Top 10 goalkeepers of the 2016/17 season
We’ve seen goalscoring records tumble as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi continue to enjoy stellar seasons, but the men at the other side remain as under-appreciated as ever. It takes a certain amount of crazy to be a goalkeeper, but some pull the balancing act off with a great degree of panache.
Without further ado, here are the 10 best goalkeepers of the 2016/17 season:
Honourable Mentions:
To be quite honest, each and every one of these three goalkeepers deserves a spot on the Top 10 list, but we can only choose 10. However, they are worthy of an honourable mention, since they missed the cut by the finest of margins.
#13 Oliver Baumann – TSG Hoffenheim
The German goalkeeper finished second in the Bundesliga’s Official Goalkeeper of the Season voting, behind Manuel Neuer – with some nothing that he perhaps deserved the award himself. Baumann has been one of the main reasons why his side finished fourth in the Bundesliga, as he marshalled a defence that kept 12 clean sheets, while only making 3 fewer saves than Neuer, despite playing a game less.
#12 Jordan Pickford – Sunderland
There will be plenty of Premier League fans who will be surprised at the fact that Pickford has missed out, as he is arguably one of the best goalkeepers in the English top flight. The youngster made an incredible 110 saves this season, although the fact that he could only manage 4 clean sheets in 29 appearances counts against him, notwithstanding Sunderland’s awful defence. I would not bet against him making the top 10 next season, though.
#11 Yohann Pele – Olympique Marseille
The best goalkeeper of the Ligue 1 season, and by some margin. Yohann Pele’s magnificent form behind the sticks for Marseille has been one of the bright spots in l’Om’s meandering campaign. The 34-year-old probably enjoyed the best season of his career, making an astonishing 112 saves in the season with an impressive Saves-Per-Goal ratio of 2.80, better than some of the other keepers in this list. The fact that Ligue 1’s xG (quality of finishing/expected goal from a shot on average, in layman’s terms) is worse than any of the other Top 5 European leagues has the Frenchman miss out.