The goalkeeper is one of the most crucial players in a football team, playing a unique and vital role in the game. A goalkeeper is the final barrier between the opposing team and the goal. Without a skilled and top-class goalkeeper, the defense would be vulnerable to goals, even if the rest of the team defends well. A goalkeeper’s ability to make crucial saves can significantly influence the outcome of a match.
Modern goalkeepers are often involved in initiating attacks. With their strong distribution skills, they can launch quick counter-attacks by accurately passing the ball to midfielders or forwards. Some goalkeepers even take on the role of a “sweeper-keeper,” coming out of their box to clear balls or intercept through balls from the opposition.
European football has been blessed with World-class goalkeepers who sometimes single-handedly save the day for their teams.
Let’s take a look at the best shot-stoppers in Europe in 2024 –
Lucas Chevalier has been one of the top performers for LOSC Lille in the French Ligue 1 helping them to a Top 4 Champions League place in 2023/24 and the France No. 2 has continued to impress this season too. A product of the Lille academy, the shot-stopper has been highly dependable for the French club.
In the 2023/24 season, he kept 19 clean sheets in 44 matches and has continued to impress with 9 clean sheets in 27 games so far. He has a save percentage of 76.6% and a clean sheet percentage of 36.8% in the 2024/25 season.
The French goalkeeper is right-footed and possesses great reflexes, he makes brilliant diving stops and is a decent passer of the ball. He is most popularly known for his saves from penalties and long shots. The 24-year-old has the ability to read and smother close shots.
Chevalier has been a commanding presence between the sticks for Lille, establishing himself as a standout goalkeeper. At just 24 years old, he’s a talent to keep an eye on, with immense potential for further development and improvement in the seasons to come.
Diogo Costa had a stellar 2024 season for both Porto and country Portugal even though the teams struggled to win major trophies.
The Portuguese shot-stopper has been unbelievable at the back for both club and country. In 2023/24, he kept 17 clean sheets for Porto in 45 games and has continued to keep his club close in the title race in 2024/25 with 13 clean sheets in just 24 games. He has a save percentage of 74.6% with a clean sheet percentage of 59.4% in 2024/25. He had a phenomenal Euros 2024 campaign with Portugal keeping 3 clean sheets in 5 games helping his country to the Quarter-finals of the tournament.
Costa is a typical sweeper-keeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet and executes short or long passes with accuracy. Costa is a goalkeeper known for his technical skills and tactical intelligence. He possesses exceptional reflexes and reaction times, enabling him to execute difficult saves in one-on-one situations and close-range shots. He is good on penalties too with great composure and positioning.
The Portuguese first-choice goalkeeper is still in the early stages of his career, and if he continues to deliver consistent performances for both his club and country, it’s only a matter of time before Europe’s top clubs come knocking.
Jan Oblak has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world for many a season now. Playing at Spanish giants Atlético de Madrid, the Slovenia Captain has impressed with his shot-stopping ability and calmness under pressure.
Oblak is a commanding presence at the back for Atleti and had a stellar 2024. In 2023/24, Oblak kept 16 clean sheets in 54 games. He has so far been in unbelievable form for the Los Colcheneros with 10 clean sheets in 24 games, keeping them in the La Liga title hunt. Oblak has a save percentage of 74% and a fairly decent clean sheet percentage of 36.2% in 2024/25. He also captained Slovenia in the Euros 24 tournament playing 4 games for his national team.
Oblak is a world-class goalkeeper known for his speed, agility and shot stopping ability. Oblak is a tall, strong and decisive goalkeeper. He has incredible reflexes and a great reading of the game, often coming out off his line to collect crosses and passes. He also possesses outstanding work-rate, positioning and footwork. Additionally, he is also a very calm and composed goalkeeper whose leadership skills at the back proves to be a major plus for both his club and country.
Jan Oblak has been a cornerstone of Atlético Madrid’s success, consistently proving to be one of the most important members of the squad. Under the stewardship of Diego Simeone, Oblak has earned the trust of his manager, serving as the last line of defense for the team for several seasons. If Atlético Madrid is to mount a serious challenge for the La Liga title and make a deep run in the Champions League, it is essential that their goalkeeper remains in peak form.
David Raya was brought in by Mikel Arteta ahead of the 2023/24 season and the Spanish goalkeeper proved why he was the perfect choice for the Gunners. He bagged the Premier League Golden Glove with most clean sheets and least goals conceded in the 2023/24, also keeping Arsenal in the hunt for the title till the last day of the season.
Raya kept an incredible 20 clean sheets in 41 games in the 2023/24 season and has continued his exceptional form in 2024/25, keeping 11 clean sheets in 29 games so far. He has a save percentage of 76.2% and a clean sheet percentage of 48.9% in the 2024/25 season.
Raya is a vocal goalkeeper who also plays more often as a sweeper keeper. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet, often playing from the back and enabling his team to play a high defensive line. Raya is adept at both long and short passes with excellent shot-stopping and distribution.
The Spanish goalkeeper has proven to be an indispensable part of Mikel Arteta’s starting lineup, delivering outstanding performances that have significantly contributed to the team’s success. His exceptional form over the past two seasons has made a substantial impact at the back. If he continues to maintain this level of consistency, Arsenal could be on the brink of securing major trophies in the near future.
Manuel Neuer is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers not just in the world but the very best of his generation. Even though he is now in the latter stages of his career, the German shot-stopper still pulls off solid performances for Bayern Munich.
Even though 2023/24 wasn’t a usual trophy winning season for Bayern Munich, he kept 11 clean sheets in 33 games and so far in 2024/25 he has kept an unbelievable 13 clean sheets in 20 games resulting in Bayern Munich perched atop the Bundesliga table. He has a save percentage of 65.5% and a clean sheet percentage of 33.3% in 2024/25.
Neuer has been regarded as the best example of the modern-day goalkeeper. A tall, large, athletic, and physically strong player, Neuer has earned critical acclaim for his speed, stamina, composure, concentration, consistency, and mentality. A sweeper keeper by his style, he is exceptional with the ball, isn’t afraid to come out of his line to thwart opposition moves, excellent reflexes and shot-stopping ability with both his hands and legs. His accurate distribution has led to many counter-attacking moves and attacking plays in the forward areas.
One of the best goalkeepers to ever grace a football pitch, the German veteran has enjoyed a remarkable career, winning it all with both club and country. Even in the twilight of his career, he continues to be counted among the very best, a testament to his exceptional skill, unwavering consistency, and world-class stature.
Alisson Becker’s £66.8 million move to Liverpool in 2018 made him one of the most expensive goalkeeper transfers of all time but it wasn’t without reason and the Brazilian has proved in the past few seasons how he has been worth every penny for the Merseyside Reds.
Even though Alisson has suffered with unfortunate injuries in 2024, his criticality for Liverpool can’t be understated. His performances kept Liverpool in all four competitions till February last season. In 2023/24, Alisson kept 11 clean sheets in 32 games and in the 2024/25 season, he has 7 clean sheets in 15 games. He has a save percentage of 69% and a clean sheet percentage of 37.5% in 2024/25. But Alisson’s importance can’t be charted with only these numbers as his shot stopping ability is second to none.
The 6 feet 4 inches tall Brazilian is probably the best goalkeeper in 1v1 situations, his positioning and awareness in such situations is exceptional. Alisson is also known for his speed and timing when rushing off his line, as well as his ability to clear or challenge for the ball outside the area, or get to ground quickly to collect or parry the ball inside the box. Due to his distribution, he is capable of playing the ball out from the back quickly with his hands as well as his feet, and also has the ability to launch attacks, or pick out midfielders or attackers with his long goal kicks as he has done several times in previous seasons as well.
Alisson Becker, with multiple club honours at Liverpool and a Copa América title with Brazil, is undeniably one of the best goalkeepers in the world. As one of the standout teams in Europe this season, Liverpool greatly benefits from Alisson’s presence in goal, consistently proving his worth in high-stakes matches and contributing to the club’s ongoing success.
Emi Martínez is another world-class goalkeeper in this list. The World-Cup and Copa América winning Argentine is popular for his antics that might annoy opposition players and fans but he has been absolutely stellar for both club and country in 2024. All these achievements earned him the coveted Yashin Trophy for a second time in his career.
Martínez led Argentina to another Copa América win in 2024 and also enabled his club Aston Villa to get back into Champions League places after four decades. The Argentine shot-stopper had 15 clean sheets in 47 games in 2023/24 and currently has 6 clean sheets in 26 games. In addition, he didn’t concede a single goal in regulation time in the Copa América leading Argentina to the title.
Martínez is known for his distribution and shot-stopping ability. He is also known for his notorious antics when trying to stop penalties. He has especially been very effective in saving penalties during shootouts for Argentina several times. He tries to play mind games with opposition forwards in order to thwart their attempts. This also led to criticism from various quarters about his methods.
Standing at 6 feet 5 inches tall, Martínez is an imposing figure in goal for both his club and country, and his importance remains undeniable. If Aston Villa are to push for a return to the Champions League spots and make a deep run in the competition, the Argentine shot-stopper must maintain his exceptional form.
Spain’s Unai Simón had a stellar 2024 performing superbly for both club and country. He was the Spanish shot-stopper who helped his team win the 2024 Euros and also kept the most number of clean sheets for Athletic Club in Bilbao in La Liga to earn the Zamora Trophy for the best goalkeeping performance in La Liga for the 2023/24 season.
Unai Simón had an impressive showing in the 2023/24 season with 18 clean sheets in 36 games for his club. In 2024/25, he hasn’t played much due to a wrist injury sustained during the Euros which has kept him out, having played only four games thus far and managing 1 clean sheet. He also played almost all of Spain’s games during the Euros helping his side to a Euro Championship trophy.
Simón is known for his strength and reflexes, acrobatic saves and ability to play from the back. He has excellent ball control and can also launch long passes and faster ground passes. In addition, he has better close shot reads than most goalkeepers.
Thanks to his outstanding performances, he was rewarded with a contract extension at Athletic Bilbao until 2029. However, should the talented goalkeeper maintain his impressive form this season, he could certainly attract interest from some of Europe’s top clubs.
Since joining AC Milan in 2021 as a replacement for the outgoing Gianluigi Donnarumma, Mike Maignan has been a solid presence in the back for the Rossoneri. He is also the first-choice keeper for the French National Team and helped them to the semi-finals at the 2024 Euro Championships.
He had an excellent 2023/24 season, keeping 15 clean sheets in 42 games and he has continued his consistent performances with 8 clean sheets in 27 games so far in 2024/25 season. He also kept 3 clean sheets in six games at the 2024 Euros helping his side to the Semi-finals where they were narrowly beaten by eventual champions Spain.
Maignan is a calm and composed keeper and he is comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is also a leader at the back and organises his defence more often. Maignan has great reflexes and ability to make crucial saves in high pressure games. In addition, his distribution is good as well, which helps his team to start counter attacks from the back.
Maignan is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment, and his performances consistently showcase his world-class quality. His agility, shot-stopping ability, and composure under pressure have been key factors in his outstanding displays, solidifying his reputation as one of the elite keepers in football today.
Yann Sommer has been the best goalkeeper in Europe for 2024. He has been influential for the Nerazzurri assisting them to a Scudetto in the 2023/24 season. Sommer was also crucial to Switzerland exceeding beyond expectations and reaching the Euro 2024 Quarter-finals playing against European giants.
Sommer had a stellar season between the sticks for Inter in 2023/24, keeping 25 clean sheets in 43 games and he has been equally top-class in 2024/25 with an unbelievable 16 clean sheets already in 27 games. Even though he has one of the best defenders playing ahead of him, the Swiss shot stopper has a save percentage of 66.7% which is still quite excellent.
Sommer is usually one of the most focused players on the pitch. He is one of the most agile keepers with exceptional reflexes. He is a strong shot-stopper especially for close range shots. He also has great distribution skills which enables his team to launch attacks from the back.
Sommer has been a phenomenal addition to an already formidable defensive lineup and has quickly established himself as one of the most vital players in Inter’s first team. His presence between the posts has been crucial, and he has proven to be a key figure in the team’s defensive solidity. Sommer is one of those players who will be instrumental in Inter’s continued success as they pursue both Serie A and Champions League glory, playing a pivotal role in their ambitions for the future.
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