A goalkeeper’s peak has been a highly debated topic in the football world. Nowadays, goalkeepers can carry on performing at the highest level right into their mid-thirties. This means that a goalkeeper’s peak lasts a lot longer than an outfield players.
This data analysis will take a look at the minutes played by different ages within the top five leagues to see if goalkeepers in their peak are playing more than younger and more experienced goalkeepers. We will then create a sample of peak goalkeepers within the top five leagues, and who have played more than 450 minutes of football during the 2019/20 season. The analysis will then compare the goalkeepers in a range of different areas, including shot-stopping and sweeping. We will use the outcome of the data to create a three-man shortlist of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
Minutes played by age
The graph above shows us the total minutes played by different ages. 28-year-olds clearly play the most, with over 43,000 minutes played, followed by 33-year-olds who played a total of over 34,000 minutes. We can see that before the age of 27 and after the age of 33, the number of minutes begins to fall. Therefore, the age range of a goalkeeper’s peak being between 27 and 34 is very reasonable.
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