5 most underrated goalkeepers in Europe

Goalkeepers are a very important part of football. They come under maximum scrutiny and maximum pressure in crucial situations, with their decisions affecting the outcomes of matches.

There have been some great goalkeepers over the years and their performances have left spectators mind-blown with amazing reflexes and anticipation. For a goalkeeper, reflexive saves which make the front and back pages of papers are only one part of the game.

Though this part is highlighted, good anticipation and positioning almost always negate the need for fantastic gravity-defying dives, though reflexive actions are an inevitable part of the job. Keepers can sometimes be solely judged on their headline-making ability and that is an extremely unfair way to judge keepers.

While the likes of Manuel Neuer and David de Gea are headline makers deservedly, some goalkeepers are rarely mentioned when talking about the better keepers across Europe despite being recognized for their talent by their managers and team. This is an extremely unfair method of determining great keepers.

Some goalkeepers also miss out on the headlines because they play in leagues that do not always have the highest reputation or media attention. Other fantastic keepers play in the shadow of once-in-a-generation players like a Petr Schmeichel for instance.

All in all these men deserve to be recognised for their talent, perseverance and sheer ability to go on doing their job with the same motivation despite not having being rated aptly for their talent.

In this list, we take a look at 5 of the most underrated goalkeepers in Europe:

---

#5 Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Mandanda played for Crystal Palace last season

The French international failed to make the cut at Crystal Palace with form and injury hampering his progress and his inability to settle down in South London. He returned to Marseille for a second permanent spell at the club.

Barring his spell in South London, Mandanda has impressed throughout his career, having represented France in four international tournaments. He began his career at Le Havre and joined Marseille on loan in 2007-08 before making the move permanent and playing 300 times for the French side.

Nicknamed 'Frenchie' by his brothers, Mandanda is very impressive with the ball at his feet and is precise with his distribution.His consistency in goal meant that Olympique de Marseille have not worried about the Goalkeeping spot for many years.

Despite Yohann Pele having a great season as Marseille's No 1, Mandanda returned and was reinstated immediately. Pele had managed the highest number of clean sheets last season, making good of his chance to replace Mandanda.

This was however not enough for the Marseille faithful and the management team of the French giants, who immediately trusted Steve Mandanda to do a better job than Pele.

Admittedly Pele has gotten opportunities but they very fact that Mandanda had a shocker of a season for Palace bears no relevance this time around for both the player and Olympique de Marseille.

The club has begun the season in solid fashion and Mandanda is regaining his confidence in familiar territory, setting him up for a few more years at the top.

#4 Stéphane Ruffier (AS Saint-Étienne)

Ruffier tries to keep the ball out vs Manchester United

Ruffier began his youth career at Bayonne in the fourth tier of French football and signed a professional deal with AS Monaco in 2005.

He was initially the second choice at the club and made his way into the first team when first-choice keeper Flavio Roma was injured. His impressive performances led him to the first Goalkeeper slot and he established himself firmly there for three years.

His injury in the last four matches of the 2010-11 season saw him sit out and watch Monaco get relegated finishing 18th, something that many attributed to the absence of Ruffier from the side.

He rejected a move to Manchester City and also refused to join Saint-Etienne, and has stayed loyal to the club despite interest from many other sources. Notably, Ruffier had not missed a single league match for the club between 2011 and 2016.

Ruffier's consistency is underappreciated by many spectators which is unfortunate because of his unquestionable talent. He has been pushed down the pecking order for the French national team because of the excellent performance of Hugo Lloris who plays in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur.

To make matters worse of Ruffier, Lloris is the France national team captain, meaning the chances of making the starting eleven are further reduced. However, the Saint-Etienne man who is known to be an excellent shot-stopper with great reflexes works hard and regularly for his club where he is indisputably the main man.

#3 Danijel Subasic (AS Monaco)

Croatia's Subasic was the best keeper in Ligue 1 last season

An excellent keeper, Subasic has been Monaco's No 1 since their struggles in Ligue 2 He joined the club from Hadjuk Split in 2012 having played for the Croatian side in 77 games. He began his career in Croatia where he came through the youth ranks of Zadar, who he served for 6 years.

Subasic became an integral member of the Monaco side that gained promotion and been a rock at the back allowing Monaco to have a cavalier attitude in attack.

While Monaco gained many plaudits for their all-out attacking style that saw the rise of players like Kylian Mbappe and the revival of Radamel Falcao, it was the quiet confidence of Subasic that created a solid base for them to build upon.

Subasic was awarded the award for Best Keeper in Ligue 1 last season but has been quite classy for the principality side since his arrival. The award had been long time coming for the Croatian who had done very well in the last two seasons as Monaco finished third and second.

In 2014-15, he managed 842 minutes consecutively without conceding a single goal and has appeared for Monaco in 203 league games so far. It is a shame that not many outside France recognize the brilliance of the Croatian number 1.

Subasic is also Croatia's number 1, and has kept his place in the side as an important member of the squad. At 33, he still has more than a few years left in him and maybe Monaco's success will get him more fame.

#2 Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund)

Long-serving Dortmund keeper Weidenfeller has fallen down the pecking order

The former German International is the long-serving keeper of Borussia Dortmund, though he has fallen behind Swiss Goalkeeper Roman Burki. Weidenfeller is past the days when he was 'Mr Dependable' for Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund. Weidenfeller joined the club from FC Kaiserslautern in 2002, and had been at the club when Jurgen Klopp joined for a few years.

Weidenfeller has played 5 times for Germany and was unfortunate to have faced competition in the form of Oliver Kahn in the initial days of his career as Germany No 1 and then Jens Lehmann who served as the understudy for the legendary Bayern star.

Weidenfeller began hitting the peak of his powers past 2010, when Dortmund were at their best, winning two Bundesliga titles, but lost out on the international stage to Manuel Neuer.

Manuel Neuer was No 1 and Weidenfeller was No 2 for his country during their successful World Cup win. Weidenfeller managed only 5 caps for his country, clearly nowhere near enough for the talent and success he has had in the domestic level.

Weidenfeller also missed out in the late 2000s due to a couple of controversial incidents including a fine for racial abuse in 2008.

The arrival of Thomas Tuchel and a run of poor form shattered Weidenfeller's status in the Dortmund first team but the 37-year-old has stayed on as number two for a few seasons, but is interested in leaving the club soon.

This man will find suitors unless there are exceptional circumstances. But in truth, Weidenfeller never got his due for his talent.

#1 Samir Handanovic (Inter Milan)

Slovenian star Handanovic has been excellent for Inter Milan

Samir Handanovic made 111 saves and kept 15 clean sheets in 36 games for Inter in 2015-16. Despite this, and being widely regarded as one of the best operators in Italy, his name rarely ever pops out when discussing the best in business.

Inter, Slovenia and Italian fans recognise Handanovic's quality, thanks to the 81 caps the Slovenian international has earned, along with a combined 410 appearances for Italian clubs- most notably for Udinese, apart from his current club.

Inter have been criticised in recent years and managers have chopped and changed players around them but the one area that they have left absolutely untouched is the man in goal.

To be a number 1 with so many changes and adapting to suit so many managers is no mean feat and Handanovic does his business so calmly that he often slips under the radar despite many decisive interventions during games.

Handananovic certainly deserves to rated alongside some of the best goalkeepers in Europe at the moment. His determined and focused nature, coupled with the media's obsession with players in England and Spain force down a profile that is perhaps too small for this brilliant player

Handanovic has consistently been an under-performing Inter Milan's best player for the last few years along with Mauro Icardi, both of whom are responsible for Inter not slipping too far down the table.

Handanovic is shockingly under-rated by most who are unaware of his presence at the back. With Inter looking much better this season, Handanovic might have a chance for success at the club after five years of toiled efforts.