Look, compiling a list of the 25 best players in any position is really difficult.
But it’s a whole lot of fun and stirs debate – and that’s what football’s about, right?
So here’s your current list of the top 25 goalkeepers on the planet at the moment, as judged by 90min as part of our 2023 Welcome to World Class series.
We kick off the list with a player who broke onto the scene in 2022/23, becoming one of the highest rated young goalkeepers around thanks to his brilliant form with Reims.
Yehvann Diouf is dependable and has a flair for spectacular saves too.
Despite the embarrassment of riches Borussia Dortmund have boasted in attack over the years, they’ve never really had a top shot stopper.
But Kobel could be the man to finally end BVB’s fears. Still in his mid 20s, the Switzerland international has been impressive since arriving from Stuttgart.
It took a while for Frederik Ronnow to establish himself outside of Denmark, but he was eventually trusted by Union Berlin.
Union conceded only 38 goals in the 2022/23 Bundesliga, the joint best effort alongside Bayern Munich. Ronnow will hope to usurp Kasper Schmeichel as the Danes’ main goalie soon, too.
Giorgi Mamardashvili is a name which popped up quite a bit over the summer, with the goalkeeper being linked with basically every club in Europe at some point.
The 22-year-old will eventually earn a move to a top club, but for now he’s gaining plenty of good experience with Valencia.
Italian goalie Guglielmo Vicario has done things the hard way throughout his playing career but a fine season with Empoli earned him a move to Tottenham.
He’s been in great form since arriving in the Premier League.
If not for Thibaut Courtois, Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels would definitely have more than his measly five caps for Belgium so far in his career.
Unfortunately, he’ll have to deal with being their second-choice for a little while longer. But at least he’s done enough to get a ranking on this list, eh?
Yann Sommer’s move to Bayern Munich from Borussia Monchengladbach when Manuel Neuer got injured stunk of a lot of what’s wrong with the Bundesliga in the modern age.
Bayern’s monopoly on the division helped them pick up a consistent performer in Sommer, who was brilliant for Switzerland at Euro 2020, as Neuer’s temporary replacement.
David Raya has turned into one of the Premier League’s top shot stoppers and his role as a playmaker at the back has made Brentford a slick operation under Thomas Frank.
Now he’s finally got his big move to a top club in Arsenal, expect Raya to become a regular at the Emirates sooner rather than later.
Despite spending much of his Premier League career as a meme, Pickford has undergone quite the redemption arc in the last two years or so.
He’s quietly improved his reliability and remains as useful as ever in possession, while he was one of the top players at Euro 2020 and would have become a national hero had that final shootout ended in an England win.
A regular in the Spanish national team, Unai Simon is deserving of his place in the top 25 even if that error at the Euros continues to follow him around.
Two penalty saves in the Nations League final victory over Croatia endeared Simon to the Roja faithful.
Whether the pressure of playing for Arsenal got to Bernd Leno or he simply endured a rough patch of form at Emirates is anybody’s guess.
At Fulham, however, the German goalie has improved markedly and is now one of the English top flight’s more reliable custodians.
You’ve heard all the jokes about Aaron Ramsdale’s bazillion relegations from the Premier League.
But strikers and forwards alike aren’t laughing anymore thanks to his collection of highlight reel saves. He loves the chat, too.
There are few around with the sheer box presence and command of their defence like Nick Pope.
The England international isn’t too hot with the ball at his feet but that matters little to Eddie Howe and the Magpies, whose qualification for the Champions League was aided tremendously by Pope’s consistent performances between the sticks.
Still just 23 years old, Diogo Costa has been one of the most talked about goalkeepers in Europe for quite a while – and for good reason too.
Costa’s the archetypal modern day goalkeeper, and will surely be the number one for one of the biggest clubs in Europe very, very soon.
Now this lad has a bright future.
After leaving boyhood club Milan for Paris Saint-Germain, Gigio’s future looked to be carved out. He finally usurped Keylor Navas as PSG’s undisputed starter and was a key part of the Azzurri team which won Euro 2020, also being named player of the tournament too.
Some poor years since including disastrous mishaps in the Champions League see him drop out of the top ten.
Morocco international Yassine Bounou – commonly known as Bono – has emerged as one of the finest stoppers in La Liga since his move to Sevilla.
He performed heroics as his side won the Europa League in 2020 and also enjoyed a wonderful 2022 World Cup as Morocco reached the semi finals.
There are times watching five-time Zamora Trophy winner Jan Oblak when you might genuinely believe he has the power to attract the ball towards his hands. It’s like his gloves have their own gravitational pull.
However, he hasn’t looked his formidable self over the last 12 months while his competitors have thrived, so his ranking has dropped as a result.
A year out of the game for a drugs ban was tough for Andre Onana but he’s quickly established himself ahead of Samir Handanovic at Inter.
The former Ajax stopper brings the ball out of his box regularly, aiding his side’s build-up play with terrific distribution while making important saves between the sticks.
There’s a very good reason why Man Utd spent a boatload to sign him.
What a rise it’s been for Emi Martinez.
The Argentinian moved to Aston Villa after a few months in the spotlight at Arsenal and has since proven he’s really, really bloody good.
So good, in fact, that he’s become Argentina’s number one, played a big part in winning them the World Cup and Copa America and earned Lionel Messi’s respect with his s***house antics.
Manuel Neuer played a big role in the reinvention of the modern goalkeeper and he remains one of the very best sweeper-keepers in the business today.
He’s only got a few years left and a skiing injury saw him ruled out of the end of the 2022/23 season, but he should be back to his best soon enough.
When Pep Guardiola made a cheeky remark about Ederson being the best penalty taker at Manchester City everyone believed him – such is the technical ability of the Brazilian stopper.
2022/23 saw the Brazilian rise to the occasion in the Champions League, making heroic stops against Real Madrid and Inter as City won the tournament for the first time ever.
Milan had a huge goalkeeper-shaped hole to fill when Gianluigi Donnarumma departed, but since Mike Maignan rocked up to San Siro the Rossoneri have looked as solid as ever.
The French stopper is now firmly the best goalkeeper in Serie A.
Razor sharp reflexes, wrists like steel, distribution like Andrea Pirlo and a really cool name. These are just a few of the things that make Marc-Andre ter Stegen one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Barcelona’s rebuild continues but they don’t need reinforcements between the sticks, with Ter Stegen taking home the 2022/23 Zamora Trophy.
After a shaky opening at Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois has been in exemplary form to convince any remaining doubters of his ability.
Courtois’ long limbs and excellent shot stopping ability have saved Los Blancos on a fair few occasions in recent seasons – including the 2021 Champions League final – and he also scooped the Zamora trophy in 2020.
He’s so good that he’s still number two on this list despite tearing his ACL.
When Liverpool spent nearly £70m on Alisson back in 2018, social media was awash with jibes from rival fans questioning the size of the fee. But they’re not laughing now.
The Brazilian has proved to be a game-changing upgrade on Loris Karius at Anfield, perfectly straddling the attributes of both a sweeper-keeper and traditional stopper.
He’s also played his part in Liverpool becoming Premier League, European and world champions in recent seasons. Worth the money, for sure.
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