20 Best Goalkeepers in the World [Ranked]

For a team to stand any chance of prolonged success, they need a reliable goalkeeper in between the sticks. There’s a ceiling on the heights a team can reach if they aren’t protected at the back by an elite shot-stopper. Adding one to your side can transform it from teetering contender to championship dynasty, as we’ve seen in the past, with the likes of Alisson Becker and Ederson taking Liverpool and Manchester City respectively to levels of success they wouldn’t have reached without them.

Due to the advancement in modern-day football, goalkeepers have to be able to perform a variety of roles. Firstly, they must be world-class shotstoppers, which is the bread and butter of being a ‘keeper. This must lead to a trusted partnership with the defence. Meanwhile, they are required to be capable of distributing the ball quickly and effectively. Manuel Neuer changed the future of goalkeeping when he acted as a sweeper-keeper – and now it is very common.

Finding an elite number one can be difficult, though, with there being a very select group of truly exceptional goalies in the world right now. Here are the very best around.

Ranking factors

The factors taken into consideration are as follows:

• Clean sheets – How many clean sheets they’ve registered is a strong indicator of their quality. But it’s important to remember some teams have stronger defences than others.
• Importance to their club – If they are consistently making world-class saves and helping their team every minute, they will be ranked highly, even if they’re not at the biggest clubs.
• International records – Performances for their national teams go alongside the success with their clubs, making them well-rounded.
• Distribution – As part of modern-day football, goalkeepers must be capable of starting attacks with precision passing.
• Shot-stopping – As the bread and butter of being a goalkeeper, they must be capable of making world-class saves regularly.

Losing a ‘keeper like Gianluigi Donnarumma could have been a disaster for Milan when he joined PSG in 2021. Luckily, though, the Italian side secured Mike Maignan, who quickly proved to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Having joined from Lille, the 29-year-old played a crucial role in AC Milan winning their first Serie A title in over a decade, with 17 clean sheets to his name.

He even won the Serie A Best Goalkeeper award that season. Since the 2021/22 season, he has not been as impressive (partly due to injury issues), but he still showcases confidence and charisma, which makes him one of the best options around and the man to take the reins from long-time France number one Hugo Lloris in the national team.

10 Gregor Kobel

Borussia Dortmund

Despite the best intentions of his father, who was a professional ice hockey forward, Gregor Kobel followed his dream of becoming a football goalkeeper. It may have “made no sense” to Kobel senior, but Borussia Dortmund will be mightily grateful that the towering Swiss custodian donned a pair of gloves rather than skates.

While the frame of Dortmund’s goal played its role in the team’s incredible Champions League run last season, Kobel can take plenty of credit for a competition-high six clean sheets. The 26-year-old shot-stopper prevented seven goals more than expected based on the shots he faced in the last term, comfortably the highest tally of any goalkeeper in the competition, and his impressive form looks to have continued into the new season and his seen the likes of Manchester United linked with his services.

9 Manuel Neuer

Bayern Munich

Manuel Neuer revolutionised the idea of a sweeper keeper in football, which – unsurprisingly – has made him one of the best keepers in the world for almost two decades – and one of the best German footballers in any position. Despite his age, he is still performing at a high level.

After an injury ruled him out of the second half of the 2022/23 season, he endured an up-and-down spell back in the first team. The inconsistency of Neuer’s recent displays was captured by his performance in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the end of last season. After making five saves to deny an effervescent Vinicius Junior, Neuer spilt the ball into Joselu’s path for the first of two goals in three minutes which sent Madrid into the final. After a less than convincing Euro 2024 campaign, the veteran appears to have steadied himself this season in what might be one of the last of his career.

8 Ederson

Manchester City

Manchester City retained the Premier League title for a record-breaking fourth straight year last season and their impressive Brazilian Ederson played a key role in the success. The Brazilian has been a revelation at the Etihad after joining in 2017. The Citzens struggled in the early Pep Guardiola era, partly because they were missing a suitable shot-stopper. Guardiola’s style of play required a ‘keeper who couldn’t just save shots, spray passes, start attacks and provide assists and Ederson brought this.

Had he continued playing at the same heights he has done in recent years, he would be far closer than the top spot. However, Ederson appears unsettled at the Etihad for the first time and, as a result, he has found himself unable to hold down his place in the team amid competition from Stefan Ortega.

7 Yann Sommer

Inter Milan

After nine impressive years with Borussia Monchengladbach, Yann Sommer is now a key player at Inter Milan. His time at Monchengladbach and then Inter was broken up by a brief six-month period at Bayern Munich in 2023, where he did an excellent job replacing the injured Manuel Neuer.

He churned out solid performances in between the sticks as he helped the Bundesliga giants retain the league for an 11th straight year. In Italy, he has continued to impress, surpassing the club’s previous record of 17 Serie A clean sheets during the 2023/24 campaign as the Nerazzurri reclaimed the Scudetto. If they want to retain their crown, Inter will need the Swiss star to be as ever present as he has been thus far for them.

GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Yann Sommer has only conceded one goal in his first eight Champions League games of the 2024/2025 season.

6 Diogo Costa

Porto

Agile in the air and accurate with the ball at his feet, it’s easy to see why Diogo Costa is the young star of modern goalkeeping. Porto’s number one – who wears 99 like his idol Vitor Baia – has earned plenty of admirers from across the continent.

The two-time Portuguese title-winner has prevented more goals than expected based on the quality and quantity of shots faced in all three of his full seasons with the first team. Porto wisely tied Costa down to a contract which extends until 2027. The most recent example of his brilliance came is that no goalkeeper has conceded fewer goals in Portugal this season than the nations number one.

5 Emiliano Martinez

Aston Villa

Emiliano Martinez played a key role in Argentina winning the World Cup in December 2022. The Argentine number one made an incredible last-ditch save in the World Cup final to deny France from stealing the win at the death, before then going on to underscore his reputation as one of the best penalty shootout goalkeepers of all time.

Martinez moved to Aston Villa in the summer of 2020, with his career on a downward spiral after falling out of favour at the Emirates. However, he has shone at Villa Park, consistently saving the Villans in key moments. His confidence is one of the biggest strengths in the Argentine’s game, as he always backs himself no matter the situation. He won the Yashin Trophy for the second year in a row in October and recently picked up the FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award too, underlining his brilliance between the sticks.

4 Jan Oblak

Atletico Madrid

While his performance levels may have dipped slightly over the past couple of seasons, there’s no denying that Jan Oblak remains one of the best goalkeepers in world football. The Slovenian international has been instrumental to Atletico Madrid’s success over the years and has looked unbeatable at times.

Having won the La Liga Zamora trophy five times, his accolades speak for themselves. During the 2023/24 season, Oblak was vital in Atletico reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League with two huge penalty saves against Inter Milan in the round of 16. It’s why he is still considered one of the best around, particularly when opposition players know how imposing he can be between the sticks.

3 David Raya

Arsenal

David Raya joined Arsenal in the summer of 2023, with the expectation that he would compete with Aaron Ramsdale. However, he quickly solidified his position as the Gunners’ number-one goalkeeper. He showcased brilliant performances throughout the 2023-24 Premier League season, highlighting his ability to play out from the back with ease and comfort.

The Spaniard joined Arsenal permanently this summer, having won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award last time out. This term, he appears to have taken it up another level – as proven by his miraculous double save vs Atalanta in the Champions League.

2 Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid

Thibaut Courtois joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018 with big expectations on his shoulders – and although it took a little bit of time for him to settle, there’s absolutely no question that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world. His performance in the 2021-22 Champions League final showcased this, as he produced a string of world-class saves to win Real Madrid their record 14th Champions League title, picking up the Man of the Match award in the process.

It is widely regarded as one of the best performances in the competition’s history. He suffered a major anterior cruciate ligament at the start of the 2023-24 season, which knocked him down the rankings by virtue of inactivity. But the Belgian was back to full fitness just in time for another strong display in a Champions League final, this time against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. Although Andriy Lunin is still highly thought of at the Bernabeu, Courtois has snatched back his number one jersey and he doesn’t look like handing it back.

1 Alisson Becker

Liverpool

Brazilian international and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has been ranked as the best goalkeeper in the world. After losing the 2018 Champions League final, Jurgen Klopp signed him to take the club to the next step – and he did exactly that, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020.

Alisson has provided an ever-calming presence at Anfield and has solidified his position as the best in the world with his composure and world-class nature. Last season, the South American continued to display his influence on the team, with his shot-stopping and distribution making him completely trustworthy in the eyes of everyone associated with Liverpool Football Club. He has only conceded 15 goals in the 2024/25 campaign so far, keeping nine clean sheets. He has missed time through injury but that’s still an impressive return in 14 games.