World Cup 2018: Top 10 Goalkeepers in the tournament

#2 David De Gea

What can one say about David De Gea? The Spanish goalkeeper’s spectacular shot-stopping is second to none in the world and it is that attribute which helped Manchester United finish second in the league. The Spaniard’s excellence statistically is well-documented. Yet, perhaps the best way to understand De Gea’s excellence is to look at how he performed in games versus Sevilla, Arsenal, and Liverpool where it was only his brilliance that stood between Manchester United and a thrashing.

Yet, what prevents De Gea from the top of this list is other aspects of goalkeeping. His ball distribution is decent (7th in the Premier League according to Squawka stats) but feels rather inadequate for the crisp passing of the national team. Additionally, while De Gea has improved in the air, he still sometimes struggles under pressure. Perhaps most troublingly for the La Roja, De Gea hasn’t saved a penalty in the Premier League since 2014-15. Penalty shootouts can often decide crucial knockout games and for Spain to win the World Cup (as many expect them to do), De Gea will need to improve on this aspect of his game.