Top 10 goalkeepers of the 2015/16 season
The position of goalkeeper is an oft-underrated one – while the goalkeeper may not win you games, he can surely save it. Yet, when the individual awards are handed out at the end of the season, it is rare that a goalkeeper is afforded their due – with strikers often grabbing all the glory.
Yet, the European season has provided us with plenty of stunning performances over the course of the season, including trophy winning ones.
Here are the 10 best goalkeepers of the season, in reverse order:
10. Alphonse Areola – Villarreal (on loan from PSG)
With goalkeepers of the quality of Salvatore Sirigu and Alphonse Areola in their ranks, it was a bit of a surprise when Paris Saint-Germain signed Kevin Trapp from Eintracht Frankfurt for a reported fee of €10 million. With Areola shining for Villarreal in between the sticks, it seems the Parisian club committed a gaffe by not putting their faith in the 23-year-old.
Areola and Trapp share similar stats, but what pushed the Frenchman into contention is that he has played behind a defence unsettled by injury, coupled with playing in a far better league in terms of quality. The 23-year-old is keeping experienced goalkeepers like Mariano Barbosa and Sergio Asenjo on the bench, with Villareal manager Marcelinho impressed by his performances.
The loan from PSG has worked out in Areola’s favour, as great goalkeeping performances such as those against Real Madrid have catapulted him into the spotlight, although that was only enough for him to make the French squad to the 2016 UEFA Euros as a standby. With an impressive haul of 17 clean sheets and 80 saves, Areola has shown that he has what it takes to become PSG’s #1 in their future.
| 2015/16 Stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 37 |
| Goals Conceded | 32 |
| Clean Sheets | 17 |
| Saves (League + UEL only) | 80 |
| Saves Per Goal (League + UEL only) | 2.5 |
| Penalties Saved / Conceded (League + UEL only) | 1/1 |
| Distribution accuracy (League + UEL only) | 54.5% |