To complete our list of the greatest modern-day goalkeepers, we felt like we had to add 3 more additions. Without these individuals, the modern role of the keeper simply wouldn’t be the same. So without delay, here are our additions to the list of great modern keepers.
Victor Valdes
Victor Valdes is best known for his successful career at Barcelona and is well remembered as one of the club’s best goalkeepers. He played in 535 games for the club, winning 21 major titles in total including six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles. He also won the Zamora Trophy five times, more times than any other keeper and is the current record holder for most games played in La Liga. After leaving Barcelona, Valdes played for a short time at Manchester United and later at Middlesbrough in which he retired from professional football. In 2010 Valdes made his first international debut and in total earned 20 international caps for Spain. He played a key role in the Spain squads that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, as well as the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, in which Spain came second.
Edwin Van Der Ser
Edwin Van Der Ser started his career in the early 1990s at Ajax, and is considered a member of the club’s golden generation who helped win the Champions League in 1995. In 1999 he left Ajax for Juventus where he played for two years, eventually joining Fulham and then Manchester United in 2005. In 2008 Edwin Van Der Ser won his second Champions League title, in which he was only one of eight players at the time who had done so. He retired from professional football in 2011, having a successful club career and national career. For the Netherlands national team, he played 130 games and was the country’s most capped player until 2017.
David Seaman
David Seaman had a long career as an English footballer from 1981 to 2004, in which he is best known for his time at Arsenal, as well as the English national team. In total, he won 75 caps for England and is the second-most capped goalkeeper in England. For his efforts, he was awarded an MBE.
The peak of Seaman’s career was between the 1990s and early 200’s in which he won three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. Throughout this time period, he also played for England in the 1998 and 2002 FIFA World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000. Although best known for his time at Arsenal, Seaman also played for Manchester City, Peterborough United, Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers.
With so many outstanding goalkeepers performing in the past with lower quality goalkeeper gloves, we can only begin to guess what we may see in the future. With goalkeeper gloves being combined with science and innovation, it can be expected that the goalkeepers of the future may become even greater than these legends. Only time will tell!
