It is well-documented that goalkeepers age like fine wine. Their peak is seen as lasting much longer than outfielders and starting slightly later. However, more and more, we’re seeing top teams opt for younger goalkeepers. Younger goalkeepers appear to be getting better and better. We’ve seen this with Manchester City bringing in Ederson and AC Milan bringing in Gianluigi Donnarumma recently.
In this data analysis, we’ll look at who the best young goalkeepers are within the top five European leagues. To ensure we’re looking at a big enough sample, we’ll be looking at all goalkeepers aged 25 and under as we estimate that a goalkeeper’s peak starts at around 26. This analysis will look at each goalkeeper’s shot-stopping, passing and sweeping to determine the best keepers in the league.
Who are the best shot-stoppers?
A goalkeeper’s shot-stopping data can be heavily affected by the quality of his team’s defence. Therefore, it’s important to take into consideration the number of shots that they face each game. Obviously, the goalkeepers that face more shots are more likely to damage their save percentage statistics. The below graph looks at the number of shots they face per 90 and their save percentage.
The best goalkeepers here are the ones in the top right quadrant. It means that they face an above-average amount of shots and have an above-average save percentage.
Ionuţ Radu has faced the second-most shots with 6.38 per 90 and still has a good save percentage of 69.35%. The Inter Milan man is on loan at Cremonese who are currently struggling in Serie A. The Romanian has struggled for game time in recent seasons, but with his performances so far this season, he could have a future at his parent club.
