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The Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. There are so many world-class forwards plying their trades in the English top-flight. However, the presence of top goalkeepers often keeps them in check.
Goalkeepers play as important a role in winning football matches as any other outfield player. Fans love to see their goalkeepers diving around saving shots and thus helping their teams win matches.
Premier League has been the home of many world class goalkeepers
Over the years, several top goalkeepers have represented Premier League clubs. While some of them continue to be involved in the competition, a select few have either retired or moved on to other leagues.
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In the list below we are going to discuss five goalkeepers that have helped their Premier League clubs by keeping the highest number of clean sheets in the last decade:
#5 Ederson: Manchester City - 75 clean sheets
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson is relatively new to the Premier League scene. However, in a short period of time, the Brazilian has earned himself the reputation of being an excellent all-round custodian.
Brazil legend Rogerio Ceni describes Ederson as a "modern goalkeeper." Ederson is also one of the best passers of the ball. Long pass or short - the 28-year-old is good at perfecting them all.
Manchester City are a team that excels in the passing game. They have so many expert passers at their disposal, helping the team play fluent football. It is through Ederson that Manchester City's attacking plays are sometimes built.
Having started his career as a full-back, Ederson is comfortable having the ball at his feet. He has amazing vision and sees pockets of space for his team-mates on the pitch.
Ederson is also good at doing his main job equally well. He is not afraid to come out charging in one-on-one situations, making himself big. He has exceptional athleticism and reflexes and has taken his team out of many tricky situations.
In just four seasons at the Etihad, Ederson has managed 75 Premier League clean sheets. Another 17 have come in the Champions League for him.
#4 Petr Cech: Chelsea and Arsenal - 95 clean sheets
Very few goalkeepers have had as much of an impact in the Premier League as Petr Cech.
He was an integral part of the Chelsea team since 2004. However, the emergence of Thibaut Courtois signaled the end for him at Stamford Bridge. Cech moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2015 and went on to show his class there as well until his retirement in 2019.
Cech was an imposing physical presence in goal and was capable of dominating the penalty area.
Despite cracking his skull back in 2006, due to which he had to wear protective gear, Cech never backed out of one-on-one challenges. Cech was tall, agile and had an incredible sense of positioning between the sticks.
With his physical attributes and technical abilities, Cech went on to register a then Premier League record of 1025 minutes without conceding a goal in 2004-05.
Between 2011 and 2019 Cech managed to keep as many as 95 Premier League clean sheets during his spells with Chelsea and Arsenal. Notably, Cech has registered the highest number of clean sheets (202) in Premier League history too.
#3 Joe Hart: Manchester City-West Ham-Burnley - 98 clean sheets
Manchester City's emergence as a Premier League super power is a post 2008 phenomenon. Joe Hart was their mainstay between the sticks back then. The 6 feet 5 inch goalkeeper is good at stopping both long shots and shots from close range.
Hart is also good at saving penalties, having stopped as many as 15 of them over the course of his entire career.
In the lead-up to Pep Guardiola's appointment as manager of the Premier League giants, Hart was the undisputed number one for the Sky Blues. By the end of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, Hart had managed to keep 15 clean sheets.
In fact, during the 2014-15 season and in the previous five campaigns, Hart had conceded less than one goal per game.
However, Guardiola's appointment did not suit his career. The Spaniard had a preference for goalkeepers that were good with the ball and could create chances for his side going forward.
Hart was eventually replaced as first-choice. It took a serious toll on the former England international's career. By the time a move out of Manchester City had been finalized, Hart's goalkeeping skills had seriously deteriorated.
His 98 Premier League clean sheets between 2011 and 2021 are still enough to rank him as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League in recent years. Hart currently plies his trade in Scotland with Old Firm giants Celtic.
#2 Hugo Lloris: Tottenham - 108 clean sheets
One of Tottenham's longest-serving players, Hugo Lloris, leads by example. The Frenchman is shy by nature and tries to remain out of the spotlight. That doesn't prevent him from stamping his authority on the pitch though.
Lloris is vocal on the pitch and keeps the defenders in front of him on their toes. He is ever-vigilant between the sticks and an effective sweeper. He regularly dashes out of his line but is quick at recoveries and can sprint back to goal in the blink of an eye.
Lloris was a budding tennis player during his youth. His outstanding reflexes in goal perhaps stem from those roots.
Despite his advancing years, Lloris' reflexes have hardly taken a hit. He has so far managed three clean sheets in three Premier League appearances this season, taking his tally to 108 in the last decade.
#1 David De Gea: Manchester United - 124 clean sheets
David De Gea has been Manchester United's undisputed number one shot-stopper over the last decade in the Premier League. Legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson went to great extent to sign him from Atletico Madrid back in 2011.
Former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele said in an interview that Ferguson had missed Manchester United's match against Scunthorpe to scout De Gea.
Now that is not something unusual. However, if you consider that it was only the second game Ferguson missed over the course of his entire Manchester United career, you ponder.
De Gea managed to show great composure, concentration and reflexes when Ferguson was in attendance in Spain.
A young De Gea didn't find it easy to settle into life in the Premier League, however. His sleek figure often stood in his way. He was bad at winning aerial duels and was disappointing from long-range shots.
But over time, De Gea eventually turned himself into one of the best goalkeepers in not just the Premier League but across the world. He has won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award four times and was chosen the Players' Player of the Year thrice.
More recently, De Gea has struggled for form and had to surrender his first-choice status between the sticks for club and country. Despite all of that, De Gea still boasts 124 Premier League clean sheets in the last decade that rank him first on this list.
