Ranked: The top 10 goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues right now

Over the last few years, goalkeepers have perhaps become even more than important than ever.

Not only are they the one person standing between an attacker and a goal, they are also relied on to begin moving the ball from the back these days.

That said, a goalkeeper’s hands are still his most important asset, and below you’ll find the 10 best stoppers in Europe right now.

Primarily considering their form so far this season, but also taking into account their World Cup performances and previous displays, we’ve attempted to rank the best goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues.

Here they are.

10. Fernando Pacheco

Alaves

Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco may be relatively unknown outside of Spain, but he is receiving plenty of plaudits in La Liga – and rightly so.

His performances have been a huge factor in Alaves’ unexpected climb up the table. They are currently third, behind only Barcelona and Espanyol, having won five of their nine games.

Pacheco has made the second most saves in Europe’s top five leagues (44) and has conceded fewer than a goal a game (8 in 9 matches). Whether he will keep up his brilliant form throughout the campaign remains to be seen.

Key stat: Pacheco has made 5.5 saves per goal conceded in La Liga this season.

9. Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid

Another fine season for Chelsea followed by a World Cup in which he reached the semi-finals with Belgium saw Courtois make a move across the continent to Real Madrid over the summer.

And while has hasn’t made the best start to life in La Liga, conceding more than a goal a game (8 in 7 matches) so far, it would be difficult to deny the 26-year-old a place on a list of the world’s best goalkeepers.

Madrid’s out-of-form defence hasn’t exactly helped Courtois to settle in Spain. It surely won’t be long until he is back to his best.

Key stat: Courtois has made 19 saves in 7 La Liga appearances for Real Madrid so far.

8. Rui Patricio

Wolverhampton Wanderers

After a steady World Cup with Portugal, Rui Patricio decided to follow many of his countrymen to the Midlands and joined Wolves, who took advantage of Sporting Lisbon’s multi-contract mess.

Wolves still haven’t agreed with Sporting but they are reportedly close to doing so. And if Patricio’s start to life in the Premier League is anything to go by, a resolution can’t come soon enough.

The 31-year-old has conceded just seven goals in Wolves’ first nine matches, notable preventing Manchester City from scoring more than once.

Key stat: Patricio has saved 30 of the 37 shots on target he’s faced this season.

7. Ederson

Man City

Ederson took the Premier League by storm last season with his stunning passing ability. Pep Guardiola’s recognises the importance of having a goalkeeper who can use his feet, and Ederson provides that perfectly.

His actual goalkeeping isn’t bad either. The Brazilian has conceded the joint-fewest goals in the Premier League this season (3), level with Liverpool’s Alisson (more on him later).

Manchester City conceded only 27 league goals last term, which aided their title win to no end. We’ll see if Ederson can be a major factor in more City success this season.

Key stat: Chelsea’s Kepa (205) is the only goalkeeper to have completed more passes that Ederson (175) in the Premier League so far.

6. Hugo Lloris

Tottenham

The mistakes have been piling up for Hugo Lloris over the last two or three years. His World Cup final was almost ruined by a real clanger, and he made a big error in Tottenham’s recent defeat to Barcelona.

But Lloris is now a World Cup-winning captain and remains a fine goalkeeper. He is still able to make saves most others can’t, as he proved against West Ham United at the weekend.

That World Cup final mistake was followed by a regrettable drink-driving charge, and those events appear to have motivated Lloris, who has made 17 saves across five league appearances.

Key stat: Lloris has the best saves per goal conceded ratio (8.5) in the Premier League this term.

 

5. David De Gea

Man United

If this ranking was decided before the World Cup, David De Gea might have topped the list. His performances for Manchester United in 2017/18 were unbelievable, particularly his incredible display against Arsenal at the Emirates.

A poor World Cup, saw De Gea take a bit of a hit to his reputation, and he hasn’t full recovered from that two months into the club season.

Still, fifth isn’t a bad place to be. The Spaniard is clearly one of the world’s elite goalkeepers and could even jump up a place or two if his best form returns in the coming months.

Key stat: De Gea made just one save and conceded six goals at the World Cup.

4. Samir Handanovic

Inter Milan

There’s an argument to be made that, at 34, Samir Handanovic is better than ever. Many goalkeepers have peaked in their mid-30s in the past, but Handanovic is one of the only ones doing so right now.

Many onlookers know him for his impressive penalty record; the Slovenian has saved over a third of the 100 penalties he’s faced in his career, saving 37 and conceding 63.

But he is so much more than that. Despite Inter having suffered two defeats, Handanovic has conceded only six goals in nine Serie A matches this season.

3. Alisson Becker

Liverpool

After Loris Karius’ costly error in last season’s Champions League final, a goalkeeper became the first position of Jurgen Klopp’s list of summer priorities.

Liverpool splashed the cash on Alisson from AS Roma and haven’t looked back since. Bar a mistake that led to a goal against Leicester City, the Brazilian has been close to perfect in a red shirt so far.

As well as being an adept shot stopper, making 4.75 saves per goals conceded in the league, Alisson has completed 172 passes since arriving in the English top-flight.

Key stat: Alisson has conceded three goals in 810 minutes of Premier League football.

2. Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Barcelona

Barcelona have already conceded 11 goals in La Liga this season, but it would have been far more if not for Ter Stegen, who isn’t far away from becoming Germany’s new first-choice goalkeeper.

Ter Stegen has already made 24 saves, which is a lot for a Barcelona side who already look like the early favourites to win the Spanish top-flight.

And, as is so important at the Nou Camp, is excellent with his feet. Like Courtois at Real Madrid, Ter Stegen will be hoping Barcelona’s defenders can improve so he doesn’t have to face so many shots.

Key stat: Ter Stegen has completed 165 passes in La Liga this term.

Honourable mentions

Veterans like Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon are unlucky to miss out, but Neuer had a poor World Cup and Buffo isn’t quite what he was. Jordan Pickford could also be forcing his way onto the list if his rise continues, while surprise entries such as Emil Audero almost made the cut.

1. Jan Oblak

Atletico Madrid

Atletico’s defence has been famously outstanding since Diego Simeone took charge, but it has become even better with Jan Oblak between the sticks.

The second Slovenian is showing no signs of slowing down this term having conceded only five goals in nine games, making 4.8 saves per goal conceded.

He isn’t asked to use his feet as often as some of his contemporaries, but it hardly matters when it hands are so good. Oblak has eclipsed some of the world’s best in recent years and rightly takes his place at the top of our list.

Key stat: Oblak had kept four successive clean sheets before being beaten against Villarreal last weekend.

 

 

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