Five finest goalkeepers at the World Cup
With the World Cup in Brazil almost upon us, the anticipation of the footballing world ahead of the showpiece event is approaching fever pitch. The World Cup brings together the finest talent from the across the globe for a feast of football that inevitably leads to debate surrounding who should be regarded as the best player in each position on the pitch.
While any choice is affected by not only national but also club allegiances, it is difficult to gauge a rightful claim to be included within the cream of the crop. However, while a striker or forward’s contribution can be interpreted in varying degrees by the watching public, a goalkeeper’s job is harder to argue with – you can’t disagree with clean sheets. Clearly there are still a number of styles to concern ourselves with, such as Tottenham Hotspur’s Hugo Lloris’ athleticism and penchant to fulfil a role as a sweeper compared to the more traditional English method employed by Joe Hart, but Squawka has whittled the contenders down to just five.
The swashbuckling centre-forwards often grab the headlines on the international stage, goalkeepers too have an opportunity to seize the limelight and become the heroes via the dreaded penalty shoot-out. There must, of course, be mention of Chelsea-owned youngster Thibaut Courtois, who stands as a testament to the fact that you don’t need to be of an advanced age to don your country’s number one jersey, but who else made our list? Expect several stand out performances from our candidates this summer as they battle to keep their opponents at bay.
Manuel Neuer
First up is the Germany and Bayern Munich stalwart Manuel Neuer, who has slipped seamlessly into Pep Guardiola’s passing game at the Allianz Arena.
The 28-year-old is nigh on positionally perfect the majority of the time and is also tidy with the ball at his feet. The quick tempo employed by his club side require him to be able to pass the ball precisely when under pressure rather than simply fire it into the stands and he copes well despite such tough demands.
Neuer has under 50 caps for his national team but he marshals his back line and is likely to be a formidable presence in Joachim Low’s side for years to come. An excellent shot-stopper with outstanding reflexes, the goalkeeper will need to be at his best if he is to keep Balon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo at bay during Germany’s Group G clash with Portugal.