Is there any better sight in football than seeing a goalkeeper come up for a corner?
Everyone watches in anticipation, hoping to see the impossible happen right before our eyes.
Most of the time, the corner is cleared, and that’s that. But, on the rare occasion, we see our unlikely hero emerge à la Jimmy Glass.
But who from the Premier League is most likely to provide us with this almost unprecedented moment? Here is a ranking of every starting Premier League goalkeeper based on their goalscoring ability.
20) Sam Johnstone – West Bromwich Albion
Goalkeepers using their feet? Big Sam doesn’t like any of that tippy-tappy nonsense. Get back on your line and do your job.
19) Lukasz Fabianski – West Ham United
As the oldest starting goalkeeper in the Premier League, Fabianski is likely the most old-fashioned. He’ll be staying in his six-yard box.
18) Aaron Ramsdale – Sheffield United
The former Bournemouth man finishes third-bottom on this list. Mainly because Sheffield United have no one capable of creating a chance for him.
17) Karl Darlow – Newcastle United
Couldn’t even score a goal during his loan spell in the Conference. Pathetic, Karl. PATHETIC.
16) Alex McCarthy – Southampton
The last Premier League goal scored by a goalkeeper came against Southampton. Is that relevant? Not particularly. 16th place for you, Alex.
15) Bernd Leno – Arsenal
In terms of goalscoring, nothing about Bernd Leno really stands out one way or another. The German goes in 15th by default.
14) Edouard Mendy – Chelsea
Was stuck between Leno and Mendy for 14th place. Pitched the question to the Sportslens team, who concluded that Mendy “seems a bit crazier” and was “more likely to chuck himself at a last minute corner”.
13) Robert Sanchez – Brighton and Hove Albion
No-one was expecting Robert Sanchez to force Mat Ryan out of the AMEX. Must have been his goalscoring prowess that earned him a starting XI spot.
12) David de Gea – Manchester United
Good at making saves with his feet. Maybe he can try kick-saving it into the back of the opposition’s net.
11) Hugo Lloris – Tottenham Hotspur
Pro: loves coming off his line.
Con: Mourinho won’t let anyone other than Kane and Son in the final third.
The World Cup winner narrowly misses out on the top half.
10) Vicente Guaita – Crystal Palace
Scored a goal last season. Unfortunately it was in the wrong net. Still closer than anyone else on this list has come.
9) Alphonse Areola – Fulham
More like Alphonse AreGOALa! (…sorry)
You can’t play for Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain without having an eye for goal. Well…you probably can if you’re a goalkeeper, but hey.
8) Nick Pope – Burnley
Much like Allardyce, Sean Dyche also isn’t fond of playing out from the back, so Nick Pope’s technical ability suffers. However, he is about 90 feet tall, so he could be useful for a last minute set piece.
7) Rui Patricio – Wolverhampton Wanderers
Patricio is the only man on this list to have played with Cristiano Ronaldo. Maybe he’s picked up a thing or two.
6) Illan Meslier – Leeds United
Illan Meslier is the youngest starting goalkeeper in the Premier League, which makes him the most likely to do something wild according to my prejudiced mind. Expect a Maradona-esque solo goal soon.
5) Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa
Five of the top six goalscoring goalkeepers of all time are South American. That’s gotta count for something, right?
4) Alisson – Liverpool
Despite his horror show against Manchester City last weekend, Alisson is usually pretty reliable with his feet. Once recorded an assist against Manchester United, too.
Although, if Jurgen Klopp is looking for goals from his ‘keeper, he’d be better off going for Adrian.
3) Jordan Pickford – Everton
England fans may remember Jordan Pickford emphatically dispatching a penalty in the UEFA Nations League third place play-off shootout against Switzerland in 2019. Then again, they may not.
2) Kasper Schmeichel – Leicester City
Peter Schmeichel is one of only five goalkeepers to score a Premier League goal. In fact, he netted 11 times in his illustrious career.
Kasper is yet to bag one as of now, but he is able to kick the ball further than most.
1) Ederson – Manchester City
Was there ever going to be any other winner?
Ederson is excellent with his feet, loves to come off his line, and is apparently the best penalty taker at Man City. Given their recent struggles from the spot, it can’t be long until the Brazilian steps up to take one.
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