World Soccer's Elite: The 25 Greatest Goalkeepers Dominating the Game Today
Creating a ranking of the top 25 players in any position is incredibly challenging.
However, it's tremendously enjoyable and sparks discussion—and that's what makes football exciting, isn't it?
One of the most difficult positions to evaluate, surprisingly, is determining who the finest goalkeepers in football are. Modern goalkeeping isn't solely about making saves anymore, as ball distribution, sweeping behind a high defensive line, and maintaining composure under pressure are essential elements of every keeper's skill set.
Additionally, you must show reliability match after match, given the quality of attacking talent currently playing worldwide. Here are the 25 goalkeepers that Sports Illustrated considers the finest in the profession.
25. Dean Henderson
Dean Henderson has experienced a turbulent professional career, with initial potential displayed at Sheffield United starting to diminish
Doubts emerged about whether the English goalkeeper possessed genuine ability, but the former Manchester United shot-stopper has silenced some skeptics at Crystal Palace.
Henderson stands among the most effective shot-stoppers in the Premier League and many now consider him a certainty for England squad selection.
24. David de Gea
It appeared that David de Gea's era as one of the world's elite goalkeepers had concluded, but a transfer to Fiorentina enabled the veteran Spanish keeper to recapture some of his classic form.
Following nearly a year away from professional football, De Gea achieved double-digit Serie A clean sheets, convincing La Viola to extend the Spaniard's contract through 2028.
23. Guglielmo Vicario
Guglielmo Vicario has taken a challenging route throughout his playing journey, but an impressive campaign with Empoli secured him a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur before the 2023–24 season.
The Italian has rapidly established himself as one of Europe's most promising goalkeepers, delivering spectacular saves when his team faces pressure. Vicario's reflexes are extraordinary, though he has displayed some weaknesses dealing with aerial challenges.
22. Marco Carnesecchi
Marco Carnesecchi gained experience in regular Serie B action as a young player, and his development had been gradual before he experienced his finest season in 2024–25.
Following several successful loan spells, the Italian returned to Atalanta and was anticipated to battle with Juan Musso—an expensive signing from Udinese—for the starting position. Nevertheless, Carnesecchi, somewhat surprisingly, prevailed in the competition and has maintained his form since.
21. Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili became a frequently mentioned name during the summer of 2023, with the goalkeeper connected to virtually every major European club at various points.
The Georgian ultimately secured a transfer to one of Europe's top teams following an exceptional Euro 2024 performance with underdogs Georgia, as Liverpool completed the signing before loaning him back to Valencia.
Mamardashvili is a commanding presence with incredible handling ability, but enhancement in ball-playing skills is necessary for him to evolve into one of the world's elite keepers.
20. Jordan Pickford
Despite being the subject of internet jokes for much of his Premier League tenure, Jordan Pickford has undergone quite the transformation in recent years.
He's gradually become more dependable and continues to be valuable in possession, while he was among the standout performers at Euro 2020 and would have achieved national hero status had that final penalty shootout resulted in an England victory. There was little he could have done to prevent Spain's Euro 2024 triumph as he delivered another strong individual tournament performance.
Everton have faced Premier League relegation battles recently, but Pickford has consistently helped pull the Toffees clear of danger.
19. Vanja Milinkovic-Savić
For years it was all about Sergej, but perhaps Vanja was the superior Milinkovic-Savić sibling from the beginning?
Admittedly, that might be somewhat overstated, but while Sergej is now playing away from the spotlight in the Saudi Pro League, Vanja has developed into one of Serie A's finest goalkeepers.
The Serbian veteran is a relentless shot-stopper with a talent for penalty saves. By late January 2025, he had achieved his 17th home clean sheet for Torino since the beginning of the 2023–24 season—the highest total among goalkeepers in Europe's top five leagues.
18. Michele Di Gregorio
Another outstanding Italian goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio came through Inter's youth system.
However, after being unable to secure opportunities at San Siro, he recognized that a transfer was necessary to advance toward the elite level. At Monza, Di Gregorio's reliability earned him significant praise, making a move to one of Italian football's major clubs inevitable.
Thiago Motta identified the young shot-stopper as an essential component of his Turin project, and Di Gregorio joined Juventus during the summer. Although Motta has since been dismissed, the goalkeeper will remain for the foreseeable future.
17. Diogo Costa
A product of Porto's academy, Diogo Costa has been among Europe's most discussed goalkeepers for considerable time—and justifiably so.
Costa represents the ideal modern goalkeeper and will undoubtedly become the first-choice keeper for one of Europe's biggest clubs very soon.
His penalty shootout heroics at Euro 2024 have further enhanced his reputation among the continent's top goalkeepers, despite occasionally making errors. He demonstrated this again during the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League.
16. Lucas Chevalier
Lucas Chevalier ranks among Europe's most highly-regarded young goalkeepers, and he will climb this list if he maintains his current development path.
The French keeper is already performing excellently for Lille on major stages and will likely attract interest from Europe's elite clubs sooner rather than later.
Chevalier has already accumulated significant playing time despite his youth, and he's approaching the complete goalkeeper profile.
15. Mile Svilar
You may recall Svilar as the young goalkeeper who received comfort from Romelu Lukaku after making a crucial error while representing Benfica in a Champions League match against Manchester United in 2017.
He barely featured for Benfica afterward and was acquired by Roma in 2022 to support Rui Patrício. However, Daniele De Rossi, during his brief tenure, recognized potential in the Serbian and gave him a starting opportunity. He has maintained that position ever since.
Svilar has evolved into an exceptional goalkeeper, possessing outstanding reflexes that consistently create highlight moments. He has been an incredibly reliable performer in the Italian capital, entering the summer having been named Serie A's top goalkeeper for the 2024–25 season.
14. Joan García
Arsenal had been monitoring Espanyol's Joan García, but the Gunners lost their opportunity to sign one of Europe's most promising young goalkeepers.
García has instead moved to Catalonian rivals Barcelona and is anticipated to immediately become the club's first-choice keeper.
2024–25 marked García's initial full season at the top level, but he has adapted to La Liga seamlessly. He thrives when busy, excelling as a shot-stopper, while García is also a smart handler of crosses and a capable sweeper.
13. Unai Simón
Unai Simón is a dependable shot-stopper and skilled ball-player who maintains low goals-against averages in La Liga. Athletic Club possessed the division's strongest defense in 2024–25, with Simon playing a significant role in that achievement.
However, Simón has shone brightest on the international stage, making crucial saves during Spain's 2022–23 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024 victories.
David Raya provides strong competition for the goalkeeper position, though.
12. Matz Sels
Nottingham Forest have lacked consistency in goal since returning to the Premier League, with players like Henderson and Keylor Navas sharing first-team duties.
Forest's £5 million ($5.8 million) signing of Matz Sels at the conclusion of the January 2024 transfer window wasn't considered groundbreaking business, but the seasoned Belgian has become one of the shrewdest acquisitions during Evangelos Marinakis' ownership.
The 33-year-old benefits from a solid defense in front of him, but Sels' contribution to Forest's improvement last season cannot be underestimated. He's a calm presence in goal who seldom makes errors.
A shortage of clean sheets late in the season meant he had to share the Golden Glove award with Raya.
11. Jan Oblak
There are moments when observing five-time Zamora Trophy recipient Jan Oblak that you might genuinely think he possesses the ability to draw the ball toward his hands. It's as if his gloves have magnetic properties.
He did suffer a decline in performance several seasons back but has returned to peak form recently, continuing to excel under Diego Simeone's guidance.
10. Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer was instrumental in revolutionizing the contemporary goalkeeper role and remains among the finest sweeper-keepers in football today.
He has limited years remaining, and a skiing accident sidelined him for the conclusion of the 2022–23 season and much of 2023–24.
It's evident his abilities will decline rather than improve from this point, but he continues to rank among the best currently.
9. Emiliano Martínez
What an incredible journey it has been for Emiliano Martínez.
The Argentine transferred to Aston Villa following a brief period in the spotlight at Arsenal and has since demonstrated his exceptional ability.
So exceptional, in fact, that he has become Argentina's first-choice keeper, contributed significantly to their World Cup and Copa America victories, and earned Lionel Messi's admiration through his psychological tactics.
He is now a two-time Yashin Trophy recipient as well. Quite impressive, wouldn't you say?
8. Mike Maignan
Milan faced a significant goalkeeper void when Gianluigi Donnarumma left, but some would contend the Rossoneri improved upon the formerly beloved Italian.
Maignan's influence at San Siro was instant as Milan secured the 2021–22 Scudetto based on solid defensive displays.
The France international has been widely recognized as Serie A's premier goalkeeper, elevating his global reputation accordingly. He faces future competition from Chevalier at the international level, with a performance dip last season narrowing the gap between them.
7. Yann Sommer
Yann Sommer's transfer to Inter didn't generate much attention because Andre Onana's departure to Manchester United dominated the headlines.
Now in his career's final phase, Sommer has been excellent for Inter and proved to be a very intelligent acquisition. Some may have viewed him as a temporary solution, but the veteran goalkeeper could remain for an extended period.
Sommer delivered exceptional performances despite allowing seven goals across two legs in Inter's exciting Champions League semifinal triumph over Barcelona.
6. Gregor Kobel
Gregor Kobel's route to Switzerland's starting lineup had been obstructed by Sommer's presence, but the Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper has recently become his nation's number one.
The BVB star possesses lightning-quick reflexes, developed during previous spells with Augsburg and Stuttgart, and was crucial in his club's journey to the 2023–24 Champions League final.
He's the finest goalkeeper you probably don't know much about.
5. Ederson
When Pep Guardiola playfully suggested that Ederson was Manchester City's finest penalty taker, everyone accepted it, such is the technical prowess of the Brazilian keeper.
2022–23 witnessed the Brazilian step up in the Champions League, making heroic saves against Real Madrid and Inter as City captured the tournament for the first time.
He's not a one-on-one expert, but his performances have been reliable for an extended period as he continues to amaze with his outstanding distribution.
4. David Raya
David Raya established himself as one of the Premier League's elite shot-stoppers, and his ability as a distributor from the back prompted Arsenal to acquire him from Brentford.
The Spain international replaced Aaron Ramsdale at the Emirates Stadium, and while mistakes plagued his early north London period, Raya relied on an outstanding defense to claim the 2023–24 Premier League Golden Glove—an honor he defended in 2024–25.
Raya has become one of the Gunners' key performers and has rescued Mikel Arteta's team on numerous occasions. He's improved dramatically in a brief timeframe and must be considered among the world's elite currently.
3. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Following his departure from childhood club Milan to Paris Saint-Germain, Gianluigi Donnarumma's path seemed established. He eventually displaced Keylor Navas as PSG's undisputed starter and was instrumental in the Azzurri squad that claimed Euro 2020, earning Player of the Tournament honors.
Several difficult years followed, marked by too many mistakes, but Donnarumma embarked on a career-defining Champions League campaign in 2024–25 as PSG conquered Europe for the first time.
There's arguably no superior shot-stopper in football.
2. Thibaut Courtois
Following an uncertain start at Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois has delivered outstanding performances to convince any remaining skeptics of his quality.
Courtois' impressive reach and superb shot-stopping have rescued Los Blancos on numerous occasions in recent seasons, including the 2022 Champions League final, and he also claimed the Zamora Trophy in 2020.
The Belgian missed most of 2023–24 after suffering an ACL injury, but Carlo Ancelotti didn't hesitate to immediately reintegrate Courtois despite Andriy Lunin's excellent performances in his absence. Courtois maintained a clean sheet as Madrid claimed their 15th European crown.
He's among the finest in the profession and will be essential to Xabi Alonso's future plans.
1. Alisson Becker
When Liverpool invested nearly £70 million ($80.7 million) in Alisson in 2018, social media was filled with mockery from rival supporters questioning the transfer fee. Well, they're not mocking now, are they? They haven't for quite some time.
The Brazilian has proven to be a transformative upgrade at Anfield, perfectly combining the qualities of both a sweeper-keeper and traditional shot-stopper.
He's also contributed to Liverpool becoming Premier League, European, and world champions in recent seasons.
The perfect goalkeeper.