Ranking the five most underrated goalkeepers of the 21st century
Goalkeepers are usually the most underrated and underappreciated players in a football team. One error is enough to turn them from heroes to villains.
Unlike strikers, who are praised for scoring goals despite missing plenty of chances, goalkeepers are judged on a completely different level. Shot-stoppers make a lot of great saves but rarely get praised for them. Moreover, everyone is quick to point fingers at them whenever a team concedes a goal.
Edouard Mendy: #TheBest FIFA Men's Goalkeeper for 2021! 🧤 https://t.co/bTiLS81jB8
Goalkeepers may soon earn as much as their teammates
Big teams across Europe's top five leagues know the importance of having a solid goalkeeper in their ranks. They are now ready to spend the bucks on a shot-stopper who not only makes crucial saves but can also be a source of quick-counter attacks. David De Gea, the best-paid goalkeeper in the world at the moment, earns £375,000 per week.
With that being said, here's a look at the five most underrated goalkeepers of the 21st century.
Honorable mentions:
Diego Lopez, Guillerme Ochoa, Danijel Subasic, Tim Howard
#5 Stéphane Ruffier
France has emerged as the hub of footballing talent in recent years. Though it is their attack-minded exports that take a lot of limelight, they have also produced some decent goalkeepers over the years.
One of the shot-stoppers that stood out is Stéphane Ruffier, the Saint-Etienne legend who retired at the age of 34 in 2021.
Ruffier started his career as a striker. However, he was better with his hands than his feet, so he took up goalkeeping at Aviron Bayonnais. After impressing AS Monaco scouts and undergoing a successful trial at the club, the shot-stopper signed an aspirant contract with the French giants in August 2002.
Ruffier signed his first professional contract with the Monaco outfit in 2006. He made 133 appearances for their senior side across all competitions, keeping 52 clean sheets.
The Frenchman then joined Saint-Etienne in 2011. The goalkeeper made 383 appearances for the club across all competitions, keeping 141 clean sheets. He could only win one major title in his career - the erstwhile Coupe de La Liga in the 2012-13 edition.
Ruffier was a physically imposing keeper who has been blessed with fine reflexes. He found himself behind Hugo Lloris and Steven Mandanda in the pecking order for the France national team and could only pick up three caps for Les Blues.
Ruffier announced his retirement from football in January 2021.
#4 Carlos Kameni
One of the best goalkeepers from the African continent in the 21st century has to be Carlos Kameni.
Kameni had a good start to his career as he won the Olympic gold medal with the Cameroon national team in 2000, at the age of just 16. Two years later, he won the AFCON and helped the Les Lions Indomitables finish as runners-up in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
@Phenom_Victor 1193 - Since at least 2003/2004 season, @IkerCasillas is the keeper to have made the highest number of saves in @LaLiga (1193 saves). Only four keepers have surpassed the 1000th save in the competition (Iker Casillas, Diego Alves, Gorka Iraizoz & Carlos Kameni). Candidate https://t.co/NjgttT0SUM
The African shot-stopper has played for many European clubs, including Espanyol, Malaga and Fenerbahce. He was named Player of the Year with Malaga for his heroics between the sticks in the 2014-15 season as they finished ninth in La Liga.
Kameni has kept 102 clean sheets in 365 appearances for various clubs across all competitions.