Real Madrid: Ranking the 5 best goalkeepers in club history
Ranking players in Real Madrid is particularly challenging because their teams have always been star-studded. The goalkeeper position has seen a lot of transition through over a century of glorious history. It is no surprise that several promising names may be missed, even the current man between the sticks, Thibaut Courtois. He is a fine talent and has been decisive for Los Blancos and would surely make it into this list in the future. On that note, here is a compiled list of the five best goalkeepers in Real Madrid’s history.
5. Keylor Navas
One of the more recent names to have piloted the responsibility between the sticks for Real Madrid is Keylor Navas. A Costa Rican international, Navas was brought into the club on a six-year deal in 2014 after his incredible World Cup while Iker Casillas still had the gloves on for Los Blancos. He took a little time to shine at Madrid and could only reach his best after the big Spaniard departed for Porto.
Navas inherited the No. 1 jersey after a swap deal with Manchester United’s David de Gea fell apart due to untimely paperwork. Once, he had reserved his permanent spot between the sticks, there was no going back. The Costa Rican was all among the records while his time in Madrid and became one of the best keepers in the league for the seasons that he played.
He surpassed several records like being the only non-Spanish keeper to go past 100 appearances in LaLiga for Real Madrid and the first and only Costa Rican player to win the Champions League. He won three Champions League titles, one Copa del Rey, four FIFA Club World Cups, and three UEFA Super Cups with Real Madrid before joining PSG in 2019.
He makes it into this list riding on his terrific performances that led to three Champions League titles for Real Madrid. There are uncountable instances when the team depended upon Navas’s brilliance between the sticks, the Champions League final against Liverpool in 2018 is one such example and the current PSG-man produced many more similar shows in the Royal White kit.