Several top goalkeepers in the Premier League have been forgotten, despite their notable form.
Being a goalkeeper sometimes does not always get the same spotlight as the outfield players. They are often forgotten, especially if they only thrived for one or two seasons. Consistency remains the key to being well remembered.
In the past, especially before the mid-2000s or before the official Golden Glove award was introduced in the Premier League, the notable goalies the fans might remember were Arsenal’s Jens Lehmann and his predecessor, David Seaman. Their archrival, Manchester United, could boast themselves with Peter Schmeichel between the sticks. Each had made the most clean sheets of the season, which would have made them receive the Golden Glove awards, should they have existed. Lehmann did it in 2003/04, or when Arsenal became the ‘invincible’ as they were unbeaten while winning the league. Seaman even did it twice in the 1993/94 season and 1998/99 season, whereas The Great Dane, Peter Schmeichel, managed to do it three times in the 1994/95, 1995/96, and 1997/98 campaigns.
Besides those famous names, some other less well-known ones deserve recognition as well since they have been part of the Premier League history in some way. Here are those top but forgotten goalies in EPL history.
Nigel Martyn
He was more well known as David Seaman’s understudy in The Three Lions. Yet, he was more than England’s second-choice shot-stopper in the 1990s and early 2000s. Nigel Martyn managed to keep the most clean sheets in the Premier League twice, in the 1996/97 and 2001/02 seasons. He was able to have 19 and 18 clean sheets, respectively. What's even more surprising was that his team, Leeds United, only finished 11th in the standings in the former season, whereas in the latter one, they sat fifth.
Martyn was part of the Whites’ last golden generation squad when they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2000 and the Champions League final four in 2001. It was a shocking performance from the team, which relied on their youngsters more than any club at that time. Unfortunately, he was not able to win any silverware for them.
In 2003, he signed for Everton. Despite being the senior player in the squad, Martyn was still able to show his quality between the sticks. In the 2004/05 campaigns, the former Crystal Palace goalie was heavily involved in bringing The Toffees to finish fourth, their highest position in the Premier League era, even though he was already 38 years old. He did his part to keep Everton tickets in high demand at that time.
Sander Westerveld
The Dutch goalkeeper was part of Liverpool’s squad when they won the treble, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the UEFA Cup in 2001. The former Twente goalkeeper helped the Reds finish third in that season and made the most clean sheets of the season by 14 games. Westerveld was not the only one who made the same clean sheet record in the 2000–01 campaign. He shared it with Manchester United’s Fabian Barthez and Southampton’s Paul Jones.
Sadly, his spell in England ended in the early 2001/02 season as he made an error in a game versus Bolton Wanderers. The Dutch were soon benched and sold to Real Sociedad, only to loan out to Real Mallorca before switching sides to Portsmouth, Everton, Almeria, Sparta Rotterdam, and Monza in the lower tier before he hung his boots.
Westerveld was never unable to be the first choice for the Netherlands in major international tournaments, such as the EURO and FIFA World Cup, due to Edwin Van der Sar’s consistent form. Westerveld only earned six international caps; all were friendly games.
Brad Friedel
He was one of the best yet underrated goalkeepers in the Premier League. The former USMNT international in the 1990s and 2000s had been with four different EPL clubs: Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham. His longest stint was in Blackburn, as he stayed for eight years in Ewood Park. It was also in Blackburn that he made the most clean sheets in the top flight. Back in the 2002/03 campaigns, he made 15 clean sheets as well as helped Graeme Souness’s men finish sixth on the table. In the previous season, he also contributed to winning their last silverware, the EFL League Cup, after beating Spurs 2-1 in the final. The former Galatasaray man also brought Aston Villa to the final in the 2010 edition. Yet this time they were unable to beat Manchester United. The Villans slumped to a 2-1 defeat.
At the international stage, Friedel was the key player in the USMNT's success in the Copa America 1995 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1999, where they reached the semi-finals, and in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when they last advanced to the quarterfinals. However, the shot-stopper with 82 international caps decided to retire from international football quite early in 2005.
Ed de Goey
None, or very few, would probably remember this towering goalkeeper. Before the rise of Edwin Van Der Sar, he was the mainstay of De Oranje in the mid-1990s. He was the first choice on Dick Advocaat’s side during the 1994 FIFA World Cup campaign. He was capped 31 times in the international fixture.
The former Feyenoord man joined Chelsea in the summer of 1997 and stayed at Stamford Bridge for six years before he moved to Stoke City in 2003 when they still competed in the second tier. De Goey had stunning form in the 1999/2000 season when he made the most clean sheets in the Premier League in 16 games. He was also a key figure when they won the FA Cup in the same season. Unfortunately, Chelsea only finished fifth in the standings and missed the Champions League spot.
Previously, De Goey helped The Blues clinch the Winners Cup, League Cup, and UEFA Super Cup titles in 1998. He also won the league title and four Dutch Cups with Feyenoord from 1991 to 1995. He is currently working as a goalkeeping coach for the local club, VOC Rotterdam.
