World’s biggest footballing event, the FIFA World Cup 2022 is underway in Qatar with 32 teams fighting it out for the coveted trophy. As usual, this edition will feature some of the finest goalkeepers in world football. Historically, the position of goalkeeper is one of the most high stakes position in World Cups given the low-scoring trends in World Cups. A single brilliant save or a strong penalty shootout performance could mean the difference between progressing to the next round or crashing out undeservingly. Similarly a blunder at the back will be hard to forget and will be remembered by the entire nation. Let us look at the top 10 goalkeepers who will feature in this World Cup for their respective Nations.
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10. UNAI SIMON- SPAIN
The list starts with Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon who plays for La Liga team Athletic Club at the club level. By Euro 2021 itself he had successfully replaced David De Gea, the Manchester United legend. Spain has been reeling under poor goalkeeping performances in the last two World Cups which were from Iker Casillas in 2014 and David De Gea in 2018. In this World Cup he has one clean sheet against Costa Rica but conceded a goal in the match against Germany. He has pulled out 3 saves in 2 games in the tournament. He had also put in impressive performances in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers.
- Club- Athletic Club
- Country- Spain
- Other Players of the same country- Pedri, Gavi, Busquets
9. GUILLERMO OCHOA- MEXICO
The Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa is yet another goalkeeper who is known to bring his A-game during the World Cup. Even this time around he gave an exemplary performance against Poland keeping shorts out from the net including a penalty save and earning a valuable draw. In 2018, he kept a clean sheet against the then defending champions Germany. Ochoa currently plays for CA America in the Mexican first tier division after completing stints in La Liga clubs Malaga CF and Granada CF. He burst on to the scene in the 2014 World Cup with stunning performance against Brazil and Cameroon making some brilliant saves.
- Club- Salernitana
- Country- Mexico
- Other Players of the same country- Taul Himinez, Alexis Vega, Edson Alvarez
8. KASPER SCHMEICHEL
Danish goalie, Kasper Schmeichel who is the son of the legendary Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel is one of the key figures in the Denmark national team alongside Christian Eriksen and Christensen. Currently he plays in the French Ligue 1 club Nice after spending 11 years with Leicester City including their remarkable EPL Title triumph in the 2015-2016 season, Denmark performed exceedingly well in the 2021 Euros where they reached the Semi-finals. However, they could not repeat their feat in the World Cup and have been eliminated in the Group Stages itself.
- Club- Nice FC
- Country- Denmark
- Other Players of the same country- Cristian Eriksen, Delaney, Simon Kjaer
7. JORDAN PICKFORD
The English goalkeeper will be playing his second World Cup. Pickford plays for Everton in the English Premier league. England dominated their group by thumping Iran and Wales comfortably and drawing with USA. Thus, so far he has not been called into action but come the knockout phases starting with Senegal, England will rely on him to pull out crucial saves. He underwent a lean patch with his club but still remained England Manager, Gareth Southgate’s no. 1 choice. Pickford has made 3 saves in the 2 matches that he has played so far in the tournament.
- Club- Everton FC
- Country- England
- Other Players of the same country- John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw
6. HUGO LLORIS
Hugo Lloris is another goalkeeper who has been manning the post for his Country since the 2010 World Cup making this his 4th World cup. In club football, he plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League. He led the star studded France team to the World Cup triumph of 2018. However, he had a moment to forget in the all important final when his dribble in the 6 yard box was tackled into the goal, He has made just one save in this campaign and he is struggling with distribution with a pass accuracy of 64%. He missed the third group match against Tunisia which France incidentally lost but was immaterial to their knock out qualification prospects.
- Club- Tottehnam Hotspurs FC
- Country- France
- Other Players of the same country- Oliver Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Theo Hernandez
5. KEYLOR NAVAS
Keylor Navas also makes the list who is leading Costa Rica in the FIFA World Cup in the last three editions. He is their most recognised player and has won three UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid. In club football, he Currently plays for Paris Saint Germain where he is struggling to make appearances behind the Italian goalkeeper Donnaruma. He stole the headlines in the 2014 World Cup when he helped Costa Rica top their group consisting of England, Italy and Uruguay before winning Costa Rica the penalty shootouts against Greece in the round of 16 clash. Earlier, he was the PSG Goalkeeper. He once used to be one of the Best Goalkeeper.
- Club- Paris Saint Germain
- Country- Costa Rica
- Other Players of the same country- Joel Campbell, Patrick Sequira
4. EDOUARD MENDY
Edouard Mendy, the Chelsea goalkeeper will be between the post for Senegal in the 2022 World Cup. He plays for Chelsea Football Club in the English Premier League and has even won a UEFA Champions League with them. Senegal were dealt a massive blow with the absence of their star forward Sadio Mane to injury before the World Cup. This adds added pressure on Mendy and other high profile players like Koulibaly to take the mantle of the team. They have progressed to the round of 16 from Group A alongside Netherlands after beating Ecuador 2-1.
- Club- Chelsea FC
- Country- Senegal
- Other Players of the same country- Koulibaly, Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye
3. MANUEL NEUER- GERMANY
Next on the list is Germany’s legendry goalkeeper Manuel Neuer who is playing his 4th world Cup having made his international debut in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In club football, he plays for the reigning champions of Germany’s top division football league, FC Bayern Munich. He bagged the World Cup in the 2014 edition. However, he had a dismal campaign in 2014 where Germany were knocked out in the group stage itself with him conceding one goal from a personal error. Germany had a disastrous start to the tournament with a shock defeat to lower ranked Japan and a draw against Spain. He has pulled out 4 saves so far in the tournament along with stringing together 88 passes which has been instrumental in executing Germany’s game plan. In the 2014 World Cup he was the best goalkeeper.
- Club- Bayern Munich FC
- Country- Germany
- Other Players of the same country- Fulkrug, Thomas Muller, Kai Havertz
2. ALLISSON BECKER (BRAZIL)
Allisson Becker will be manning the Brazillian goal who are one of the hot favourites of the tournament. In club football, he plays the Liverpool goalkeeper. So far, in the two World Cup matches Brazil has played against Serbia and Switzerland, he was not needed to make even a single save and kept two clean sheets. However, he possesses the capability to win crucial matches single-handedly like he did against Napoli in a must win match for Liverpool in the UCL. He is also one of the best distributing goalkeepers in the game currently and this attribute holds key to Brazil’s attacking gameplan. Thus, with a challenging World Cup campaign ahead, Allisson will be key to Brazil’s chances. He is closely followed by Ederson in the same squad who is the Man City Goalkeeper.
- Club- Liverpool FC
- Country- Brazil
- Other Players of the same country- Neymar Jr, Vinicius Jr, Richarlson
1. THIBAUT CORTUOIS
The 2 meter tall Belgian Goalkeeper is perhaps the best goalkeeper in business at the moment. He is the no.1 keeper for Real Madrid and produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the UEFA Champions League Final 2022 against Liverpool. They have been handed a shock defeat by Morocco in their second match and now have to win their second match against Croatia to ensure qualification into the next round. So far, over the course of two matches against Morocco and Canada he has made 5 saves with one clean sheet and has completed 78 passes with an accuracy of 85%. In the next match he will face his club teammate and Croatian legend Luka Modric.
- Club- Real Madrid FC
- Country- Belgium
- Other Players of the same country- Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Axel Wietsel
Also Read: TOP PLAYERS OF THE TOURNAMENT-FIFA WORLD CUP 2022
