Top 10 best goalkeepers of the 21st century

Since time immemorial, the goalkeeper has been considered the most important player on the team, performing incredible feats on the football pitch. For many, the goalkeeper is half the team, which is why hockey players stand up for their goalkeeper and never let him down.

Today, I will present you with a ranking published by the magazine Give Me Sport, which has named the best goalkeepers of the 21st century.

10TH PLACE - David De Gea

The Spaniard defended the goal of Manchester United for many years, where he won the hearts of the fans. His confident play on the line, tall stature and good footwork made him a promising footballer. At one point, the Spaniard was supposed to move to Real Madrid, and rumours of his transfer circulated for a long time. However, the move fell through due to the short time remaining before the transfer window closed.

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9TH PLACE - Júlio César

The goalkeeper is a product of Brazilian club Flamengo. He played for Inter Milan for a long time, where he gained fame. He was the main goalkeeper for the Brazilian national team for a long time, with which he won the 2004 Copa América.

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8TH PLACE - Victor Valdés

At the age of 17, the young Valdés was already defending the colours of Barcelona and from that moment on became a true legend for the club.

The Spaniard played for Barcelona from 2002 to 2014. During this time, he became the face of the fierce El Clásico rivalry, embodying the true spirit of competition.

Valdés was unable to become the number one goalkeeper for the Spanish national team, losing out to the confident Iker Casillas.

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7TH PLACE - Alisson Becker

One of the few goalkeepers in our ranking who is still active in football.

Alisson Becker is renowned for his one-on-one saves, excellent first pass and reaction speed, which helps him to be among the leaders in saves made.

The Brazilian has many personal achievements, but I have chosen the most notable ones, most of which were achieved in the 2018/2019 season.

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6TH PLACE - Petr Cech

The Czech goalkeeper became famous for his play for Chelsea and the head injury he sustained, which meant that Cech spent most of his career wearing a special helmet. Petr Cech holds the record for the most appearances for the Czech national team. The goalkeeper's main strengths were his intuition and reaction in penalty shootouts, where he often came out on top. After retiring, Petr Cech took up ice hockey, where he also became a goalkeeper.

Cech has no fewer awards than our previous goalkeeper, but I have again selected the most important ones (although none of them are unimportant).

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5th PLACE - Edwin van der Sar

Many players and critics consider him the best goalkeeper in history. The Dutchman has won 26 major trophies. Edwin van der Sar is a representative of Ajax's ‘golden generation’ that won the UEFA Champions League in 1995. In the 2008/2009 season, he did not concede a single goal in 1,311 minutes of league play, setting a world record.

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4TH PLACE - Thibaut Courtois

The Belgian goalkeeper who plays for Real Madrid is in 4th place in our top 10. The goalkeeper has not always been known for his confident play, especially at the beginning of his career at Real Madrid, which made the club's fans question the decision to make him the first-choice goalkeeper.

But over time, Courtois proved to everyone that he was the right choice and, thanks to his height, saved countless shots.

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3rd PLACE - Manuel Neuer

Oh, this German goalkeeper, who thinks he's the team's main midfielder every season. Neuer is known for his saves, coming out of the goal all the way to the centre of the pitch, his ability to start attacks and even beat several opponents. This guy clearly has no fear.

To be honest, this goalkeeper is in the top three for a reason; his achievements are countless, as are his records. But I will try to present them all to you in our nomination.

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2nd PLACE - Iker Casillas

The former captain of the Spanish national team and Real Madrid showed consistent form and a responsible approach to every game for many years.

For a long time, it was difficult to imagine Real Madrid without Iker Casillas, as he embodied the desire to win every game.

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1st PLACE - Gianluigi Buffon

And here he is - the best goalkeeper of the 21st century according to Give Me Sport - Gianluigi Buffon.

The Italian has played more than 1,000 professional matches in his career and has never missed a game despite his age. Everyone was always amazed by Buffon's performance at such a high level.

His saves mesmerised everyone. Buffon was not tall, but his correct positioning in the goal always helped him catch any ball that came his way.

For Juventus and the Italian national team, he was simply irreplaceable. He helped these teams become true champions in world history.

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