cover photo from fcbarcelonanoticias.com
In an attempt to survey the world standard for goalkeeping, Everybody Soccer enters 2023 with a deep dive on the top 50 nations when it comes to the goalkeeping department. Each country is graded on three categories:
National Team production
Domestic League level of play
Youth National Team development
For the top fifty countries, the most common grade given out was a C to maintain a decent but not impossible standard to reach.
For the most part, the top 25 countries have excelled in two if not all three categories. Although there are some exceptions, a good goalkeeping nation will not only have a clear pathway for young goalkeepers to reach their ceiling, but also have the depth that the next 25 nations do not possess.
Nations ranked 26-50 each have one strong aspect to their goalkeeping production. Whether it is a strong national team starter, a handful of talented internationals in their domestic league, or a promising, young core, as in Ireland’s case, these countries are close to reaching another level but haven’t quite reached it.