Manchester United’s Top Best Goalkeepers Of All Time

Manchester United is a huge and traditional club in the world, where legends were born and shine brightly. And the goalkeepers are not the exception. Below are Manchester United’s Top Best Goalkeepers that jointly contributed to the club's success and made history.

#1. Peter Schmeichel

Peter Schmeichel is undoubtedly the most successful and most outstanding goalkeeper of all time in Manchester United. The Danish football player became a legend in the club thanks to his significant contribution to all his titles with MU.

He joined Man Utd from his country club, Brondby, and Peter Schmeichel would never know he could gain much success like that. Danish goalkeeper was unknown in Man Utd till he contributed mostly to the club on the first national title after 26 years.

In the 1992-1993 season, Peter was one of the main factors who achieved 22 clean-sheet matches and led the club to win the historic League title. The title had been waited for a long time, and this was just the beginning of the following flourishing seasons. He was rewarded the "IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1993 after winning Euro 1992 with Denmark. What a memorable year!

The most unforgettable and successful season in Peter's career was 1998-1999, when MU won the triple titles. The incredible win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League stunned the world. As captain, he managed the team to go through all matches to the finals and won in the “heartbreaking” last minutes.

Legendary Goalkeeper–Peter Schmeichel. Source https://lixi88.live

With an appearance of 191 cm high and 100 kg weigh, Schmeichel’s got the ideal body of a goalkeeper. He is tall and fast. He has excellent reaction and response to block the ball from directions. He is also smart to guess how the opponents choose to kick. He is considered a great, consistent “wall” and final stand of the backline.

With Man Utd, Peter Schmeichel played 292 appearances in the Premier League and 398 matches in total. He also scored one goal in the UEFA League (which was rare for a goalkeeper). He won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup, and one Champions League.

Eight years with Manchester United was the most successful time in his career. Although Peter once had a conflict with Sir Alex Ferguson, he apologized and continued to gain more titles after that. His departure left MU a vast space and it was not until 2005 that MU finally found a satisfying replacement – Edwin Van Der Sar. 

#2. Edwin Van Der Sar

After the departure of "Great Dane" (as Peter Schmeichel), MU struggled to find a deserving man standing in front of the net. There were about ten goalkeepers put into the test for six years after the 1999-2000 season, but none of them was qualified.

And the search could only stop in 2005 when Manchester United had a significant sign with Edwin Van Der Sar. The Dutchman was like a savior to bring back the glory to the Red Devils. With the presence of Van Der Sar, MU was reborn and had a stable form to achieve many titles after that.

The Dutch goalkeeper's most beautiful memory is the “magical night” in Moscow when MU played against Chelsea at the finals. The match was tight after 90 minutes and extra time, which forced two teams to the penalties. In the final round, Van Der Sar got the right direction to block Anelka's shot, which put MU at the top of the Champions League in 2008.

Van Der Sar has an impressive height (197 cm), with long arms and legs. He also has an incredible reaction that helped him block out the shots inside the penalty box. He used his legs very well, and not many goalkeepers have this ability. As you may not know, this skill could both save the team from a distinct goal and start for an encounter attack.

The Dutchman was considered the Best Goalkeeper Of Manchester United since the dynasty of Peter Schmeichel. Over six years, he had 605 matches in Premier League and 819 games in total. Notably, he recorded to keep the clean sheets in 1,302 minutes, which broke the record of the world made by José María Buljubasich in 2005.

Edwin Van Der Sar is a legend, a great man, and the best goalkeeper in Manchester United since the era of Peter Schmeichel. His leaving made a dramatical blank space foreseen by Sir Alex Ferguson. But it was not long till MU found a new man who’s got qualified characters to replace him – David de Gea.

“The Flying Dutchman” – Edwin Van Der Sar. Source https://www.thesun.co.uk

#3. David de Gea

The skinny young Spanish had just turned 20 years old in 2011 when he got huge attention from Sir Alex Ferguson. Who is he? He’s David de Gea – one of the most essential and irreplaceable players in Manchester United at this time.

The Spanish goalkeeper was aimed to be the ideal replacement for legendary Edwin Van Der Sar, and he did it best. The first title he got with MU was the Community Shield Cup when Man Utd beat Man City 3-2 in a dramatic back-to-back winning. After that, De Gea had a good season with Man Utd, but it was not enough for the Premier League title.

David de Gea developed impressively in the 2012-2013 season, bringing Old Trafford the 19th Premier League title. He had great form and played well against the “BIG 4”: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool. Some spectacular saves, both by hands and legs, kept the club going straight to the first finish line.

“The Spider” – David de Gea. Source https://e00-marca.uecdn.es/

When MU was at its darkest nights, De Gea was like the only light to keep the club going. He continuously received the “Manchester United Player of the Year” award for three seasons in a row (7). He was also named a member of the “PFA Team of the Year” for five seasons in a row (2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017). He is irreplaceable at Man Utd.

The Spanish goalkeeper almost joined Real Madrid in 2015 when there was a famous event called “broken fax machine." Things got done, but the last step was canceled at the last minute because the fax machine didn't work. If this had not happened, MU wouldn’t have had such a talented goalkeeper in the world.

By now, De Gea has played 279 games in the Premier League and 366 in total, winning 1 Premier League title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Europa League title.
In conclusion

Manchester United’s Best Goalkeepers in the club's history are undeniable in their contribution and sacrifice. They are always in the “Manucian" fans' hearts and the legend of the Red Devils.

REF:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IFFHS_World%27s_Best_Goalkeeper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Champions_League_Final
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/01/david-de-gea-manchester-united-real-madrid-no-appeal