Which goalkeepers have the most sheets in Europe’s top leagues this season?
Having a decent goalkeeper between the sticks oftentimes prove to be the difference between a positive outcome and a disaster. Being a goalkeeper can be one hell of a daunting job, you could make several brilliant saves in 5 games, and one bad howler can mar your fate.
What do clean sheets mean in football? A clean sheet is when a team doesn’t allow the opposing team to score a goal in a match. This simply implies that the goalkeeper ‘keeps it clean’ by not letting the other team score a goal. This is mainly an achievement of the goalkeeper than any other player in the team.
With the 2020-21 major European top-flight leagues done and dusted, Cheapgoals takes a look at goalkeepers who had brilliant campaign/ clean sheets with their respective clubs.
Here are Europe Top 5 goalkeepers in terms of clean sheets
- Mike Maignan – (Lille/AC Milan, 23)
Since it’s often said that having a reliable goalkeeper between the sticks contributes to a team’s success, then it’s okay to say Maignan performances with the Ligue 1 side is really exceptional.
Unsurprisingly, Lille OSC boasts of the best defensive record in the French top-flight, courtesy of Maignan immense performance for Lille in dethroning Paris Saint Germain as Champions of the 2020-21 campaign.
The former Paris Saint Germain youth goalkeeper played 48 times for Les Dogues in all competitions, conceding only 38 goals with 23 clean sheets. Having done impressively well for Lille in the just concluded Ligue 1 campaign, it was evident that it’s just a matter of time before top teams in Europe come calling
As expected following the conclusion of the season, Milan confirmed in a statement on their website that they’ve secured the service of Maignan on a five-year contract for a reported €15m.
Maignan played over 180 games for Les Dogues in his six seasons stint with Lille, having joined them in since 2015.
- Jan Oblak – (Atletico Madrid, 18)
Diego Simeone would be really worried about the likely departure of Oblak, with transfer speculation hovering the future of his number one goalie.
The Slovenia international heroics between the sticks this campaign contributed to Atletico Madrid’s title success, and show why he’s one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
In an age where playing from the behind, follow up shots, protecting the team, and starting an attack are highly expected from a goalkeeper. Oblak, he’s no doubt a trusted hand with all of those attributes, and more of a goalkeeper that instills confidence.
Oblak kept 18 clean sheets in 38 games this season, which makes him rank second on our list. He conceded an average goal of 0.63 for every 90 minutes that he played in, an impressive feat that won him the Zamora award for the 2020-21 season.
- Ederson Moraes – (Manchester City, 19)
The Manchester City goalkeeper is widely regarded as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, and it’s pretty obvious why he tops the clean sheet charts in Europe’s top five leagues this season.
Ederson is no doubt one of the reasons why City won the league this season playing a total of 3240 minutes. He conceded an average goal of 0.72 with a clean sheets ratio of 57% in 36 appearances for the Cityzens all through the campaign.
He’s been so massive defensively for City both in their quest to win the league and the Champions League, though they lost the title to Chelsea in the final.
He has been so fantastic for Manchester City this season with a massive 19 clean sheets as the best goalkeeper in the league.
READ ALSO: 10 Of The Worst Goalkeepers Since 2010-20
- Peter Gulacsi – (RB Leipzig, 15)
RB Leipzig’s shot-stopper has been one of the mainstay goalkeepers in the Bundesliga this season. He was secured in 2015 from sister’s club RB Salzburg for £2m.
Gulacsi is arguably the best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga this season with 15 clean sheets, appearing in 33 matches for RB Leipzig. The former Salzburg goalie conceded an average of 0.91 goals for every 90 minutes he featured in.
Should any top team in Europe outside Germany come calling, it won’t be a surprise considering what he’s been able to achieve with Leipzig in helping them to reach the final of the German Cup.
However, with his current contract still to expire in 2025, that would be an uphill task. But with the right amount of money for his signature the Red Bull club would definitely be willing to do business with prospective clubs.
- Samir Handanovic – (Inter Milan, 14)
Since joining Inter from Udinese nine years ago, the veteran goalkeeper has been quite impressive for the Nerazzurri.
More so, his consistency both in Seria A and Europe has always put him on the same pedestal with the finest goalkeepers in world football.
Handanovic played an exceptional role that helped Inter won the Scudetto after 11 seasons of toiling under the dominance of Juventus.
All through the campaign, his 72.1% saves in the league could only be rival by Genoa’s goalie Mattia Perin, which shows how important the Slovenian has been for Inter this season.
With a standout 14 clean sheets, the most in Serie A, reinforced La Beneamata’s solid defense this season. This record was essential in Internazionale’s first Serie A title win in over a decade.
Handanovic may not have been able to equal his previous clean sheets in past campaigns, especially the 2018-19 season where he equaled Cesar’s record for the most league clean sheets with 17 perhaps due to age. However, that hasn’t stopped him from ditching out top-level performances season in, season out with the Nerazzurri.
The goalkeeper who did not make the top 5 list, however, would make the top 10
- Eduard Mendy
- Yassine Bounou
- Keylor Navas
- Thibaut Courtois
- Emiliano Martínez
Repudiation:
Do note that there is a myriad of reasons for the list ( stats ). You might agree with some of the writer’s list or none at all. Either way, we’d love to hear readers’ preferred list.. Comment below.
