The best 10 goalkeepers in football right now (ranked)

The term ‘shot-stopper’ almost becomes more null and void with every passing year, for a goalkeeper is far more than that these days. They are the beginning of every manager’s system, the first pass to break a press, they get their side up the pitch, they sweep their area.

What began with Manuel Neuer has progressed into what is the expectancy of every modern-day ‘shot-stopper’. And that has seen a fresh batch of stars emerge to create history and spark the endless debate as to who takes the crown as the world’s best. Using stats such as saves per 90, save percentage, clean sheets and pass accuracy, we’ve determined our number one.

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Note: All stats correct as of 15th November 2024.

10

Diogo Costa

Porto & Portugal

An underrated name on this list, Diogo Costa has become more reliable than most at Porto and represents a true modern-day No 1. Rising through the ranks at the Portuguese club, Costa has more than earned his place and has even been linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea along the way.

For now, however, his main goal remains taking his boyhood club back to the top of Liga Portugal ahead of Sporting CP.

Ranked eighth in the 2024 Yashin Trophy, Costa has been forced to settle for a place in 10th in our rankings, but should hold no shame in that given the plethora of names still to come.

9

Giorgi Mamardashvili

Valencia & Georgia

Ranked one place ahead of Costa in the Yashin Trophy standings, Giorgi Mamardashvili has emerged as one of the hottest prospects around between the sticks. The Valencia goalkeeper has starred even as the rest of his side continue to struggle at the bottom of La Liga and particularly stood at at Euro 2024 with Georgia.

Attracting the interest of Liverpool as a result, Mamardashvili sealed a move worth a reported £29m to Anfield in the summer before heading back out on loan to Valencia for the current campaign.

On course to become the heir to Alisson Becker’s throne, 6ft 6in Mamardashvili is one of the best shot-stoppers around, who will have a higher place on such a list once he improves with the ball at his feet at a side of Liverpool’s quality.

8

Emiliano Martinez

Aston Villa & Argentina

Whilst some, including FIFA, may have Emiliano Martinez top on the list of the world’s best goalkeepers, he’ll have to settle for a lower place in our rankings.

The Argentinian’s place in the history books should never come into question. He proved to be one of the biggest difference-makers between glory and the ultimate heartbreak on the biggest stage for Lionel Messi when Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final.

Ask any of his international teammates – and perhaps the entirety of his home country – and Martinez may well be considered among the best in history, but outside of those international heroics, it would be harsh on others to consider the Aston Villa man far and away the best that European football has to offer, especially when considering the numbers.

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7

Unai Simon

Athletic Bilbao & Spain

Speaking of international heroics, Unai Simon more than played his part as Spain battled to victory at Euro 2024 in Berlin, eventually overcoming England in dramatic fashion late on.

Finishing second in the Yashin Trophy as a result, the Athletic Bilbao man kept a total of three clean sheets at the tournament – only second to France’s Mike Maignan.

Now battling for a place in Europe with Athletic Bilbao alongside fellow Spain star Nico Williams, Simon should be on the radar of several top clubs when the January transfer window arrives next summer.

He proved that he can perform on the biggest stage last summer and is only likely to prove it once again with a big move.

6

Jan Oblak

Atletico Madrid & Slovenia

Jan Oblak may not be at the peak of his powers as consistently now that he’s 31 years old, but he remains one of the world’s best and Diego Simeone’s undisputed No 1. When he decides to hang his gloves up, La Liga will be left with a sensational highlight reel of incredible saves. At his best, the Slovenian has been almost impenetrable at times in Madrid.

With a few years to go yet, there’s no doubt that Oblak will continue to produce the impossible when Atletico Madrid and Simeone need him most, having already kept seven clean sheets in La Liga by mid-November.

5

David Raya

Arsenal & Spain

Ahead of his Spanish counterpart Simon for once, David Raya’s recent rise has helped to form one of the Premier League’s most impressive backlines at Arsenal.

Behind William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, last season’s Golden Glove winner remains a crucial figure on and off the ball as a classic example of the modern goalkeeper that Mikel Arteta wanted ahead of Aaron Ramsdale.

Of course, it remains a mystery as to why Simon is often preferred to Raya on international duty, but credit deserves to go to both shot-stoppers for creating such competition.

At 29 years old, however, Raya should be desperate to move Simon aside in a similar fashion to how he dislodged Ramsdale at Arsenal in order to become the undisputed No 1 for Spain ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

4

Ederson

Manchester City & Brazil

Into the top four, this ranking could quite easily be Manchester City’s penalty order, which in many ways sums up just how unique Ederson is. The pure definition of a modern goalkeeper, the Citizens’ No 1 has the flair of a Brazilian forward and the passing range of an NFL quarterback, all whilst maintaining his shot-stopping standards.

The most composed player on the pitch even as several hearts skip a beat, Ederson is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers to ever step foot in the Premier League and arguably the best in Manchester City’s history with countless honours to his name.

3

Mike Maignan

Milan & France

Spearheading Milan’s return to the top of Italian football in the 2021/22 campaign before becoming France’s No 1 and winning the Golden Glove at Euro 2024, Maignan’s place among the world’s best goalkeepers is no longer a debate. In fact, it could even be argued that he should be higher on the list. For now, however, the Frenchman sits third here – and respectably behind some elite shot-stoppers.

He simply ticks every box for a modern goalkeeper and has shown that on the biggest stage. There’s not many sides in Europe’s top five leagues who wouldn’t take the 29-year-old as their No 1, including those at the very top.

2

Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid & Belgium

From his Atletico Madrid days to winning the Premier League at Chelsea and now starring at Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois has been around for the last decade and has probably never dipped outside the top 10 goalkeepers in world football. He’s simply been that consistent and that much of a standout.

On the big stage, he’s among the players that most clubs would pick between the sticks on the shot-stopping front. It’s no surprise that even Real Madrid, with all the stars that they have, are struggling in the Belgian’s recent absence as of late.

What summed up his quality more than ever last season, however, was how he slotted straight into the Champions League final on his return from a long-term injury and didn’t miss a beat.

1

Alisson

Liverpool & Brazil

Whilst Real Madrid were quick to suggest that Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win over Vinicius Junior was the most controversial moment of the ceremony, Alisson has quite the case for himself after failing to even make the rankings for the Yashin Trophy.

Top of our rankings nonetheless (in what is of course the ultimate consolation), the Liverpool star has arguably been the world’s best goalkeeper for a number of years.

One of the all-time Premier League greats, what makes Alisson stand out is how he simply does not perform for the cameras. The Brazilian excels at making even the most ferocious strikes seem routine, and perhaps those who decide the Yashin Trophy were simply looking for picture-perfect rather than efficient.

Liverpool, meanwhile, will ignore any such award and settle for a goalkeeper who has been at the centre of some of their most historic moments in recent memory.