Goalkeeper Gloves With The Best Grip 2024

This is an article that I’ve been reluctant to write because I do get the sense that grip in a wide sense for goalkeeper gloves is very subjective. I’ve recently said in an article that goalkeeper glove grip isn’t just about having gloves that are sticky. You’re going to want to have gloves that allow you to move your fingers in a position to grip the ball the right way with ease. Therefore, if the gloves are a bit too stiff you could be losing grip even if they happen to be the stickiest gloves on the market. Another thing that I don’t think gets talked about enough is the fact that you can now produce grip. Gloveglu and similar products allow you to keep your gloves sticky. That was not something that was necessarily widely available.

The thing is goalkeeper glove manufacturers realize that we can produce grip and I get the sense that modern designs reflect that. Now, most of the top end goalkeeper gloves from the best brands aren’t trying too hard to produce grip with a particular design on the palm. They’ll just have a perfectly slick palm that they expect you to take care of. This last realization really influenced my ranking for this year. I’m only picking one glove per brand. So you may be able to find decent options across the same brand that may not be on the list. In each case though I’ll give my reasons as to why I picked that glove over some of the other options within the same brand. With that out of the way let’s get going!

Adidas Predator Pro Hybrid Goalkeeper Gloves

These gloves are the perfect example of what I’m talking about when it comes to brands just giving you a clean palm to play with. At this point in time it seems that brands are accepting the fact that a design on the palm is not necessarily going to provide you with more grip. What they’re doing is giving you a larger latex area on the palm. In this case you’re going to be able to see how it extends all the way down into the wrist area. The gloves are going to arrive naturally sticky when you take them out of the box for the first time. They are going to naturally lose the grip, and it’s going to be up to you to ensure that they remain sticky through proper glove care.

Now, I have to be 100% transparent with this. The biggest problem that I see with major brands leaning into this trend is that you could buy other gloves from a different brand at a cheaper price that have just as large of a latex palm surface. If the grip is going to come down to just how much Gloveglu you’re using. Of course, what can set these gloves apart from cheaper options are things like the mobility that you get on your fingers. This makes it easier for you to get your hands in the right position. That way you’re not just relying on the sticky glove to be able to make the save.

PUMA Future Grip 1 NC Goalkeeper Gloves

I’m moving on to a pair of gloves that do feature a design on the palm area. I know that I’ve said this is something that most brands are shying away from. Like I’ve talked about with the wrist strap on gloves there are goalkeepers out there that feel a design on the palm is going to offer better grip. There’s an argument to be made that with these Puma gloves the grip that you get naturally is going to be more sustainable because of the way that the palm is designed. For the most part I don’t recommend adding anything to new gloves. Typically, what you want to do is wear out that new glove grip and then start thinking about additives.

If you get a pair of these gloves though, and you don’t feel that they naturally feature grip levels that you’re comfortable with then maybe you can add some Gloveglu before the first use. That way you’re going to be able to take advantage of the palm design to potentially not have the gloves absorb as much dust and dirt as some of the slick palm options will. There’s an argument to be made that since they don’t feature the best natural grip they shouldn’t be on the list. Yet, since I talked about grip being something that we can produce now I felt it was ok to include them on the list.

Elite Sport Neo

Those of you who are regular readers of the site will know that this is the glove that I wear on a consistent basis. I try out other gloves for the reviews, but these are the ones I wear the most. To prove that I’m not biased I have a big complaint for Elite Sports. The gloves have not changed at all in years. In fact, my newest model gloves have proven to be considerably less durable than the ones that I bought a couple of years ago. So it’s not just the design. If we’re just talking about the design I think a good excuse would be if it works don’t fix it. That design and the fact that it provides good grip is the reason I still include these gloves on the list.

Again we’re dealing with gloves that feature a lot more latex, and therefore a larger surface that gives you good grip. They are not naturally overly sticky. So maybe the same rules apply with these gloves as with the Puma option. Use Gloveglu on them when new if you feel you want more grip. Since the design is so effective and allows you to get your fingers around the ball quickly you’re going to be making a lot of clean catches if you have good technique with these gloves. Remember that stickiness is not the end all be all when it comes to grip! Also, I want to point out that these are some of the most cost-friendly gloves with decent grip that you’re going to find. You can get them for right around 100 dollars!

Reusch Attrakt Gold X Glueprint Goalkeeper Gloves

At this point I think I’ve contradicted myself 100 times in this article already. Here’s a bit of a reality check though, a lot of the plain palm gloves with no sense of design in the palm area can technically provide similar grip levels. There’s a difference, and it could be a huge one when you factor in the type of latex that’s being used in the palm. I’ve gotten to see that first hand with some of the older models of Rinat gloves versus what you get from the NEO gloves or even Adidas options. In any case, this is another option that features a unique palm design that’s meant to help you not only grip the ball better, but reduce the impact of the shot.

Reusch have “perfected” their speed bump palm design, at least in their eyes, with this glue print palm design. You don’t have the dots in some of the key impact zones on the gloves. That makes me want to question how effective the design can really be. The reason why I want to bring this glove up is because I get the sense it can be a very good option for someone who is looking for something different. If you’re bored with the typical goalkeeper glove this can be a good avenue to explore. The traditional speed bump design was not bad at all. In fact, the gloves were rather sticky when new. This is meant to be a new and improved design. If you liked the traditional speed bump gloves, (which are still out there by the way), you may want to migrate to this option.

Uhlsport Speed Contact ABSOLUTGRIP HN

In my opinion this is a thicker glove that’s going to help you deal with hard shots much better than potentially some of the other options. When you’re left with that sting in your hand after having to deal with a hard shot you’ll quickly realize that stickiness is not everything when it comes to grip. Another thing that I want to point out about Uhlsport gloves is that they give you a sense of comfort that you may not get with other options. It’s hard to explain, but I always got the sense that Uhlsport gloves not only were made with superior materials than the ones that we use on this side of the Atlantic. That comfort level and feeling allow you to perhaps build an extra sense of confidence in your hands and the glove itself.

When it comes to the palm there’s not much to get too excited about. It’s a very simple plain white palm. I would say though that you should try these gloves out before you start thinking about GloveGlu and making them sticky. As I mentioned in my experience with Uhlsport the brand gives you top finger mobility. Even if you have a middle of the pack catching technique, like I would say I have, the amount of shots that you’re going to be catching cleanly can increase dramatically. If you still feel more comfortable with sticky gloves then go for it! These gloves though can be a great option for someone who is looking for a more traditional cut and a brand that you know you can trust.