Euro 2024 - Goalkeeper Preview
The UEFA European Football Championship, Euro 2024, is set to unfold across Germany from June 14 to July 14, 2024. And we can't wait to witness some of the world’s top goalkeeper talent at this prestigious tournament.
Keep reading as preview our thoughts on which goalkeepers you should keep an eye on as the chaos unfolds throughout this tournament.
Golden Glove: Jordan Pickford - England
On the back of a premier league campaign that saw Pickford keep an impressive 13 clean sheets for 15th-placed Everton, the English shot-stopper is our best bet for the Golden Glove award at this upcoming tournament.
England go into this tournament as one of the favourites, after coming agonisingly close on home soil 4 years earlier. Pickford starred for the Three Lions last time out, conceding only 2 goals in the entire tournament, including 2 saves in the penalty shootout in the final. He may not be the one making pre-tournament headlines for England, given the attacking talent at the other end of the pitch, but if the Three Lions are to have any kind of success in Germany over the next month, Pickford will have to find that form that helped his nation reach the final last time out.
“Pickford starred for the Three Lions last time out, conceding only 2 goals in the entire tournament”
Ones to Watch: Manual Neuer & Marc-Andre ter Stegan - Germany
The host nation, Germany, has a long list of goalkeeping talent. Oliver Khan. Jans Lehnmann. Sepp Maier. The list goes on. And this tournament is no different. Neuer and Ter Stegan, who ply their trade for club teams Bayern Munich & Barcelona respectively, will be battling it out once again to gain the starting spot for the host nation.
10 years on from their World Cup win in Brazil, Germany come into this tournament as an outside chance to win it all on home soil. Neuer was a stand-out performer for the Germans when they triumphed to World Cup glory, while also finding himself ranked 3rd in the Ballon d’Or. Behind only Ronaldo and Messi… obviously!
Ter Stegan has taken a slightly different career path to Neuer. In 2014 Ter Stegan left Germany to join Spanish giants Barcelona, in which he quickly cemented himself as one of the best keepers in the world through his aggressive ‘sweeper-keeper’ style of play, similar to that of his fellow countryman. 400 appearances, 5 League Titles, and 1 Champions League trophy later, Ter Stegan continues to stake his claim as one of Germany’s finest.
Only German Coach Julian Nagelsmann will know whether Neuer or Ter Stegan starts. However, we are sure that either keeper that is selected will play a major role in leading the Germans to glory.
Rising Star: Bart Verbruggen - Netherlands
Brighton Hove & Albion have themselves a super talent in Bart Verbruggen. The 21-year-old has enjoyed an impressive maiden campaign in the English Premier League keeping 4 clean sheets in 21 starts. Verbruggan also managed the 6th best save % in the premier league at 72.5%. Not bad for someone who was playing in the Belgium second division less than 2 years ago!
The Dutch have flown under the radar during the qualifying stages for this tournament. However, with a world-class defence that includes the likes of Virgil Van Dijk, Micky Van de Ven, Nathan Ake, Jeremie Frimpong, and Matthijs de Ligt - we think the Dutch could be a serious contender for this tournament. If Verbruggen continues to step up like he did for Brighton this season, there’s no reason why the Netherlands can’t go all the way!
“Verbruggen managed the 6th best save percentage in the premier league this season at 72.5%”
Dark Horse: Yann Sommer - Switzerland
On the back of a title-winning season with Inter Milan, in which the 35-year-old Swiss conceded only 19 goals and kept 19 clean sheets, Yann Sommer goes into what must be his last Euro’s as our dark horse. The Switzerland national team have performed admirably in their recent euros campaigns, having made the round of 16 and quarter-finals in 2016 and 2020 respectively. However, they have failed to kick on and capitalise on such performances in recent years.
Sommers' heroics in Euro 2020 were highlighted by his decisive penalty save against France's star Kylian Mbappe, knocking the international powerhouse out of the tournament. The Swiss will be banking on Sommer's experience and penalty-saving expertise to help guide his nation to achieve European success.
We can’t wait to watch these top goalkeepers in action at Euro 2024. In a few days, Jordan Pickford, Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Bart Verbruggen, and Yann Sommer will showcase their skills on Europe’s biggest international stage. Following in the footsteps of past champions like Gigi Donnarumma, Iker Casillas, and Peter Schmeichel, these keepers have the opportunity to cement themselves in goalkeeping folklore.
The Goalkeepers’ View
