I’m going to craft an article today that maybe Pep Guardiola should’ve read before he put so much faith behind Claudio Bravo back in the day. On the site, I’ve always frowned upon outings by Willy Caballero, another Pep Guardiola favorite. Particularly because these two were meant to be some of the best ball playing goalkeepers on the planet, at least according to Pep. Yet they were never consistent enough either with their feet or between the sticks to hold down a starting role at a top tier club. On this list of goalkeepers you’re going to find some familiar faces, but you also may find some guys that are going to surprise. Especially in one case where he’s had a very high profile error recently, but that shouldn’t kill his reputation.
On top of listing these keepers what I want to do is go through why they have good ball control to where I feel confident plastering them on the list of best ball playing goalkeepers. Just a heads up there’s only really a few guys that are dominant on the ball. Some of the rest of the guys on the list are competent. Sometimes though being, and knowing that you’re competent is better than feeling like you are one of the best ball playing goalkeepers only to figure out the hard way that you’re just middle of the pack. From here I send my regards to the previously mentioned veteran pair of Claudio Bravo, and Willy Caballero.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen – The Underrated Option
When he first came to Barcelona he actually spent time backing up Claudio Bravo, and the main knock on Ter Stegen or the reason that was given as to why he was sitting on the bench was because Bravo was better with his feet. There’s just nothing that Claudio Bravo does better than Marc Andre Ter Stegen, that’s saying something because Bravo has had a pretty decent career. With Ter Stegen you don’t get the sweeper keeper escapades that another German goalkeeper is very famous for. However, I’ve contended for a while that he is incredibly light on his feet and he knows what to do with the ball.
Maybe the thing that is holding him back or why people don’t necessarily consider him as one of the best ball playing goalkeepers is because he doesn’t play as far off his line as other keepers that we are going to see on this list do. In my book though, he can do with his feet all the things that you need your goalkeeper to be able to do. When the ball is passed back to him his teammates feel safe. That’s not something that’s easy to achieve particularly in the new Xavi style that the team is trying to play. As I’ve been saying I’m not here to say that this man could play center midfield and be a stud, but for a goalkeeper his skills are more than competent.
Keylor Navas – We Are Looking At The Same Dilemma
One of the most underrated goalkeepers of this generation the Costa Rica native can play with the best of them. However, his low profile, or at least the way that clubs perceive him has cost him throughout his career. His father once claimed that if his son was European he wouldn’t face the doubts that he has continually had to deal with. I would agree, PSG bought Donaruma to replace him, just like Real Madrid brought in Thibaut Courtois. Those situations shouldn’t undermine the quality goalkeeper that the central American really is. Part of that quality is the fact that he truly can do it all between the sticks.
Just like Ter Stegen he’s not the sweeper keeper that many coaches would love to have. That may be more of a testament to the fact that he plays on the line way more than other goalkeepers do. For me a goalkeeper should play far off his or her line if they don’t feel that doing so is necessarily their game. Keylor plays more between the sticks, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a bum on his feet. In fact, I contend that he and Ter Stegen are two of the most athletic keepers on the planet. Yes, I would agree that age is catching up to him a bit, and on those grounds the move to Donaruma by PSG makes sense. The fact that he can play with his feet has allowed him to really provide a solid option in goal for any team he’s been on.
Gianluigi Donaruma – One Mistake Shouldn’t Define A Career
This may be a controversial inclusion on the list of the best ball playing goalkeepers, seeing as how a bad play with his feet caused his team their Champions League exit. He wasn’t able to really do much to keep his national team from failing to qualify for the World Cup. In short, it was not a good year at all for Gigio Donaruma, but he’s still extremely young for a goalkeeper, and potentially without having to contend with the shadow of Keylor Navas next season he’ll find himself in a better position to showcase his skills next season. Donaruma is the sweeper keeper type unlike the other two inclusions on the list. I do feel that this was a skill set that he’s acquired over the years. He wasn’t a sweeper keeper in his teens when he burst on the scene at AC Milan.
It’s kind of awkward to look at sometimes because he feels like a taller guy to be doing what he’s doing. It’s not that taller guys aren’t good on the ball, just ask Zlatan. Actually I feel that still proves my point though even Zlatan looks weird on the ball because he is so good for someone that tall. In any case, Donaruma is very confident on the ball, and plays off his line. His antics were instrumental in helping Italy win the most recent Euro Cup. This year he seems to have taken a step back, but here’s to hoping that he doesn’t lose his confidence and he’s able to continue to play in the same manner next year.
Ederson – It’s Not Just About Hitting A Long Ball Hitter
We’ve been over the fact that Pep Guardiola has always been looking for a goalkeeper that is good on his feet. I would make the argument that Ederson always had a cannon for a leg, but he wasn’t necessarily light on his feet. Now he’s juking strikers putting the ball in harm’s way right on the line. That move was so good that his backup Zack Steffen looked foolish when he messed up trying to imitate him. There’s no way to deny that he’s a goalkeeper that brings a lot to the table. He has that cannon for a leg so whether from the floor or a punt he can put the ball wherever he wants on the pitch. We’ve explored his passing ability already on the site, and it’s insane.
If I had to pick who currently may be the true weapon goalkeeper it would have to be him. As I’m saying, it’s a combination of his ability and his smarts that allows him to put teammates in an advantageous position from virtually anywhere. That’s not something that is natural at all for goalkeepers to be able to do. Having said that, he doesn’t top the best ball playing goalkeepers list for me because there is still one keeper that brings a bit more to the table when it comes to ball control. On a personal level though, if I could choose which skill set I would love to go to the market and buy it would be what Ederson has.
Best Ball Playing Goalkeepers : Manuel Neuer – Old Reliable
About a year back I wrote my article on German goalkeepers. At the time Neuer was not really the same guy after an injury that he’d had. I even went as far as to say that I don’t love his ability between the sticks. He’s still a big guy though, and scoring a goal on him is truly a feat no matter what. That’s enough of that though, what we are truly talking about here are the best ball playing goalkeepers, and he’s the best out of this top 5. There are certainly certain spots on the list that are debatable. I wanted to pick high profile guys, maybe not someone who is a bit more obscure. I would understand if someone else has another player that they like.
It’s hard to argue that currently there is a better ball playing goalkeeper than Neuer in the top leagues at a top club. In an overall ranking it would be fair to downgrade him on the list at this point for sure. Yet, when it comes to the best ball playing goalkeepers there’s little argument. What really surprises me at this point is that he’s increased his skills with age, that seems weird to me. Also, he rarely has those mistakes that end up on the highlight reel. That’s not because he’s playing it safe. That’s the weirdest thing, I haven’t seen it be replicated for as many years without a ton of high profile mistakes. That’s the issue with Donaruma, he’s doing it now, but he’s already had the high profile mistake.
Best Ball Playing Goalkeepers – What Any Goalkeeper Can Learn From These Players
I’ve already covered this topic a bit on the site, particularly because it seems that it’s becoming more and more of a vital part of the game. Perhaps 20 years ago when I started training that wasn’t the case. I contend that what you want to be as goalkeeper is potentially not one of the best ball playing goalkeepers on the planet. What you need to be though is at least competent, you don’t want to be a liability. The game from the position requires that you be smart more than good on your feet. Of course, the better you are the less you have to worry about this part of your game being a liability. The key to me though is that all of these guys are smart on the ball.
We could make the argument that Donaruma, Ederson, and Neuer take way more risks. Due to recent events Donaruma may not be considered “smart”, but that comes with the territory if you’re going to be a bigger risk taker. For me it’s really about being smart with the ball though. It’s sometimes preferable to kick the ball into the stands and live to fight another day than to try and dribble and put yourself in harm’s way. The better you are on the ball the more risks that you’re going to be willing to take that’s a given. Regardless of that, being smart is the key.
Best Ball Playing Goalkeepers – Conclusion
The risk reward of a sweeper keeper is hard to really evaluate in my opinion. We could go back to the Donaruma play against Karim Benzema that cost PSG the Champions League exit. He was in a very compromising position and about 99.9% of keepers would’ve hit that ball into the stands and live to fight another day. With the next day’s paper we would say that’s the best choice you could’ve made in that situation. Being a good sweeper keeper can be a good way to stand out, particularly as an up and coming player. So where can you find the balance?
I would say that it’s great to be one of the best ball playing goalkeepers, it’s certainly preferable. As long as you are conscious of the fact that too much risk just isn’t worth it. I hate to repeat myself, but I would say regardless of your skill level the most important thing that you can be is smart on the ball. Kicking the ball into the stands is not going to make it on the highlight reel, but making a bad pass or losing the ball trying to dribble past a defender isn’t worth it.
