Top 10 goalkeepers of the Premier League (Part 1)

1. David de Gea – Manchester United

BLACKBURN, ENGLAND – APRIL 02: David de Gea of Manchester United celebrates during the Barclays Premier League match between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United at Ewood Park on April 2, 2012 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

This young goalkeeper is the number one shot stopper for Manchester United. After Dutchman Van Der Ser retired, the Red Devils were desperately looking for someone who would have a long term relationship with Old Trafford.

He joined Manchester United in June 2011 after a few successful years with Atletico Madrid. He is currently the captain of the Spain U-21 side. David de Gea finished the last season with the best saves-to-shots ratio in the Premier League (77.9%). After enjoying a very good first season with the Red Devils, he is expected to pick-up more clean sheets this season.

2. Mark Schwarzer – Fulham

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 31: Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer of Fulham in action during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Norwich City at Craven Cottage on March 31, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

This Australian goalkeeper has been associated with the English Premier League for over 15 years now. He is currently 7th in the all-time Premier League appearances table. He is also Australia’s most capped player at international level. Having made many important saves in his career, Schwarzer is still one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and in the world.

After playing for Middlesbrough for 11 long years, he joined Fulham in the year 2008 and is expected to be with the club till at least 2013.

3. Asmir Begovic – Stoke City

LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic of Stoke City takes a goal kick during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on March 10, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Asmir Begovi? is a 25 year old Bosnian footballer who plays for Premier League side Stoke City. After joining Portsmouth’s academy in 2003, he went out on loan to five other clubs to gain first team experience. In May, 2009 he finally made his debut for Portsmouth football club.

But in January 2010 Asmir decided to leave Portsmouth and sign a four and half year contract with Stoke City for a £3.25 million fee. Stoke manager Tony Pulis has high expectations from this goalie. According to him, Begovic is the best young keeper in the country now. The stoke fans will hope Begovic can rise up to the expectations and have more clean sheets this year.

4. Pepe Reina – Liverpool

NORWICH, ENGLAND – APRIL 28: Goalkeeper Jose Reina of Liverpool directs his defence during the Barclays Premier League match between Norwich City and Liverpool at Carrow Road on April 28, 2012 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Pepe Reina has been with the Reds since 2005. He is 31, but has been one of the top shot-stoppers for the last few years in the Premier League. He holds the record for most number of appearances by any Spanish footballer in the Premier League. With more than 200 appearances for Liverpool, Reina has 108 clean sheets to his name which is a phenomenal record.

Reina played for Spanish clubs like Barcelona and Villareal for a total of 5 years before settling as first-choice at Anfield. Although he is second-choice goalkeeper for Spain’s national side, Reina is well known for his distribution, and ability to save spot-kicks. Reina has set a number of goalkeeping records for Liverpool, and won the Premier League Golden Glove award for clean sheets in his first three seasons at the club.

5. Brad Friedel – Tottenham Hotspur

SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel gestures to his team-mates during the Barclay

The tall old man from Tottenham Hotspur is the oldest footballer in the Premier League. Aged 41, this American has spent 15 years with four different English clubs after starting his senior career. He joined Liverpool in 1997 but his longest stint was with Blackburn Rovers. He has made a total of 639 appearances in his career, out of which 357 appearances have been for Blackburn Rovers over a period of 8 years.

He was nicknamed “The Human Wall” by fans after his amazing performance in the 2002 World Cup.