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The past decade has seen the rise of some immensely talented footballers, but while fans of the game naturally fawn over flashy attackers like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, almost equally important to a team’s fortunes is a great goalkeeper.
Legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson once claimed that a great goalkeeper could be worth 15 points across a season, and these ten brilliant shot-stoppers have claimed plenty of points –and trophies – for their teams over the last ten years.
Here are the top 10 goalkeepers of the decade (2010-2019) – in no particular order as they’re near impossible to rank.
1. Gianluigi Buffon
The grand old man of this list, Gianluigi Buffon would’ve made it onto any list of great goalkeepers of the previous decade, but his consistency and trophy haul means that he makes this list easily too. At 41 years old he likely doesn’t have many active years left ahead of him, but despite never managing to capture the elusive UEFA Champions League, he’s had an incredible ten years.
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The Italian struggled during the first season of the decade – 2010-11 – as he missed most of the season with a back injury, but he returned with a vengeance in 2011-12, conceding just 16 goals in 35 appearances and recording 21 clean sheets – a Serie A record – as Juventus won the Scudetto. That season saw him produce an 82% save percentage – and he was even nominated for the 2012 Ballon d’Or.
Buffon followed by winning a further six straight Scudetto titles and then moved to Paris St. Germain – where he immediately picked up a Ligue 1 title too. With an incredibly well-rounded game and the experience to read potential goal threats in a way that even other great keepers might not, the Italian legend is one of the greatest keepers of all time – let alone the past decade.
2. Samir Handanovic
Slovenia’s Samir Handanovic has been one of Serie A’s premier goalkeepers since moving to Italy during the previous decade, but it’s been with Inter Milan – who he joined in the summer of 2012 – that he’s established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, being named in Serie A’s Team of the Year three times and being voted the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year on three occasions too.
A huge man who stands at 6’4”, Handanovic is also a surprisingly quick and agile athlete, and his incredible reflexes and positional sense have allowed him to pull off some truly insane saves – earning him the nickname ‘Batman’ in the process. Up to the end of 2018-19, the Slovenian has made 330 Serie A appearances and kept an impressive 125 clean sheets.
Renowned for being a penalty saving expert, Handanovic has saved 23 in Serie A action - only one behind legendary Italian keeper Gianluca Pagliuca – and set an Italian record of stopping six consecutive spot-kicks between 2013 and 2015. While his trophy cabinet remains disappointingly empty, he definitely goes down as one of the best keepers of the decade.
3. Manuel Neuer
Widely regarded as the original ‘sweeper-keeper’, Manuel Neuer has acted as the #1 for Bayern Munich and Germany for practically the entire decade, over which time he’s established himself as one of the greatest keepers on the planet and even finished third in the voting for the 2014 Ballon d’Or – behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Neuer has always shown himself to be an excellent shot-stopper, able to pull off spectacular and awkward saves that rely on his amazing athleticism, but it’s through the use of his feet that he’s gained the most plaudits. Largely after working under boss Pep Guardiola at Bayern, Neuer became renowned for being able to collect the ball with his feet, even outside his area, and his passing ability still allows his sides to launch swift attacks from the back.
The German’s trophy haul speaks for itself, too; he’s won 7 Bundesliga titles, one UEFA Champions League, and captured the World Cup with Germany in 2014. He was also named in Euro 2012’s Team of the Tournament and was named the World’s Best Goalkeeper in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015. More than anyone else, Neuer modernised the way in which a goalkeeper is viewed.
4. David De Gea
Joining Manchester United in the summer of 2011, Spain’s David de Gea has established himself as one of the world’s premier shot-stoppers over the last decade, and will probably go down behind only Peter Schmeichel in terms of the best keepers to have featured at Old Trafford. Since joining United, De Gea has won numerous trophies, including the Premier League title, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the UEFA Europa League.
The Spaniard was initially criticised upon his arrival in England for a perceived lack of ability when it came to commanding his penalty box – particularly when it came to dealing with crosses – but once he became more settled into the Premier League it became clear that those criticisms were unfounded, as he pulled off incredible save after incredible save.
Since then, De Gea has gone onto become arguably United’s key player, winning Match of the Day’s Save of the Season award on multiple occasions and being named in the PFA Team of the Year for 5 seasons. His ability to pull off shot-blocks and saves from all ranges and angles marks him out as a true great of his generation.
5. Iker Casillas
Spain’s Iker Casillas might be reaching the end of his storied career now, but over the past two decades he has established himself as one of the world’s most dependable and consistent shot-stoppers, and his trophy haul at international level this decade is unmatched by any other goalkeeper in the world.
Casillas was of course between the posts as Spain won both the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship – playing as the team’s captain – and his leadership from the back was nothing short of phenomenal. The then-Real Madrid stopper arguably won the World Cup final for his side with his saves from Arjen Robben in the final against the Netherlands, and in Euro 2012 he conceded just one goal in the entire tournament.
At club level Casillas was equally successful during the decade; he won a La Liga title in 2011-12 with Real Madrid – the 5th of his career – and also captured the UEFA Champions League in 2013-14. And after moving to Porto in the summer of 2015, he also won the Portuguese Primeira Liga title in 2017-18. With his abilities, it’s hardly a surprise that he was dubbed ‘Saint Iker’ by the Real Madrid fans.
6. Ederson
When Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2016, one of his first actions was to remove longtime #1 Joe Hart from between the posts and replace him with a ‘sweeper-keeper’ who was more suitable to the Spaniard’s brand of football. Claudio Bravo was the chosen one, but unfortunately, the Chilean proved to be too gaffe-prone to establish himself. Guardiola’s next choice, on the other hand, has proven himself to be just what the doctor ordered.
Signed by City for a fee of £35m, Brazil’s Ederson changed how Guardiola’s side were able to operate; the ability that he possesses with his feet is almost unparalleled when it comes to goalkeepers, making him the perfect fit for a side looking to start attacks from the back, but he’s equally adept at making spectacular saves with his hands, too.
In his first two seasons at the Etihad, the Brazilian was largely an ever-present, keeping 34 clean sheets and even registering an assist for Sergio Aguero in a match against Huddersfield, as City romped to two successive Premier League titles. Add those to the two Portuguese Primeira Liga titles he won previously with Benfica – as well as a further five trophies with City – and you’ve got a shoo-in for this list.
7. Jan Oblak
The second Slovenian goalkeeper to make this list, Jan Oblak first emerged as a potentially great shot-stopper during his time with Benfica in Portugal’s Primeira Liga. Oblak signed with the club in June 2010 but didn’t debut with them until the start of 2013-14. It didn’t take him long to make an impact, though – he quickly usurped Artur as their #1 and kept several clean sheets, eventually being named the league’s best goalkeeper at the end of the season as the club won the league title.
Oblak then moved to Atletico Madrid, who were in the hunt for a new goalkeeper following Thibaut Courtois’ move back to Chelsea – and after establishing himself at his new club, it’s arguable that he’s been even more reliable than the Belgian was for Diego Simeone’s side.
The Slovenian has made 169 La Liga appearances for Atletico, and he’s kept an impressive 96 clean sheets while only conceding 104 goals. Along the way, he’s helped the Spanish side to win the Europa League in 2017-18, and it was his penalty save from Thomas Muller in 2016 that allowed Atletico to make the Champions League final. Named as La Liga’s best keeper for the past four seasons, at just 26 years old it’s possible that Oblak could be on this list in another ten years, too.
8. Alisson Becker
When Liverpool’s 2017-18 Champions League hopes went down in flames thanks to a pair of gaffes from keeper Loris Karius in the final, it was clear that Jurgen Klopp’s side needed a new man between the sticks if they wanted to progress. The German boss found his man in the form of Brazil’s Alisson Becker, and despite a heavy fee of £67m, he’s quickly established himself as one of the world’s best.
Alisson first emerged at Roma in the 2016-17 season but was largely used as a second-choice to Wojciech Szczesny, but when the Pole departed for Juventus at the end of the season, the Brazilian established himself as #1 and kept a total of 22 clean sheets in 2017-18, garnering a reputation as a fantastic shot-stopper as well as a keeper completely comfortable with the ball at his feet, too.
Since signing with Liverpool a season later meanwhile, he’s gone on to produce some tremendous form; he helped the Reds to put together a 20-game unbeaten run in the Premier League and played a key role in their eventual Champions League triumph. With just 27 goals conceded in 46 Premier League appearances, it’s hard to deny the “Messi of goalkeeping” his spot on this list.
9. Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Barcelona’s current #1, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in the world throughout the decade, starting when he essentially saved his hometown club Borussia Monchengladbach from relegation in the 2010-11 season. Coming into the side late in the season, Ter Stegen kept 4 clean sheets out of a possible 5, allowing Monchengladbach to remain in the Bundesliga.
After three more strong seasons at the Bundesliga side, the German keeper made a move to Barcelona for a fee of just under £10m. Due to injuries, he didn’t play that often initially – but still helped La Blaugrana to victories in the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League.
By 2016-17 he’d established himself firmly as Barca’s #1, and since then he’s gone from strength to strength, with his displays against the likes of Real Madrid, Paris St. Germain and Juventus earning him rave reviews.
Like countryman Manuel Neuer, Ter Stegen is equally as good with the ball at his feet as he is in terms of making spectacular saves, and despite a decade at the top already, he’s still only 27 years old – meaning the best could be yet to come from him.
10. Hugo Lloris
Tottenham’s #1 since signing for them from Lyon prior to the 2012-13 season, France’s Hugo Lloris has built a reputation as being one of the world’s premier shot-stoppers ever since. Boasting lightning-quick reflexes and the ability to make spectacular saves from all kinds of angles, Lloris is also a born leader, as he’s captained both Spurs and the French national side in recent years.
Since arriving in the Premier League, Lloris has kept a strong total of 88 clean sheets in 246 appearances, conceding 261 goals overall, and in 2016-17, in particular, his efforts went a long way into allowing Tottenham to have the league’s meanest defence, with just 26 goals conceded all season.
The Frenchman has also become known as somewhat of a penalty-saving expert, as 2018-19 saw him save spot-kicks from both Sergio Aguero and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in key fixtures, the former helping Tottenham through the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
His biggest career accomplishment came in the 2018 World Cup though, as he lifted the famous trophy as France’s captain, having kept clean sheets in both the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals.
