Goalkeepers are sometimes overlooked in the game of football, even though a lot rests on their hands when it comes to the final outcome of a game. As they are people who play a key role in the probably the most important area in a football field, one would think that the best of their lot should cost a lot of money.
However, that is not the case most of the times and there are only as many as eleven goalkeepers who have managed to fetch an asking price of £10M or more throughout the history of modern football.
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Here we take a look at the world’s most expensive goalkeepers of all time!
#1 Ederson
The player became the latest and biggest addition to the list when Benfica confirmed earlier today that Manchester City will pay a whopping £34.7M for the services of the 23-year-old uncapped Brazilian. Ederson made all the headlines when he helped Benfica secure the double this season and his abilities in goal were unmatched in Portugal.
It didn’t take too long for Pep Guardiola to notice the player and make a blockbuster offer that will see him break Gianluigi Buffon’s 16-year-old record and become the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
The young man’s sudden rise to the top of this unique list would add on to the weight of expectations on his back when he gets ready for his first season in England next year. However, he is expected to be a long-term solution to City’s goalkeeping woes.
#2 Gianluigi Buffon
The move happened way back in 2001 when Juventus paid £33M to Parma for the services of the then 23-year-old goalkeeping sensation Gianluigi Buffon’s signature. The record stood for a little over 16 years and was only overcame by Ederson’s move to Manchester City like mentioned above.
The signing proved to be a valuable one and the player has gone on to record over 600 appearances for the club in all competitions and won around 17 major trophies for the club during his time.
Buffon is the only active player with the highest number of league titles in Italy and will look to add up a Champions League medal to his coveted cabinet, after faltering at the final stage on two previous occasions, when his side take on Real Madrid in Cardiff on the 4th of June.
#3 Manuel Neuer
No matter how you look at it, the £19M Bayern Munich paid Schalke for Manuel Neuer in 2011 looks like an absolute bargain to this day. Neuer has gone on to emulate the iconic Oliver Kahn at Bayern and has won arguably everything he can at the club level.
He is considered as one of the mainstays of the German national side and is also a World Cup winner.
The 31-year-old’s brilliant shot-stopping and command in the box have been a boon to his club and country over the years and it will remain the same for at least a few more years considering the fact that goalkeepers get better with age.
Neuer looks nothing close to slowing down or losing shape and considering Bayern are favourites to win everything they play for every year, the player is expected to be at the top of things for quite some time.
#4 David De Gea
Manchester United paid £18M to lure David De Gea from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and it looks like he is the only reason why this list will need an update sometime soon after rumours have been circling around about a £60M deal in transit from Spanish giants Real Madrid.
De Gea is already considered as one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment and United will not be looking to let him go on the cheap or not letting him go at all.
After a shaky start to his career at United where he was criticised by fans and pundits alike for poor decision making and not being commanding enough inside the penalty area, De Gea quickly earned the plaudits when he eventually found his stride.
Ever since then, the Spaniard has never looked back and has proved to be an invaluable asset to his club.
#5 Claudio Bravo
Not many eyebrows were raised when Pep Guardiola paid £17M for his former player Claudio Bravo but questions were certainly asked after the Chilean’s performances in the Premier League.
The 34-year-old will be considered as one of the biggest flops in the history of the league after the comedy of errors that followed after his signing which resulted in him losing out on the faith of his manager and fans alike.
Even though things never went the way it wanted for both parties, the price paid for his services is still justified keeping in mind the fact that he had a very successful spell with Barcelona and the national side when they won the Champions League and Copa America titles respectively.
Things aren’t looking great for him anyway as he is set to play second fiddle to an uncapped 23-year-old Brazilian or seek greener pastures, which is highly unlikely considering that he won’t have many suitors at the top level who would want him in this shape, in the coming season.
