The 25 best goalkeepers in world football - ranked
- Quality distribution and composure on the ball now equally as important in goalkeepers as shot-stopping ability
- Alisson, Ederson Moraes and Jan Oblak among the top performers in world football
- 25 best players from around the world ranked as part of 90min's Welcome to World Class series
By 90min Staff
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.
25. Anatoliy Trubin
At 22 years old, Anatoliy Trubin looks to be a star in the making. He has nine clean sheets in 17 matches so far in 2023/24 for Benfica, conceding only 14 league goals.
There is every reason to believe he will be one of their next major sales at some point in the next couple of years.
24. Wojciech Szczesny
It may surprise some to hear Wojciech Szczesny is 33 years old, as many might assume he is a tad older.
He still starts for Juventus and has got some brilliant saves in his locker, although the occasional error has weakened his stock in recent years.
23. Michele Di Gregorio
Another excellent Italian goalkeeper, Monza's Michele Di Gregorio was a product of Inter's academy.
Di Gregorio seems to have hit his stride and looks to be outgrowing Monza. He has been linked with AC Milan as a potential Mike Maignan replacement, but a return to Inter to usurp Yann Sommer seems plausible too.
22. Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili is a name which popped up quite a bit over the summer of 2023, with the goalkeeper linked with basically every club in Europe at some point.
The Georgian will eventually earn a move to a top club, but for now he's gaining plenty of good experience with Valencia, who are having a much better season than last term when they almost got relegated.
21. Marco Carnesecchi
There are a lot of good goalkeepers playing in Serie A at the moment and one of them starts every week for Atalanta. Marco Carnesecchi impressed at Cremonese before getting his move.
Atalanta are not conceding goals in the manner they used to and the Italian has established a great command of his area.
20. Bernd Leno
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.
19. Yann Sommer
Yann Sommer's move to Inter didn't really raise many eyebrows, because it was Andre Onana's sale to Manchester United that grabbed the headlines.
At 35, Sommer has been superb for Inter and looks to have been a very smart pickup. He won't be a long-term option in goal, but the Nerazzurri certainly don't regret signing the Switzerland international.
18. Unai Simon
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 haunt him.
Two penalty saves in the Nations League final victory over Croatia endeared Simon to the Roja faithful. Athletic are keeping a lot of attacks at bay this season in La Liga, so Simon is clearly doing his job properly.
17. Aaron Ramsdale
Aaron Ramsdale is the only goalkeeper on this list not starting for his team. However, his reputation had improved before David Raya's arrival and he remains a solid option for Mikel Arteta.
It seems likely his future lies away from Arsenal due to his lack of football, but Ramsdale would be the starting goalkeeper for the majority of Premier League teams, as well as some big clubs around Europe.
16. Guglielmo Vicario
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 has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting goalkeepers in Europe, producing some incredible saves when his team are under the cosh.
15. Jordan Pickford
Despite spending much of his Premier League career as a meme, Pickford has undergone quite the redemption arc in recent years.
He's quietly become more reliable 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.
If Everton do avoid the drop this season, he will be one of the main reasons why.
14. David Raya
David Raya turned himself into one of the Premier League's top shot-stoppers and his role as a playmaker at the back led Arsenal to sign him from Brentford.
He has taken Ramsdale's place at the Emirates Stadium and while errors did dog his early days in north London, Spain international Raya looks to have settled and is now putting in fine displays.
13. Nick Pope
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 last season was aided tremendously by Pope's consistent performances between the sticks.
His injury in 2023/24 was a real shame but Pope should remain everyone of his talents once he returns.
he has done more than enough to reclaim his position once he returns.
12. Lukas Hradecky
Lukas Hradecky has been around for a very long time and is almost synonymous with modern-day Bundesliga football, but he is in a real purple patch right now.
At 34 years of age, the Finn is a key part of Bayer Leverkusen's title charge, keeping balls out of his net with sharp shot-stopping and his hulking 6'2 frame.
11. Diogo Costa
Still just 24 years old, Diogo Costa has been one of the most talked about goalkeepers in Europe for quite a while - and for good reason.
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.
10. Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer played a big role in the reinvention of the modern goalkeeper and 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 and much of 2023/24. It's clear his powers will only wane from this point rather than grow, but he remains one of the best around for now.
9. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Now this lad has a bright future.
After leaving boyhood club AC Milan for Paris Saint-Germain, Gianluigi Donnarumma'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 that won Euro 2020, being named player of the tournament.
Some poor years since including disastrous mishaps in the Champions League have seen his reputation suffer, but Gigio still starts for PSG and Italy and deserves respect for it.
8. Andre Onana
A year out of the game for a drugs ban was tough for Andre Onana but he quickly established himself ahead of Samir Handanovic at Inter and became one of the best goalies around.
The move to Man Utd was deserved, but the adaptation period was tough and some high-profile mistakes damaged public opinion of the Cameroonian.
Onana is finding his feet now, though, making some great reflex saves while largely cutting the errors out.
7. Emiliano Martinez
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. He has remained as Villa's first choice and is a consistent performer and entertainer.
6. Jan Oblak
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.
He did experience something of a dip in form during the 2022/23 campaign but is back to his best these days.
5. Mike Maignan
AC 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 France international is now widely renowned as the best goalkeeper in Serie A and his stock has risen worldwide as a result. Considering how frequently Milan's defenders have been injured this season, Maignan has done well to maintain his level.
4. Marc-Andre ter Stegen
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.
The German took home the 2022/23 Zamora Trophy, but like Courtois he has missed a lot of the 2023/24 campaign through injury as Barcelona's title defence fell apart.
3. Thibaut Courtois
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.
The Belgian has effectively been out for the entire 2023/24 season after tearing his ACL but deserves his high ranking as he can rival anyone when fit.
2. Ederson
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.
He has carried that form into 2023/24 and is very close to a Brazil teammate for top spot.
1. Alisson Becker
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. He's also listed as one of the best players in the world on our top 50 list.
READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL
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