Euro 2020 Championship is graced with some of the finest and most valuable goalkeepers representing their respective teams with a huge amount of money placed on them as their value.
In football, goalkeepers are the lifeline of every team, defending without them in between the sticks is useless. Having said that, who are the most valuable goalkeepers at the Euro according to “Transfer market“.
Here are the top 10 most valuable goalkeepers at the Euro 2021.
- Gianluigi Donnarumma – (Italy, €60m)
Over the years the Azzurri’s national team is quite synonymous with producing a plethora of top-notch goalkeepers who does well for the national team and their respective clubs. One name that comes to mind when talking about a goalkeeper who began at a very age just like Donnarumma is the Old Lady legendary goalie Gianluigi Buffon.
Donnarumma is one of the finest and most valuable goalkeepers in the world and Seria A right now, having broken into the AC Milan team at a very young. The 22-year-old has been very consistent with the Italian side since he came into limelight.
The new Paris Saint Germain goalie has only conceded one goal at the Euro Championship so far which shows how fantastic he had been for the national team under Roberto Mancini, and Donnarumma is rank number one as the most valuable goalkeeper at the Euro 200 with a valuation of €60m.
- Thibaut Courtois – (Belgium, €60m)
The Belgian shot-stopper is placed second on the list with the same valuation as Donnarumma.
The 29-year-old is the second-best goalkeeper in LaLiga Santander behind Atletico Madrid’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak last season who had an excellent campaign.
The former Chelsea goalie kept a clean sheet in 17 matches in 38 games for Los Blanco’s last campaign, and he’s taking his excellent form to the Euro 2020 Championship with Belgium as they hit the ground running with stunning performances against their opponents.
With the Belgium national team already through to the second round of the competition, Courtois would be expected to help the Red Devils push further in the tournament having won all their matches in the group stage.
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- Mike Maignan – (France, €25m)
The new AC Milan shot-stopper Maignan came through the Paris Saint Germain youth team but never made a competitive appearance for the Parisians before he left for Lille in 2015.
Joining Les Dogues was definitely the best decision Maignan made for his professional career, and while the decision he made counted for something positive with his performances for the title-winning side Lille this season, with 23 clean sheets, the Frenchman has been rank amongst the finest in Europe.
With Tottenham Hotspur and France captain Hugo Lloris gradually nearing the twilight of his professional career with Les Blue, Maignan looks set to be the long-term successor of the veteran, having shone out consistent performances for Lille last season which won him the best goalkeeper in Ligue 1.
- Wojciech Szczesny – (Poland, €25m)
Szczesny and the entire Polish national team have not been encouraging with their performances so far at the Euro Championship despite parading the highest goal-scorer in the Bundesliga and some of the finest players.
Despite Juventus’s underwhelming Serie A campaign, the former Arsenal goalie produced excellent performances both in the league and Champions League with a clean sheets ratio of 17% for the Old Lady.
At 31 years of age, the Polish international is still commanding a hefty valuation amongst all of the world-class goalkeepers currently at the Euro 2020.
- Jordan Pickford – (England, €22)
Most English-born goalkeepers in England have proven to be more than just shot stoppers over the years with their respective performances for their clubs.
The Everton goalie may have experienced a torrid time with the Toffees in the just-concluded campaign with a poor run of form in between the sticks, yet he never losses his position as the number one go-to man for Gareth Southgate’s Euro Squad.
Should the Three Lion live up to expectations by going far in the tournament just like the bookmakers tip them as the third-best team to win the Euro before the competition commences, Pickford’s valuation could hit a new height with a convincing top-notch performance for the Three Lion.
- Bernd Leno – (Germany, €22m)
The German international has been a revelation since he signed for the Gunners in 2018 from Bayer Leverkusen. He’s been their go-to man in between the goal, despite the presence of a very good second choice Emiliano Martinez who later left for Aston Villa for £20m.
Some managers may have opted for the Argentine goalkeeper Martinez, having shown he could be trusted in between the sticks with the chances he got in Arsenal’s FA Cup outing, yet Mikel Arteta still trusted the former BayArena goalie as his man in goal which shows Leno has something unique about him that Martinez doesn’t.
The 29-year-old may not take to the pitch for Die Mannschaft at the ongoing Euro championship, but the Arsenal shot-stopper is one of the most valuable goalkeepers at the competition placed at number six.
- Unai Simon – (Spain, €20m)
Simon’s excellent campaign in LaLiga for Bilbao has seen him earn the trust of Luis Enrique as La Furia Roja’s first choice going into the Euro Championship ahead of Manchester United’s David De Gea.
Following his impressive performances for Los Leones this season, Unai Simon is currently rank amongst one of Europe’s finest young goalkeepers with the potential of signing for the top clubs, should he continue delivering excellent performances for the Basque side.
Simon was in goal for Los Leones in 37 matches in LaLiga playing a total of 3,330 minutes and kept a clean sheets ratio of 24%. The kind of campaign he had with Bilbao shows he truly deserves the number position for Spain.
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- Alex Meret – (Italy, €20m)
With the quality goalkeepers at the Euro Championship, Napoli’s young shot-stopper is certainly amongst them with a valuation of €20m.
In 2017 having had an impressive performance for SPAL in Serie B, the 24-year-old was called up to the Azzurri’s team ahead of World Cup qualification by then-coach Conte, but couldn’t break into the team due to the presence of the established order.
Following Roberto Mancini’s preparation for the Euro, Meret was included in the squad as the third-choice goalkeeper, with the likes of Donnarumma and Sirigu ahead of him.
Though he may not take to the pitch at the competition, however, he deserves his inclusion in the team considering his performances for the Partenopei in Serie A this season.
- Ugurcan Cakir – (Turkey, €19m)
The Trabzonspor goalkeeper may not be one of the familiar names on this list, but the Antalya-born is no doubt one of the best shot-stoppers in the Turkish Superliga.
At 25 years of age, the Turkey international still has the potential of raising his stock in the transfer market compared to his current valuation.
Since he claimed the number one spot, Cakir has continuously shown why Europe’s elite clubs want his service, and he’s been a crucial part of the “Black Sea Storm” impressing the highly demanding Trabzonspor fan base.
Following his consistent display, some have even likened him to the legendary goalkeeper Rustu, who had a stint with Barcelona and also had a fantastic outing with the finest Turkey national team in history at the Korea/Japan World Cup in 2002.
- David De Gea – (Spain, €18m)
The saying about the older a goalkeeper gets, the better he becomes hasn’t really applied to the career of the Manchester United goalie.
No doubt about the fact that De Gea is one of the best hands over the years, but recently the former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has really become a joke.
His value in the transfer market has dwindled drastically due to his consistent worrying errors, which has been the reason why the Spain manager Luis Enrique dropped him to the bench preferring the young Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon.
De Gea may not be as excellent as he was before, but the know-how and experience he garnered over the years can’t be pushed aside when it comes to making a list of top goalies.
