cover photo belongs to Victor Salgado
Many countries lay claim to producing the top goalkeepers in the world but there can only be one! This in-depth dive surveys the top ten countries with the best U24 goalkeeping cores. Although some may wish to include older goalkeepers when discussing a country’s ability to develop goalkeepers, top nations should be consistently producing multiple goalkeepers at each age group, not just one every few years. So the age maximum was set to highlight the most recent level of goalkeeping in a country.
Additionally, quantity is key here as we want to know which country is producing the most goalkeepers ready for a high level of play and not just getting lucky with finding one or two prospects. For example, Arsenal’s Karl Jakob Hein already has twelve caps for Estonia at age nineteen and although he is a promising prospect for the Gunners - and one of the top U20 goalkeepers in the world - it’s not really fair to say Estonia is producing multiple goalkeepers anywhere near Hein’s level. So each country is ranked on their quality and quantity for their young goalkeepers. Lastly, each country’s style of play is briefly discussed to give the reader an idea of how each nation’s goalkeeping identity will typically play out on the field.
Spain
Spain’s goalkeepers are often praised for their distribution skills and, while rightly so, the unique problems Spanish goalkeepers face require an extensive toolkit to face a vast array of situations. As Spanish defenders will often join attacks, it’s not uncommon to see number-even counter-attacks that goalkeepers must solve on the fly. To combat this, Spain’s goalkeepers are agile, explosive, and excellent at taking and giving space to the attack. Even when it comes to cross management - which Spanish goalkeepers are not typically heavily involved in when compared across Europe - their approach is centered around seamlessly transitioning into counter-attack play, not just limited to collecting a cross. As offenses become more complex in their attacks, Spain has kept up step-for-step in preparing their goalkeepers with a layered approach to help their teams offensively and defensively.
Depth Chart
Arnau Tenas - Barcelona (20)
Iñaki Peña - Barcelona (22)
Álvaro Fernández - SD Huesca (23)
Julen Agirrezabala - Athletic Bilbao (20)
Cristian Rivero - Valencia (23)
Diego Altube - Real Madrid (21)
Dani Martín - Real Betis (23)
Josep Martínez - RB Leipzig (23)
Iván Martínez - CA Osasuna (19)
2. Italy
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Naturally, Donnarumma is on track to be the face of Italian goalkeeping for the next decade but that’s not to say Italy is putting all their eggs in one basket. Italian goalkeepers have a clear blueprint that’s built off of patiently waiting to strike. If Spanish goalkeepers are sharks in the water, constantly making quick adjustments to counter an attack, Italian goalkeepers are alligators. There is little excessive movement as they will typically opt to sit back, taunting the striker that they cannot score. That’s not to say Italian goalkeepers never step forward but they are willing to trust their historically reliable defenders in front of them, defending the goal as a unit and not one individual. The next generation of Italian goalkeepers are staying true to Dino Zoff’s and Gigi Buffon’s success: patience, calculation, and decisiveness are the pillars of Italy’s goalkeeping prospects.
Depth Chart
Gianluigi Donnarumma - PSG (22)
Marco Carnesecchi - Atalanta (21)
Marco Pissardo - Lecco (23)
Alessandro Plizzari - AC Milan (21)
Stefano Turati - Sassuolo (20)
Lorenzo Avogadri - Atalanta (20)
Elia Caprile - Leeds United (20)
Leandro Pratelli - FC Empoli (18)
3. Germany
As Germany enters the twilight era of Manuel Neuer’s reign with the national team, the next generation of goalkeepers have yet to spark the same excitement that Neuer has given for the past fifteen years. Although young German goalkeepers are certainly talented, the dropoff from the legendary sweeper-keeper may be jarring for some. Young German goalkeepers aren’t quite as aggressive as Neuer and, like many other European goalkeepers, are opting for a deeper line yet still take forward ground in a methodical fashion. As Spanish goalkeepers employ more fluidness to bridge to their final execution, German goalkeepers try to utilize sharp micromovements as a foundation. It’s a calculated approach that leans more on power and speed instead of comfort and feel. Similar to the polarizing pre-shot arm swing that many Germans use, when it works, it works and when it doesn’t… get ready for the critics. Although there will certainly be a drop-off after Neuer, German goalkeepers are still consistently producing at a high level. However, the next wave of goalkeepers may be more akin to ter Stegen than Neuer.
Depth Chart
Lennart Grill - Bayer Leverkusen (22)
Finn Dahmen - Mainz 05 (23)
Ron-Thorben Hoffmann - Bayern Munich (22)
Markus Schubert - Vitesse (23)
Luca Unbehaun - Dortmund (20)
Christian Früchtl - Bayern Munich (21)
Nico Mantl - RB Salzburg (21)
Eric Gründemann - VfB Lübeck (23)
4. France
French goalkeeping is at an interesting stage. Optimistically, one could argue France allows their goalkeepers to find their individualized and appropriate style while, pessimistically, one could criticize French goalkeeping for not having an established blueprint. In Ligue 1, French goalkeepers face a blend of La Liga and EPL mix-matched attacks. French offenses share the fluidness of Spanish strikers and the ruthless pace of English attacks to combine to put an immense amount of stress on defenses. French goalkeepers possess a certain amount of chaos creation that can either successfully disrupt attacks or hand over soft goals. But is the variety in goalkeeping a part of the plan or is it just a result of combating quality football? Outside looking in, it’s hard to cite appropriate credit, especially considering how Meslier and Zidane are in England and Spain, respectively. Regardless, if one were to remove Meslier from the player pool, French fans would not be as confident with the position’s future after Lloris. The depth isn’t poor, per se, but the “shoot from the hip” approach by many French goalkeepers can unsettle fans and managers alike.
Depth Chart
Illan Meslier - Leeds United (21)
Luca Zidane - Rayo Vallecano (23)
Dimitry Bertaud - Montpellier (23)
Lucas Chevalier - Lille (20)
Yehvann Diouf - Stade Reims (22)
Stefan Bajic - Saint-Étienne (19)
Alban Lafont - FC Nantes (22)
Kévin Ousmane - Lyon (19)
5. Netherlands
Picture from LiverpoolCore.com
It may not come as a surprise that Ajax’s approach to football has bled over to their goalkeeping. Dutch goalkeepers often infuse a certain element of risk-reward assessment, gambling on inserting themselves over patience. Although it varies from goalkeeper to goalkeeper, there is a unique level of activeness that Dutch goalkeepers possess. They’re daring yet calculating in how they prevent attacks. More than most countries, the Netherlands encourage sweeper keepers even though they know mistakes will be made by their young goalkeepers. Watching Dutch goalkeepers defend attacks from the flanks can be similar to opening a box of chocolates: sometimes they bide their time but they’re also given a green light to venture forward to prevent a chance of a shot. Although many think of offensive responsibilities when goalkeepers are talked about being another outfield player, the Dutch are quick to distribute creative defensive solutions to their goalkeepers as well.
Depth Chart
Justin Bijlow - Feyenoord (23)
Kjell Scherpen - Brighton (21)
Calvin Raatsie - Ajax (19)
Bart Verbruggen - Anderlecht (19)
Maarten Paes - FC Utrecht (23)
Jay Gorter - Ajax (21)
Aron van Lare - PSV (18)
Mees Bakker - AZ (20)
6. England
It’s been a long time since the English have had a claim to sporting one of the best goalkeepers in the world but that doesn’t stop fans from clamoring for one. English goalkeepers typically are fundamentally sound, focusing on smart mechanics and maximizing their power when breaking out into a dive. English attacks have a certain smashmouth aspect to them in both their pace and power when barreling toward goal. To combat this, English goalkeepers will find comfort in sitting back and letting their defense do their job, similar to Italian goalkeepers. However, that’s not to say they won’t dive head-first into a crowd if the moment calls for it. If a chance on goal can’t be solved through bravery (think breakaways and cross management), watch for England’s young goalkeepers to rely on sound mechanics and percentages over anything. Ramsdale and company will often force shooters to pull off a great shot in order to be beaten, instead of risking a soft goal from overthinking the play.
Depth Chart
Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal (23)
Alfie Whiteman - Tottenham (23)
Ellery Balcombe - Brentford (22)
Nathan Bishop - Manchester United (22)
Josef Bursik - Stoke City (21)
Etienne Green - Saint-Étienne (21)
Carl Rushworth - Brighton (20)
7. Brazil
The difference between Brazil’s and Germany’s goalkeeping is akin to long brush strokes vs. short brush strokes. Brazilian goalkeepers have a rhythm to their game that’s visually attractive but it can become easy to get wrong-footed if the goalkeeper isn’t thinking ahead. Longer and larger steps mean fewer opportunities to correct oneself, putting the onus on a Brazilian goalkeeper to consider all of the attack’s options when making a decision themselves. Similar to French goalkeepers who leave a larger room for improving, Brazilians will “shoot from the hip” a fair amount, although there is more consistency in how that looks within the pool. With Alisson and Ederson opening doors overseas, the ceiling for Brazilian goalkeepers is open to debate: will the country’s goalkeeper development continue the momentum from the EPL goalkeepers or will it take a similar route to the US in the post-Friedel/Keller/Howard era?
Depth Chart
Lucas Perri - São Paulo (23)
Gabriel Brazão - Inter (21)
Gabriel Chapecó - Gremio (21)
Luiz Júnior - Famalicão (20)
Brenno - Gremio (22)
Hugo Souza - Flamengo (22)
Álex Dos Santos - CD Toledo (22)
8. Russia
Speaking on the US, Russia’s style of goalkeeping should feel somewhat familiar for any USMNT fan. Their goalkeepers are built with power and simplicity, while leaving a little room to improv when need be. However, if there’s one critique of Russian goalkeeping, it’s that they can be a little overly reliant on aggression. If the game can be solved with a brave save, Russian goalkeepers excel mightily, but times for patience aren’t their forte as they can become restless with too much time on a play.
Russian goalkeeping has had a number of high points over the years, most recently with Igor Akinfeev’s heroics in the 2018 World Cup and, of course, Lev Yashin’s name carries a lot of weight in this world. However, Russian goalkeepers have been slow to leave Russia’s domestic leagues, which ranks 15th in UEFA coefficient league ratings. The young Russian prospects have the tools to fight at a higher level and embrace more nuance in their game, it’s just a question if they’ll get the chance to.
Depth Chart
Matvey Safonov - Krasnodar (22)
Ivan Lomaev - KS Samara (22)
Stanislav Agkatsev - Krasnodar (19)
Aleksandr Maksimenko - Spartak Moscow (23)
Daniil Odoevskiy - Zenit St. Petersburg (18)
David Sangaré - Dynamo Moscow (21)
9. Turkey
For the younger readers, Turkish goalkeepers can be best summed up as “chaotic neutral”. As football continues to become more complex and detailed, Turkey’s goalkeepers have bucked every trend and have turned inward to solve chances on goal, playing by feel and not a textbook answer. On one hand, an atypical approach is easy to criticize and difficult to teach, develop, or even make improvements on. On the other hand, there’s a reason why Turkish clubs have encouraged their goalkeepers to play more by feel than by blueprint: it often finds success in a game that is constantly asking unique questions for goalkeepers to solve. It’s an unorthodox style that can succeed in a middling European league (ranked 24th in UEFA coefficients) but it’s difficult to predict if it can work at a higher league. Considering how unique the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Iker Casillas were, an atypical approach may work in the right environment, if given the right backing.
Depth Chart
Altay Bayindir - Fenerbahce (23)
Berke Özer - Fenerbahce (21)
Ersin Destanoglu - Besiktas (20)
Canberk Yurdakul - Bursaspor (20)
Irfan Can Egribayat - Göztepe (23)
Dogan Alemdar - Stade Rennais (19)
10. Poland
Although there are a number of other countries on the rise with their goalkeeping (Romania, Croatia, Ireland, and Serbia, just to name a few), Poland grabs the last spot due to their steadiness and prestige. Building off the foundation of West Ham’s Łukasz Fabiański and Juventus’ Wojciech Szczęsny, it’s not a surprise to see the standard rollover to young Polish goalkeepers. With Polish YNT goalkeepers Majecki and Bułka making some waves for themselves in France’s Ligue 1, Poland is quietly on track to produce even more underrated goalkeepers in Europe’s top leagues. Unlike Turkey’s approach, Poland favors consistent, reliable play that’s been established for decades. Don’t look for a young Polish goalkeeper to break any transfer fees in the near future but when a club is looking for a steady number one down the line, Poland may be their first and last destination.
Depth Chart
Krzysztof Bakowski - Lech Poznan (18)
Radoslaw Majecki - Monaco (22)
Marcin Bułka - PSG (22)
Kamil Grabara - FC Copenhagen (22)
Karol Niemczycki - Cracovia (22)