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#3. Edwin van der Sar - Fulham and Manchester United
In terms of a safe, dependable and complete pair of hands, one couldn't wish for a better goalkeeper than Edwin van der Sar.
Perennially brilliant, van der Sar first arrived in the Premier League in 2001. He shook the footballing world by joining Fulham after being replaced by Gianluigi Buffon at Juventus. The move, however, brought the Dutchman closer to the observant eyes of Sir Alex Ferguson, who'd hope to capture him to replace retiring Peter Schmeichel.
The Red Devils boss pounced when van der Sar's Fulham deal came to an end in 2005.
The shot-stopper immediately brought calm and composure to United's backline. Both as tall and thin as he was brilliant, van der Sar had excellent positioning and reach. A first-class professional, the former Ajax keeper made 313 Premier League appearances and kept 132 clean sheets.
He retired at Manchester United in 2011.
#2. Petr Cech - Chelsea and Arsenal
Only Chelsea's second signing of the Jose Mourinho era, Petr Cech rapidly became one of the Chelsea boss' star men. He remains one of the Premier League's greatest goalkeepers of all time. Signed for £7.1 million from Rennes in 2004, Cech was then the most expensive goalkeeper in Chelsea's history.
In his debut campaign, Cech conceded just 15 league goals, the fewest any Premier club has ever conceded in a single campaign. Cech holds the record for keeping 24 clean sheets in one Premier League season when he did it in the 2004-05 title-winning season. He also held the record of not conceding for 1,025 minutes in the league which was broken by van der Sar.
A brilliant character, leader and above all else goalkeeper, the former Arsenal stopper really was a complete package.
Ending his last four seasons with the Gunners, Cech kept 202 clean sheets in his 443 Premier League matches, a record that he still holds.
#1. Peter Schmeichel - Manchester United and Manchester City
Petr Cech kept more clean sheets and Edwin van der Sar was better with the ball at his feet. But all round, in terms of what they brought to the team, Peter Schmeichel topped both of them. Capable of winning almost 10 points a season through his individual brilliance, it wasn't until Euro 1992 that people noticed the prowess of Schmeichel.
He made crucial saves in every round of the competition to help Denmark lift the title. IFFHS even gave him the title of "World's Best Goalkeeper of 1992".
Manchester United had signed Schmeichel in 1991 for a bargain fee of £505k from Brondby. Despite only being 6ft 3' tall, the great Dane commanded Manchester United's goal in seven Premier League seasons. He won the title in all but two of them, including two doubles and the legendary 1998-99 treble.
Keeping 128 clean sheets in 310 Premier League appearances, Schmeichel was, on his day, almost unbeatable. Liverpool legend John Barnes once cited Schmeichel as one of the 'greatest goalkeepers of all time' and said:
"There are goalkeepers with presence who aren’t much good, but Schmeichel had both presence and raw ability. He was a great shot-stopper and a fine taker of crosses, he read the game superbly, he commanded his box. Simply one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.”
