The world have known many goalkeepers and the quality of a goalkeeper is most often determined by the number of clean sheets and saves that a goalkeeper makes and today we are going to rank the best goalkeepers in the world according to their record number of clean sheets.
In the game of football, the post of a goalkeeper might be the most relaxing when you have a stable defence and less offensive attackers on the opponents side but at the same time it might be the most tedious incase the defence is not stable and experienced.
No matter the situation in a footballe game, a cleensheet in a gam alwasy means at least a single point which might help the club in the League so we saw that it might be interesting to look at the goalkeepers with the most number clean sheets in the Premier League history and also the type of contributions they have made towards their team successes.
But is should also be noted that just like a goal, a clean sheet is also as result of a collective effort of the team but surely most of the credit of a clean sheet goes to the goalkeeper cause he is the one that actually receives the most number of shots in a a game and also make great number of saves.
In this article, we will explore the Premier League's goalkeepers who have amassed the most clean sheets throughout its illustrious history. These shot-stopping heroes have etched their names in the record books and left an indelible mark on English football.
Table of Contents
Most Clean Sheets ever in the History of the Premier Legue
In the fast-paced and unpredictable world of football, goalkeepers play a crucial role in securing victories for their teams. A clean sheet, when a goalkeeper prevents the opposition from scoring, is a testament to their skill, agility, and ability to organize their defense.
10. Peter Schmeichel
Peter Schmeichel joined the Manchester United just before the English first division was turned into Premier League and he played for Manchester United for 8 seasons. IN total, the legendary goalkeeper played 398 matches for Manchester United in all competitions and he even managed in scoring a goal even though he played as a goalkeeper.
However, in the Premier League, the goalkeeper played for 3 different club sand played 310 games in the Premier League and has total of 128 clean sheets out of 310 games he played.
Most of his clean sheets were gotten at Manchester United ( 112 clean sheets) as he played for 8 years with the club.
9. Brad Friedel
The next goal keeper on our list is Brad Friedel who sits at the 9th spot of this list of the most clean sheets in the English Premier League history.
The American enjoyed a long career as he played even after his 44th birth day and boast of a long football career that many goal keepers do not have. Even though he started his career into the Premier League a little late at the age of 24 years, he still succeeds in making a spot in the list.
In the year 1997, he joined Liverpool and played with them for 3 years although he was a second choice for the club. He made a name to himself at Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa.
Brad Friedel at almost the end of his career was considered as one of the oldest goalkeepers in the Premier by then as he joined Tottenham even after 40 years.
For 17 seasons, the goalkeeper played a total of 450 games in 4 different Premier League clubs and he made a total of 132 clean sheets in all of those games he played in the Premier League.
8. Tim Howard
Here comes another American goalkeeper who paved his way into having some of the most clean sheets in the Premier League history.
Tim Howard was among the goal keepers that United saw fit to replace their gone legend Peter Schemeichel but he failed in this course due to man of his mistakes and this saw his play time at United being reduced and after the arrival of Edwin Vna der Saarin the year 2005-2006 that reduced playtime was no longer existent and he had to leave.
In the year 2006-2007, he joined Everton on loan but they later made it a permanent deal and he found his carreer in Everton and made a name to himself as he started showing quality performances.
He served the club for 10 years as their first choice goalkeeper playing a total of 354 Premier League matches for Everton anf even scored a goal for the club.
In the overall total, Tim Howard played 399 Premier League games and successfully kept 132 clean sheets giving him a clean sheet percentage of 33.1% of all his games.
At the international level, he also played for the American national team and made a total of 121 games played therefore making him the most capped goalkeeper in the history of the USA.
7. Edwin Van Der Sar
Edwin Van's career was a little bit surprising cause he actually arrived the Premier League when he was already 31 years old can you imagine that. We know well that goalkeepers have longer careers but its the longetivity of their career is indirectly proportional to the quality of their performance which simply means that the older they get the less their performance but this law did not apply to Edwin as he kept on being best even at after his 30 years.
Before arriving Fulham, he was already a World renowned goalkeeper and he lest Juventus to join Fulham and in 127 games he played for Fulham, he made 42 appearances for the club and all the credit goes to him cause Fulham had an unstable so most his cleen sheets were from the saves that he made.
In the year 2005, Manchester United decided to bring the 35 years old goalkeeper in as a second choice but he ended up gaining the first choice goalkeeper due to his performances ans became a pillarr to sir Alex Ferguson's squad and helped them to win 4 Premier League and even a Champions League.
SO in his overall total, he had 132 clean sheets in 313 Premier League games for Fulham and Manchester United.
6. Pepe Reina
His career in the Premier League started with Liverpool and he started immediately with class as he won the Golden Glove award fro most clean sheets in a season as many as 3 times in a row from the year 2005 to the year 2008.
He played for 8 seasons at Liverpool and returned and still later on came back to play with Aston Villa. Overall, he made 297 appearances in the Premier League and ended with 136 clean sheets and this gives him an incredible percentage of 45.8% clean sheet percentage in his games. Among all the goal keepers on this list, he has the highest percentage of saves and this shows how great he was as a goalkeeper.
5. Nigel Martyn
Even though almost the greater part of his career was before the Premier League era, his outstanding performance after the beginning of the Premier League in the year 1992 has propelled him to the mid spot of this list of the the most clean sheets in the Premier League history.
He played for 3 Premier League clubs namely Leeds, Crystal Palace and Everton but his longest serving career was ta the Palace where he played for 7 years 2 of which was in the Premier League.
He later on moved to Leeds where he recorded most his Premier League appearances as well as number of Clean sheets.
Overall, the goalkeeper Nigel recorded 137 clean sheets in 372 matches played in the Premier League and this is a quite good record that marks him the 5th spot of the table.
4. David Seaman
At the international ground, he played for England for many years and represented them in 3 major tournaments.
By making a total of 564 appearances for Arsenal, he also stands as one of the longest serving players for the club. A greater part of his career was before the Premier League even started to for him to be sitted at the 4 the spot os this table eally shows how great he was a keeper.
Seaman won a number titles with Arsenal including 3 League titles with Arsenal and 4 FA with several other trophies. He made 141 clean sheets in 344 Premier League Appearances most of which was at Arsenal.
3. Mark Schwarzer
This goal keeper can be described as a normad cause he played for many clubs in his career but he became a well Known keeper at Middlesbrough dur to to his performances.
The Autralian goalkeeper played a total of 332 games for Borough in the Premier League before moving to Fulham.
Mark made a total of 514 Premier League appearances being the only non Bristish player to go above the 500 Mark and he made as many as 151 clean sheets during career in the Premier League.
2. David James
Another normad goalkeeper on our list of the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the Premier League history. HE also appears to be the 4 most loyal player in the Premier League as he made 572 appearances in the Premier League.
David james made a total of 169 clean sheets in his 572 games in the Premier League.
1. Petr Cech
And finally here comes the long awaited goalkeeper that sits at the 1st spot of this our list of goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the Premier League. He played for 2 clubs during his career in England ( Chelsea and Arsenal).
Cech was often considered as one of the best goalkeepers of his era and also one of the greatest goalkeepers in European history.
He holds a good number of records as a goalkeeper such as reaching 100 clean sheets in the fewest number of matches possible ( 180 games).
Petr Cech sits alone in the 200 mark of clean sheets, he made 202 clean sheets in 443 Premier League appearances; 162 for Chelsea and 40 for Arsenal and he also stands as the only and first goalkeeper to achieve more than 200 clean sheets.
Final Thoughts on Premier League Goalkeepers With Most Clean Sheets
The Premier League has witnessed some of the finest goalkeepers in football history, and these shot-stopping heroes have left their mark through their incredible clean sheet records.
From the commanding presence of Petr Čech to the acrobatics of David James, these goalkeepers have showcased their skills, consistency, and determination to keep their nets untouched. Their clean sheet records serve as a testament to their greatness and their invaluable contributions to their respective clubs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best front three in Premier League history?
Firmino forged a formidable relationship alongside Mane and Salah, which was considered as one of the most dangerous attacking trios in the Premier League.
Who has the most clean sheets for Barcelona all time?
Barcelona's goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen is currently level at 26 clean sheets in a season.
Which keeper has scored the most goals?
The record for most goals is held by the Brazilian Rogério Ceni, with 131 goals. He scored his 100th goal in a 2–1 win for São Paulo on 27 March 2011.