Who is the best goalkeeper in the world right now?
The last line of defence, the goalkeepers, the ones who stand between their teams and conceding goals, and the ones who very often save the day for their teams.
Often underappreciated, the goalkeeper is one of the most important stand-alone positions on the pitch and are often the difference between a successful team and an almost successful one.
A number of goalkeepers have stood out in football in recent years, but who are the most impressive ones in 2024?
We have compiled a list of 10 of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment, judging by performance, reputation, and pedigree with a number of interesting additions and omissions.
Top 10 best goalkeepers in the world
10 Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
After an incredible 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Emiliano Martinez was named FIFA The Best Goalkeeper of the Year for 2022, in addition to winning the tournament’s golden boot.
Martinez’ expertise from the spot was crucial to Argentina lifting the World Cup, as they won both the quarterfinal against the Netherlands and the final against France on penalties, with “Dibu” making three saves from the spot in those two matches.
Despite being a controversial figure and forcing a change to the laws of the game, Martinez is still recognised as one of the best goalkeepers in the world currently but might need to leave his current club Aston Villa to be fully appreciated for his talents.
9 David Raya – Arsenal
Arsenal’s title charge in the 2023/24 season has had a huge helping hand from the Gunners’ goalkeeper David Raya.
The Spaniard has been superb in goal for Arsenal, helping the Gunners become the best defensive side in the Premier League as the race for the Premier League title heats up towards the end of the season.
He has also shown great ability with the ball at his feet and is able to launch attacks with his great range of passing for Arsenal.
The goalkeeper, who is on loan from Brentford, has the foundation for one of the best defenses in Europe, displacing fan-favorite Aaron Ramsdale.
8 Wojciech Szczesny – Juventus
Juventus’ Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is criminally underrated despite a number of impressive seasons playing for the Old Lady.
He has helped Juventus to three Serie A titles in his six seasons with the club, and was one of the best goalkeepers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup despite Poland’s early exit, becoming the only goalkeeper to save one of Lionel Messi’s seven penalties (including shootouts) in the tournament.
7 Gianluigi Donnarumma – Paris Saint-Germain
The big Italian goalkeeper put on a fascinating show with Italy as they won the Euro 2020 tournament with back-to-back penalty shootout wins over Spain in the semifinals and England in the final and has gone from strength to strength since.
He was named the player of the tournament at the Euros, won the Lev Yashin trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony as the best goalkeeper of the year, and earned a lucrative move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Since moving to France, he was named the goalkeeper of the year in his first season, and in his second season, he kept the third-most clean sheets in the league. The AC Milan prodigy is still only 25; with what he has already achieved, it would be hard to bet against him becoming number one in future lists.
6 Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich
Manuel Neuer has been a staple of Bayern Munich and Germany’s recent successes and his ability with both hands and feet have seen him recognised as one of the best in his generation of goalkeepers, and perhaps a few generations before him.
Neuer’s consistency over the past decade or more as both one of the best shot-stoppers and ball distributors has bred copycats who barely come close to his abilities.
Injuries have slowed down the 10-time Bundesliga champion and 2014 World Cup winner in recent years, but his reputation remains intact as arguably the finest goalkeeper football has seen.
5 Ederson Moraes – Manchester City
These days goalkeepers prevent goals by cutting them from the source and using their ability on the ball to prevent wastage which invites pressure, and few players in world football do that better than Manchester City’s Ederson.
The Brazilian is easily one of the best goalkeepers in the world with the ball at his feet and is immense in the way he helps Manchester City control possession and play their way out of trouble.
His ability with the ball is one of the reasons why he was specifically hunted down by the Cityzens’ transfer team to replace Claudio Bravo in the 2017/18 season, and he has more than repaid the faith put in him, helping them to four Premier League trophies and winning the golden glove on three occasions as well.
4 Yan Sommer – Bayern Munich
Inter signed Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer as a replacement for the departed Andre Onana, who left for Manchester United, and he has been phenomenal for them.
He is helping Inter to another Serie A title, and leading the league in clean sheets. Sommer has also impressed in the last few years for both Borrusia Monchengladbach and the Swiss national team with his penalty heroics being one of the highlights of a superb Euro 2020 performance as Switzerland reached the quarterfinals before losing to Spain.
3 Thibaut Courtois – Real Madrid
Another LaLiga goalkeeper who has been outstanding in recent years is Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, who at times singlehandedly got them through games on the way to a league and continental double in the 2021/22 season.
Courtois has been out with an ACL injury this season but he was brilliant last season – a performance that was rewarded with a place in the UEFA Champions League team of the season, the LaLiga team of the season, as well as the FIFProXI for 2022.
His superb performances have seen him widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world for a number of years.
2 Marc-André ter Stegen – Barcelona
LaLiga giants Barcelona might not be having a season as good as the last one, but André ter Stegen is still showing his levels.
The goalkeeper is top three for clean sheets in the league, showing that his level has not dropped over the last few seasons.
The German goalkeeper helped Barca to the title last season, conceding only 20 goals in 38 league games, while keeping a whopping 26 clean sheets.
No other goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues has kept more clean sheets than ter Stegen’s last season, and he has an incredible 88.9% save percentage as well.
Barcelona fans will be very happy to see their hero between the sticks back to his best levels as they hope to win another Champions League trophy this season.
1 Alisson Becker – Liverpool
Liverpool’s Alisson is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment thanks to his amazing performances in recent seasons that has seen him claim two Premier League golden gloves and a place in the UEFA Champions League team of the season in two consecutive seasons.
This season, Alisson has been sensational for Liverpool in their title charge and has often kept them in games they should have conceded loads of goals due to their ultra-attacking style.
He most likely will not win the Golden Glove this season but has undoubtedly been the moost decisive goalkeeper in the Premier League this season.
