Top 10 Goalkeepers in Football during the 2017-18 Season

#1 Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - Barcelona

Villarreal v Barcelona - La Liga

Yeah.

This is quite the turn-around for a goalkeeper who did not even make the list in our 2016 edition. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is the best goalkeeper in football currently, and even the numbers bear it out - he is such an outlier most people claim it cannot last.

ter Stegen was a popular request. He has been up and down, but is having a pretty wondrous season this year. Those 2017 save numbers will not last. pic.twitter.com/3ckK9M4GWQ

— Colin Trainor (@colintrainor) December 30, 2017

So why is the Barcelona shot-stopper better than David de Gea? The truth is - purely as a goalkeeper - the Spaniard edges the German. But what elevates Ter Stegen is simply his ability with the ball - he routinely outpasses opposition midfielders, not to mention he's reaching Neuer-like levels when it comes to the sweeper-keeper role.

Our 🔝 recoveries leaders in 2017:4️⃣0️⃣7️⃣ M. ter Stegen3️⃣3️⃣9️⃣ S. Busquets3️⃣0️⃣5️⃣ I. Rakitic2️⃣9️⃣8️⃣ G. Piqué2️⃣7️⃣4️⃣ S. Umtiti2️⃣5️⃣5️⃣ J. Alba1️⃣8️⃣9️⃣ S. Roberto1️⃣8️⃣3️⃣ A. Iniesta1️⃣3️⃣0️⃣ L. #Messi pic.twitter.com/U1CDDiJXaw

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 31, 2017

A large part of Barcelona's defensive improvement (they've conceded the least in all of Europe's Top 5 Leagues) is down to Ter Stegen. He allows Pique and Umtiti to push high and create an extremely compact play-zone for Barcelona - with any long ball over the top swiftly dealt by the German - not with a clearance, but with a well-judged pass.

Ter Stegen's abilities passed under the radar for much of the season, but the world saw him at his best in El Clasico. Manuel Neuer better look out - the position of German national goalkeeper isn't as assured - Ter Stegen is coming for you.