A good goalkeeper makes half a team, they say. Hard to disagree as a confident and commanding goalkeeper makes the team calm and coordinated. The World Cup tournaments have seen many outstanding and memorable goalkeepers, including the likes of Dino Zoff, Jose Luis Chilavert, Manuel Neuer and many others. But which goalkeeper could prove to become the best goalkeeper of the World Cup in Russia? Here is the list of my contenders.

David De Gea

Manchester United player is widely considered to be the world’s best goalkeeper at the moment and could easily become the top shot stopper in Russia. Best known for his outstanding performance on the goal line and phenomenal reaction, De Gea only conceded 3 goals in the entire qualification campaign. Playing for Manchester United, the Spaniard kept the most clean sheets in the 2017/2018 Premier League season (18) and made 115 saves, far more than any other goalkeeper of the top six clubs. Brilliant on his own, David De Gea can trust the centre backs, playing in front of him, as Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique make arguably the best pair of central defenders at the World Cup. At the same time, De Gea makes very few high claims and punches so Spain opponents are recommended to use high balls to beat him.

Alisson

Alisson has some competition from Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes, however, he has featured in most of the national team’s qualification and friendly matches and it’s unlikely that Tite would take a risk to replace his stalwart right before the tournament. Brazil only conceded 11 goals in 18 qualification games and kept 10 clean sheets, making Alisson the most successful goalkeeper in South American campaign. Playing for Roma, Alisson did not miss a single Serie A match last season, while champions Juventus were the only team that conceded fewer goals in the season. Besides, the player’s heroics in the UEFA Champions League helped his team reach the semifinals. Complemented with an impressive defense in Marquinhos and Joao Miranda and ambitious team aspiring for the World Cup glory, Alisson could prove to be the tournament’s top goalkeeper.

Hugo Lloris

Someone who is capable of conceding a howler, Hugo Lloris is still an outstanding goalkeeper and France captain who conceded just 6 goals in the qualification campaign. Being an undisputed number one at Tottenham Hotspur, Hugo kept 16 clean sheets in the 2017/2018 Premier League season. His national team partners Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane are solid centre backs, representing Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively. With these players in front of him and N’Golo Kante playing in the holding area, Lloris is not expected to concede many goals in Russia.

Keylor Navas


Keylor did not exactly have a vintage season playing for Real Madrid, being sidelined with an injury for some time and then conceding quite a few goals in La Liga and other tournaments. However, the main reason he is on our list is his memorable performance in Brazil four years ago. Navas helped his modest national team win the tough group, keeping clean sheets against Italy and England and making it past Greece in penalty shootout in the round of 16. Now that Keylor is used to playing at the top level, he and Costa Rica cannot be underestimated by any opponent.

Of course, there are many more goalkeepers who could impress on Russian pitches. However, some national teams like England or Mexico have several candidates for a place in the starting lineup and it’s hard to guess who will be playing come the start of the tournament. This list is based on goalkeepers’ performance last season and a chance of their teams progressing into later stages of the tournament.

Specially for Scorum