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Scrutinizing the goalkeeper position, more so than any other, requires us to expand the metric of analysis to incorporate the one asset that’s valued above all others in a shot-stopper: consistency. That’s why, although a plethora of recent statistics might tell us otherwise, many would still pony for Gianluigi Buffon over, say, Marc-Andre ter Stegen as the world’s finest keeper. One’s been at the top of his craft for over 20 years, the other for just a few.
That’s not to say that a sample size as small as the 2017-18 season doesn’t confirm some of our suspicions with regards to who the best goalkeepers in Europe are at present, it just sees some obvious names like Buffon, Hugo Lloris, Petr Cech, Samir Handanovic and the injured Manuel Neuer dropped for the purpose of this exercise.
So, with the first three months of the new season as our guide, who are the five standout performers in goal across Europe in 2017-18?
All statistics and figures courtesy of WhoScored.com.
And if you're interested in who the world's sexiest keeper is, it's Loris Karius.
Best goalkeepers in the world.
Jiří #Pavlenka: dinding terakhir pertahan #werder pic.twitter.com/J9KhdQwYFu
— SV Werder Bremen MY (@werderbremen_my) October 9, 2017
12 Bundesliga appearances
4 clean sheets
SAVES
4.7 per game
2.4 inside the penalty area (29 total)
2.3 outside the box
Total - 56 saves, 14 goals conceded (80%)
PASSING
54.8% pass success rate
91/227 on long balls (40.08%)
76/78 on short passes
Best goalkeepers in the world.
— DeRossi's Tattoo (@RomaThings) November 15, 2017
12 Serie A appearances
7 clean sheets
SAVES
3.1 per game
1.9 inside the penalty area (23 total)
1.2 outside of the box
Total - 37 saves, 8 goals conceded (82.22%)
PASSING
80.2% pass success rate
95/164 on long balls (57.9%)
184/184 on short passes
Best goalkeepers in the world.
Concede? JAN OBLAK IS HAVING NONE OF THAT. #AtletiRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/UfYpW99c5a
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) November 17, 2017
12 La Liga appearances
7 clean sheets
SAVES
3.4 per game
1.8 inside the penalty area (22 total)
1.5 outside of the box
Total - 41 saves, 6 goals conceded (87.23%)
PASSING
52% pass success rate
73/207 on long balls (35.2%)
72/72 on short passes
Best goalkeepers in the world.
Peter Schmeichel analyses David De Gea’s save against Liverpool on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/ag2MY3k07t
— (@MidKnight_G) October 17, 2017
12 Premier League appearances
8 clean sheets
SAVES
3 per game
1.5 inside the penalty area (18 total)
1.4 outside of the box
Total - 36 saves, 6 goals conceded (85.7%)
PASSING
57.2% pass success rate
102/245 on long balls (41.6%)
89/89 on short passes
Best goalkeepers in the world.
Marc-André ter Stegen is so underrated. Another superb save today and he's been key in Barça's defensive improvement this season. Keeper.
— Ben Hayward (@bghayward) November 18, 2017
12 La Liga appearances
8 clean sheets
SAVES
2.8 per game
1.8 inside the penalty area (21 total)
1 outside of the box
Total - 34 saves, 4 goals conceded (89.47%)
PASSING
81.2% pass success rate
67/133 on long balls (50.3%)
227/229 on short passes
