An expert panel has acted on behalf of the World football governing body to come up with a list of five goalkeepers for the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award 2021.
The list comprises goalkeepers from different nationalities across the world that performed excellently for their clubs and countries throughout the 2020-2021 season.
On 17 January 2022, FIFA will hold an online ceremony in which one of the five goalkeepers that have been nominated for the award would be announced the winner of the category.
The world-class goalkeepers that have been nominated for the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award are Brazil and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Italy and Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Senegal, and Chelsea goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy.
Others are Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer; Denmark and Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Ahead of the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award, Futballnews has decided to take a look at the nominees for the award and predict who could be named the winner of the category based on available data.
Meet the nominees for the Goalkeeper award 2021
- Alisson Becker (Brazil / Liverpool FC)
Alisson Becker has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the world in the last five years. He started his amazing goalkeeping career at Internacional, a professional club in his home country, Brazil.
He left Brazil for Italy on July 6, 2016, when Roma signed him for a transfer fee worth €8 million. Two years later, Liverpool paid a whopping €62 million to acquire his services on July 19, 2018.
Since then, Alisson Becker has helped Liverpool to win one Premier League title, a UEFA Champions League title, and a FIFA Club World Cup. He helped Brazil to win the 2019 Copa America.
In the same year, the Brazilian goalkeeper won the Best FIFA Goalkeeper, Goalkeeper of the season, and FIFA FIFPro World11.
In the season under review, Alisson kept 15 assists in 42 goals. He also scored a goal and conceded 41 goals.
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy / AC Milan / Paris Saint-Germain)
Gianluigi Donnarumma is one of the brightest goalkeepers in the world. The 22-year-old Italian goalkeeper started his professional football career in July 2015 at AC Milan.
After a fair career at AC Milan, he decided to leave the Italian club for French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain on a free transfer.
Before he left AC Milan, Gianluigi Donnarumma was in AC Milan’s team that won the 2016 Supercoppa Italiana. He helped Italy to win UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League third place.
In the season under review, Donnarumma kept 15 clean sheets in 48 games. He conceded 54 goals in all competitions.
- Édouard Mendy (Senegal / Chelsea FC)
Édouard Mendy took European football by storm when he joined Chelsea during the 2020-2021 season. He helped Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League title.
The 29-year-old Senegalese goalkeeper started his football career at a French side Caucriauville before he joined AS Cherbourg on July 1, 2011. He stayed without a club for a year before he joined the Marseille reserve team on July 1, 2015.
Édouard Mendy joined Stade Reims on July 1, 2016, on a free transfer before he joined Stade Rennais on August 6, 2019, for a transfer fee worth €7.60 million.
After a breakthrough season at Rennais, he joined Chelsea on September 24, 2020, for a transfer fee worth €24 million.
In the season under review, Édouard Mendy made 25 assists and conceded just 29 goals in 44 games in all competitions. His brilliant effort helped Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League title last season.
- Manuel Neuer (Germany / FC Bayern München)
Manuel Neuer is one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the world. The 35-year-old German goalkeeper has been playing for Bayern Munich since July 1, 2011, when he joined the club from Schalke 04 for a transfer fee worth €30 million.
Since the German international joined the Bundesliga club, he has won a whopping 9 German Bundesliga titles. Aside from that, the veteran goalkeeper has won 5 DFB-Pokal, and 6 DFL- Supercup.
Other major titles Manuel Neuer has won for Bayern Munich include two UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups. He won the FIFA World Cup with the German national team in 2014.
On an individual level, Manuel Neuer has won 5 IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeepers, 5 Best European Goalkeepers, one The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of the year in 2020.
In the season under review, Manuel Neuer kept 14 clean sheets and conceded 55 goals in 46 games in all competitions. In the same season, he helped Bayern Munich to win the German Bundesliga.
- Kasper Schmeichel (Denmark / Leicester City FC)
Kasper Schmeichel is a goalkeeper veteran that still have a couple of years ahead of him. The 35-year-old Denish goalkeeper started his football career at Manchester City. While at the club, he went to several clubs on loan including Cardiff, Coventry, and Falkirk.
He officially left Manchester City on August 14, 2009, on a free transfer to Notts County for a transfer fee worth €1.75 million. He played for Leeds United for a season before he joined Leicester City for €1.68 million on July 1, 2011.
Since he has been at Leicester City, the Denmark international has helped Leicester City to win the Premier League title, Championship, FA Cup, and FA Community Shield.
In the season under review, Kasper Schmeichel kept 17 clean sheets and conceded 57 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions for Leicester City.
His exploit with Leicester City and Denmark national team during Euro 2020 earned him a place among the nominees for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award 2021.
Favorite to win FIFA Goalkeeper award 2021
All the goalkeepers nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award 2021 are potential winners of the award. However, one among them can be said to be the most likely goalkeeper that might go home with the award on 17 January 2022. Let us roll the drums for Gianluigi Donnarumma of Italy and PSG.
Though the 22-year-old goalkeeper is currently not doing much at PSG because he has not been playing regularly, he has been unstoppable for Italy and was consistent for AC Milan last season.
Recall that during the Euro 2020 played between June 12 and July 12, 2021, Gianluigi Donnarumma helped Italy to win the tournament without recording any defeat.
He featured in all the seven games that were played in the tournament including the final of the tournament which Italy won against England on penalties. In the seven European Championship games, Donnarumma kept three clean sheets and was named the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
He also helped Italy to a third-place finish in the 2020-2021 UEFA Nations League final. Based on all these, it might be difficult for any goalkeeper to take the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award 2021 away from him.
However, the closest goalkeeper to Donnarumma as for as the five nominees are concerned is Édouard Mendy of Chelsea who won the UEFA Champions League with the club and was also named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
In a second look into who should win the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award 2021, one might be tempted to call Édouard Mendy because he was the best goalkeeper in the Champions League last season, the same tournament other goalkeepers competed in.
But from all indications, Donnarumma should win the award in January except the award becomes a popularity contest instead of performance-based.
