 2in goalie managed his 100th clean sheet for his club in just 178 games, a remarkable feat given the quality of opposition he used to face on a regular basis in Spain and in European competitions.
Just to give you a perspective, it took Manuel Neuer 188 games to reach the milestone. Víctor Valdes got his century after 217. Gigi Buffon had to wait until his 222nd game, while Iker Casillas reached 100 clean sheets after 306 matches. Only Petr Cech had a similar record, but Oblak got there three matches sooner.
Though Los Rojiblancos have had some of the finest keepers in the world guarding their goals over the years, Oblak's insane stats make a strong case for him being the best of them all.
