5 most expensive goalkeepers in the world

#3 Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) | €52.9 million

Gianluigi Buffon is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the game.

Gianluigi Buffon is arguably one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the game.

Buffon's then-world record transfer fee of €52.9 million shocked the footballing world, as such amounts were unheard of in 2001 - especially for a goalkeeper.

But looking back, it would be fair to say that Juventus got more than their money's worth and more. Buffon has established himself as one of the greats in his 17-season stint with the Bianconeri.

The Italian had made his professional debut with Parma and earned his name as one of Italy's finest talents during his seven-season stay at the club.

When Buffon stopped 3 penalties against Inter at the ICC 🛑✋ pic.twitter.com/mR2RNAWYHM

— International Champions Cup (@IntChampionsCup) May 3, 2021

The Italian has enjoyed a trophy-laden career, which includes the FIFA World Cup trophy, ten Serie A titles, five Coppa Italia titles, a Ligue 1 title with PSG and the Europa League (then-called the UEFA Cup) with Parma.

However, the Champions League trophy is conspicuous by its absence in the 43-year old's glittering trophy cabinet.

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#2 Alisson (Liverpool) | €62.5 million

Alisson

Much like Ederson, his Brazilian compatriot, Alisson, was the answer to Liverpool's goalkeeping woes.

Liverpool suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the 2017-18 Champions League final. The disappointing aspect was not Liverpool's performance upfield but the performance of a certain Loris Karius in goal.

Karius endured a forgettable night, making two huge mistakes that directly led to goals, leading to Liverpool signing Alisson a month later. The Brazilian won four major trophies in his first two years at the club - Champions League, Premier League, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

Alisson won the Premier League's Golden Glove accolade in his first season of English football, registering 21 clean sheets in his debut season followed by 17 in Liverpool's victorious 2019-20 campaign.

Liverpool's lengthy injury list, especially in defence, along with Alisson's form this season, has led to an underwhelming return of only seven clean sheets from 29 Premier League appearances.

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#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) | €80 million

Kepa Arrizabalaga has struggled to live up to his tag of the world's most expensive goalkeeper.

Chelsea custodian Kepa Arrizabalaga is the world's most expensive goalkeeper. While all the other names in our list have established themselves as their club's no.1, Kepa lost his starting berth to Chelsea's latest signing, Edouard Mendy.

While the Spaniard is still the proud owner of Chelsea's No.1 shirt, he has failed to live up to his huge price tag, producing massively underwhelming performances in the 2019-20 season.

After being initially dropped by Frank Lampard, Kepa was unable to earn Thomas Tuchel's trust as well. Following successive starts against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final and Brighton in the Premier League, Kepa was relegated to the bench once again as he continues to be a pale shadow of his illustrious self at Athletic Bilbao.

Kepa Arrizabalaga in the Thomas Tuchel Era so far :3/3 Wins12 Saves✅0 Goals conceded ❎100% Save Percentage 💯Football Excellence 👑 pic.twitter.com/eb4WOZrgvq

— ke#AnimoChels 🇦🇱 (@ChildishJxrgino) March 21, 2021

The Spaniard was regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in world football during his 3-season spell in the Spanish top flight. But in the ongoing 2020-21 season, Kepa Arrizabalaga has made only 11 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.