Everybody Soccer returns with the annual list of top goalkeepers in the world. This year features 50 of the current top goalkeepers as well as another 50 goalkeepers under the age of 24. While some goalkeepers are likely to be sent out on loan (Sergio Rico and Kevin Trapp for example), the parent club has been listed unless an official deal has been made. Check back next month for a similar list for the women’s game. Cover photo from DW.com.

:::::: Updated Rankings ::::::

- Men’s Top 50 (2020)

- Women’s Top 15 (2020)

- Men’s Top 24 Under 24 (2020)

:::::: Updated Rankings ::::::

1. Marc ter Stegen, Germany (Barcelona, SPA) - 27

2. Jan Oblak, Slovenia (Atlético Madrid, SPA) - 26

3. Keylor Navas, Costa Rica (Real Madrid, SPA) - 32

4. David de Gea, Spain (Manchester United, ENG) - 28

5. Ederson, Brazil (Manchester City, ENG) - 25

6. Alisson, Brazil (Liverpool, ENG) - 26

7. Yann Sommer, Switzerland (Mönchengladbach, GER) - 30

8. Rui Patrício, Portugal (Wolverhampton, ENG) - 31

9. Thibaut Courtois, Belgium (Real Madrid, SPA) - 27

10. Lukas Hradecky, Finland (Bayer Leverkusen, GER) - 29

One to Watch: Thibaut Courtois. Courtois’ vast, negative reception after receiving the 2018 World Cup Golden Glove has been strange, to say the least. Courtois is far from one of football’s villains, although he can be quite the prick at times, but there seem to be more rooting for him to fail than succeed at Real Madrid. Often described as one of the worst best goalkeepers in the world, Courtois should finally have Real Madrid to himself with the pending exit of Keylor Navas. Real Madrid isn’t known as a club with patience and if Courtois can’t prove to his critics he’s worthy of the starting spot, don’t expect him to stick around too long.

11. Bernd Leno, Germany (Arsenal, ENG) - 27

12. Hugo Lloris, France (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG) - 32

13. Jasper Cillessen, Netherlands (Barcelona, SPA) - 30

14. Salvatore Sirigu, Italy (Torino) - 32

15. Manuel Neuer, Germany (Bayern Munich) - 33

16. Lukasz Fabianski, Poland (West Ham United, ENG) - 34

17. Anthony Lopes, Portugal (Lyon, FRA) - 28

18. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Spain (Chelsea, ENG) - 24

19. Sven Ulreich, Germany (Bayern Munich) - 29

20. Roman Bürki, Switzerland (Dortmund, GER) - 28

One to Watch: Jasper Cillessen. The longtime backup for Barcelona is finally getting a fresh start and hopefully his own net. After being linked with a number of Premier League clubs, it seems Valencia will be the new home for the Dutch goalkeeper. Cillessen may be looking at less hardware with Valencia when compared to Barcelona, but he’ll still be seeing Champions League matches and be in the middle of a tightly contested La Liga table to return to the prestigious tournament next year. Cillessen has long awaited his breakout chance but now it’s up to him to prove he’s more than a great backup.

21. Alphonse Areola, France (PSG) - 26

22. Jordan Pickford, England (Everton) - 25

23. Kasper Schmeichel, Denmark (Leicester City, ENG) - 32

24. Martin Dubravka, Slovakia (Newcastle United, ENG) - 30

25. Etrit Berisha, Albania (Atalanta, Italy) - 30

26. Bono, Morocco (Girona, Spain) - 28

27. Pau López, Spain (Betis, Roma) - 24

28. Samir Handanovic, Slovenia (Inter, ITA) - 34

29. Adrián, Spain (Free Agent) - 32

30. Ralf Fährmann, Germany (FC Schalke 04) - 29

One to Watch: Alphonse Areola. Despite PSG bringing in Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon last year, Areola still started 21 of 38 matches and is set to take on an even larger role at the club. With Ligue 1 continually playing little brother to the top four leagues, Areola has the chance to showcase his talents in a way that could put him on a bigger stage and give PSG a nice reward on the way out. Areola’s ceiling is still up to much debate. He could be one of the best goalkeepers in Ligue 1 history or he might be contending for something more if 2019-20 falls in line.

31. Wojciech Szczesny, Poland (Juventus, ITA) - 29

32. Kevin Trapp, Germany (PSG, FRA) - 27

33. Fernando Muslera, Uruguay (Galatasaray, TUR) - 33

34. Asmir Begovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bournemouth, ENG) - 32

35. Igor Akinfeev, Russia (CSKA Moscow, RUS) - 33

36. Fernando Pacheco, Spain (Alavés) - 27

37. Gianluigi Buffon, Italy (PSG, FRA) - 41

38. David Ospina, Colombia (Napoli, ITA) - 30

39. Alexander Schwolow, Germany (Freiburg) - 27

40. Mattia Perin, Italy (Juventus) - 26

One to Watch: Mattia Perin. Things are far from settled but Perin seems more out than in at Juventus. Perin unsuccessfully attempted to dethrone Wojciech Szczesny, only starting nine league matches before needing surgery for a dislocated shoulder. Roma and Perin have been tied but the once future successor at Juventus is now scrambling to find a club that would invest in him between the posts.



41. Aitor Fernandez, Spain (Levante) - 28

42. Matheus, Brazil (SC Braga, POR) - 26

43. Mathew Ryan, Australia (Brighton, ENG) - 27

44. Jiri Pavlenka, Czech Republic (Werder Bremen, GER) - 27

45. Timo Horn, Germany (1. FC Köln) - 26

46. Sergio Rico, Spain (Sevilla) - 25

47. Jordi Masip, Spain (Real Valladolid) - 30

48. Iago Herrerín, Spain (Athletic Bilbao) - 31

49. Simon Sluga, Croatia (Rijeka) - 26

50. Alex McCarthy, England (Southampton) - 29

One to Watch: Sergio Rico. Sevilla is passing on Sergio Rico for Czech veteran Tomas Vaclik so Rico’s return back to Fulham, where he started the final 29 matches of the season, seems more than plausible. There weren’t too many 25-year-olds starting in the EPL last year and Fulham showed some true loyalty in Rico by sticking with him even in the midst of a 12 points over 18 match run to finish in the relegation zone. England’s second division is no cakewalk so if Rico does return, it may be an even tougher test than the Premier League.

Top 50 Goalkeepers Under 24

1. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy (AC Milan) - 20

2. Ionut Radu, Romania (Inter, ITA) - 22

3. Okan Kocuk, Turkey (Bursaspor) - 23

4. Michael Verrips, Netherlands (KV Mechelen, BEL) - 22

5. Felipe Lopez, Mexico (Leones Negros) - 23

6. Alex Meret, Italy (Napoli) - 22

7. Rubén Blanco, Spain (Celta de Vigo) - 23

8. Roberto Ramirez, Argentina (Godoy Cruz) - 22

9. Simone Scuffet, Italy (Udinese Calcio) - 23

10. Daniel Mesenhöler, Germany (MSV Duisburg) - 23

One to Watch: Ionut Radu. Italy has a pair of young, exciting goalkeepers at two of its more prominent clubs. Radu, who recently sent shockwaves throughout the soccer community for his heartfelt tribute to his sister, is in contention to put Romania into the 2020 Olympics with the U23 side. Arsenal reportedly has interest in the young goalkeeper but he’s also been public about returning to Genoa as a positive situation. If it’s not Arsenal, Radu will have his pick of the lot sooner than later.



11. Toma Niga, Romania (FCSB) - 21

12. André Onana, Cameroon (Ajax, NET) - 23

13. Adrian Semper, Croatia (Dinamo Zagreb) - 21

14. Luca Zidane, France (Real Madrid, SPA) - 21

15. Tiepo, Brazil (Chapecoense) - 21

16. Denis Scherbitski, Belarus (BATE Borisov) - 23

17. Dragan Rosic, Serbia (Mladost) - 22

18. Arijanet Muric, Kosovo (Manchester City, ENG) - 20

19. Boris Radunović, Serbia (Atalanta, ITA) - 23

20. Emil Audero, Italy (Sampdoria) - 22

One to Watch: Arijanet Muric. American fans might be familiar with Zack Steffen’s move to Manchester City but it’s Muric’s rise to power that viewers should watch closely. At 20 years young, Muric has already been capped five times by Kosovo, proving how goalkeepers can come from even the 121st ranked nations. A shocking 4-0-2 run by Kosovo, paired with a +29 jump in Elo rankings, promoted them to League C in the UEFA Nations League and could be a sign of more things to come.

21. Alexander Nübel, Germany (FC Schalke 04) - 22

22. Ugurcan Caki, Turkey (Trabzonspor) - 23

23. Joe Wildsmith, England (Sheffield Wednesday) - 23

24. Mike Maignan, France (Lille) - 23

25. Angus Gunn, England (Southampton) - 23

26. Andrea Zaccagno, Italy (Torino) - 22

27. Alban Lafont, France (Fiorentina, ITA) - 20

28. Álex Dos Santos, Brazil (Atlético Madrid, SPA) - 20

29. Andriy Lunin, Ukraine (Real Madrid, SPA) - 20

30. Gregor Kobel, Switzerland (Hoffenheim, GER) - 21

One to Watch: Andriy Lunin. Lunin managed to earn five starts for CD Leganés last season (where he was loaned from Real Madrid) but his biggest achievement came this summer, where he led Ukraine in goal during their championship run in the U20 World Cup. Lunin was given the Golden Glove in the U20 tournament after conceding just four goals in seven games. After originally being slated to go back out on loan to Leganés, Goal.com says Lunin is a likely candidate for the number two with Real Madrid. Fans may not get to watch much of Lunin during league play yet again but he’ll surely get his chance to prove his merit in various cup matches throughout the season.

31. Per Kristian Bratveit, Norway (Djurgarden, SWE) - 23

32. Nordin Jackers, Belgium (Genk) - 21

33. David Raya, Spain (Blackburn Rovers, ENG) - 23

34. Josip Posavec, Croatia (Hajduk Split) - 23

35. José Aurelio Suárez, Spain (Girona) - 23

36. Phillip Menzel, Germany (Wolfsburg) - 20

37. Anton Mitryushkin, Russia (Sion, SWI) - 23

38. Alexander Schlager, Austria (LASK) - 23

39. Sondre Rossbach, Norway (Odds) - 23

40. Mile Svilar, Belgium (Benfica, POR) - 19

One to Watch: Phillip Menzel. Wolfsburg’s reserve team just missed promotion with a tightly contested battle with Bayern Munich’s second team. Menzel’s tenure in the fourth division was still largely successful, compiling a 24-4-2 record throughout the season. Wolfsburg may look to send him back with the reserve side or, as Sportbuzzer reports, a loan to a third division side could be a natural progression for the German U20 goalkeeper. For those unfamiliar with Menzel’s game, think Lukasz Fabianski. It can be a little clunky at times, but the U20 German goalkeeper has an uncanny nose for the ball and a Michael Jordan hangtime-esque extension save. While first-team chances are close to zero for the time being, it’s more of a “not if but when” situation with Menzel.

41. Altay Bayindir, Turkey (Ankaragücü) - 21

42. Sebastian Jurado, Mexico (Tiburones Rojos) - 21

43. Justin Bijlow, Netherlands (Feyenoord) - 21

44. Antonio Sivera, Spain (Alavés) - 22

45. Nils Körber, Germany (Osnabruck) - 22

46. Rok Vodisek, Slovenia (Genoa, ITA) - 20

47. Pontus Dahlberg, Sweden (Watford, ENG) - 20

48. Javier Belman, Spain (Real Madrid) - 20

49. Dominik Kotarski, Croatia (Ajax, Netherlands) - 19

50. Michele Di Gregorio, Italy (Inter) - 21

One to Watch: Pontus Dahlberg. For Watford fans, Dahlberg has been a non-factor since joining the club 18 months ago and has probably been forgotten by some of the supporters. However Dahlberg picked up his first cap with the Swedish national team in January and followed up the 1-1 tie to Estonia by just barely missing the cutoff for the European Under-21 Championship. Dahlberg, who has been sitting for some time with Watford, seems prime to be loaned out and begin being groomed for the starting position for the Hornets.