Every goalkeeper with over 100 Premier League clean sheets

First, Sorensen has a funny main Wikipedia photo that’s just him chilling in a car. Second, he was a fitting heir apparent to the role as top Danish goalkeeper, a role he took from a guy that appears higher on this list. Sorensen wasn’t a top-club keeper, as he spent his time with Sunderland, Aston Villa, and Stoke. However, he still earned 107 clean sheets in 364 games.

From Denmark to Finland. Is there something about Scandinavia and top netminders? Well, there’s only one more Scandinavian after this, so no. Jaaskelainen was a stalwart for Bolton Wanderers from 1997 until 2012, which feels like forever ago given the recent era of Bolton football. To that end, three of the Finn’s seasons with the club were spent in First Division football. Even so, he had 108 clean sheets in the Premier League.

Perhaps the best Irish goalkeeper in history, Given was a star for Newcastle United in net in the 2000s. He was also an iron man, playing in all 38 games in four out of five seasons at one point, plus a lot of UEFA Cup play at that time. Given even got to be part of the early, burgeoning days of the rise of Manchester City, but was gone before things really took off. He had 113 clean sheets.

Speaking of Man City, Ederson is the first active goalkeeper on this list. As such, if we give a number on his by the time you read this there is a real chance the information is a smidge off. What we know is this: The Brazilian has been the top keeper for City during its dynastic run, he’s definitely got more clean sheets than Given, and it will be a little bit before he catches the two guys tied for 14th ahead of him. There, that has us covered.

Maybe it isn’t surprising that City keepers are popping up on this list (though calling Given a “City keeper” is perhaps a misnomer). Hart replaced Given and was, in turn, replaced by Ederson. The English keeper was part of Manchester City’s first two Premier League titles, and four times during that run he won the Premier League’s Golden Glove as top netminder. He had 109 clean sheets with City alone, and 127 total. That’s even though he dipped out to end his career playing for Scottish giants Celtic.

Nobody has played more games for France than Lloris. Even if goalies have longer careers, and even if number-one goalies get rotated out less often, that still speaks to his tremendous skill. Interestingly, Lloris was a one-club man in the Premier League. After coming over from Lyon, he played in 361 Premier League games for Tottenham Hotspur, notching 127 clean sheets in the process.

The mention of a Danish goalkeeper to come surely had you thinking about Schmeichel. He was the guy in goal for Manchester United in the 1990s, which made him probably the most-celebrated goalkeeper in the world during that decade. Of course, in 1999 he was part of the treble-winning team for United. That was also his last year for the club, as he oddly ducked out to go play for Sporting in Portugal. He returned for brief stints with Villa and Man City and ended up with 128 clean sheets.

There was a gap between Schmeichel and van der Sar at Manchester United, as the latter didn’t join the team until 2005. Before he joined Sir Alex Ferguson’s side — and won four league titles — the Dutch goalie was with Fulham. He gained attention with 42 clean sheets with Fulham, but then added 90 more with United for 132 total.

These days, Americans playing, and even excelling, in European football is not unusual, nor is it surprising. For a long time, though, a jaundiced eye was turned toward American footballers, with goalkeepers the first to gain acceptance at bigger clubs. Friedel was early to that reality. He joined Liverpool in 1997, but never really caught on there. However, he became a staple with Blackburn Rovers, and then became an iron man. Like, an all-time iron man. For eight seasons in a row, across three clubs, Friedel didn’t miss a Premier League game. That helped him notch 132 clean sheets as well.

Speaking of American netminders. Friedel was a grinder, the “blue-collar” type that working-class football fans, even skeptical Brits, could accept. Howard arrived younger and with more potential. Also, he was brought in by Alex Ferguson at Man United, which obviously draws attention. Howard did struggle at United, but a move to Everton worked out much better. He would make over 300 appearances with the Toffees, and all in all notched 132 clean sheets. Yes, just like Friedel.

It’s a good thing Reina got those two clean sheets with Aston Villa. Otherwise, he’d have to settle for only having 134 of them, as opposed to 136. Those 134 came, of course, with Liverpool. What’s remarkable is that Reina only appeared in 285 games with Liverpool. His 45.79 clean sheet percentage is the highest of any goalie on this list. The Spanish keeper has bounced all over the place in his career and can currently be found at Como. It is his ninth professional club.

Martyn is an old-school name, and it is worth noting his first three seasons with Crystal Palace predate the Premier League era, so those clean sheets aren’t included. Neither are the ones he picked up in the two seasons he played in the First Division after Palace got relegated. After Martyn left Palace he had a fine run with Leeds (back when it was a perennial Premier League side) and totaled 137 clean sheets.

The keeper whose jersey elicited giggles all over North London, Seaman did not slink into the background with club or country. We also absolutely need to mention he played seven, yes seven, seasons in the First Division back when it was the top flight. A sizable chunk of Seaman’s career came before the debut of the Premier League, including his first two seasons with Arsenal. His 141 clean sheets, 138 with the Gunners, is remarkable as is, but obviously in terms of his full career that number undersells Seaman.

Sometimes de Gea just couldn’t win with United fans, and he had to deal with being the keeper there as the Ferguson era ended and, well, the morass that Man U is in now began to unfold. Sometimes the Spanish keeper had the audacity to let in a questionable goal and, ergo, he was the worst keeper in the history of the game. Or, perhaps, he’s a keeper who made 415 Premier League starts for Manchester United, 45 for Spain, and won two Premier League Golden Gloves. There were no dodgy goals in his 147 clean sheets.

Australia’s all-time top goalkeeper, Schwarzer is the first of three guys with over 150 clean sheets in the Premier League. He had 93 of those with Middlesbrough, which certainly feels like a throwback. Schwarzer also had 56 of his 152 clean sheets with Fulham. Maybe he was never the guy at a big club, but Schwarzer stuck around forever professionally and for his country, who he picked up over 100 caps with.

Clubs didn’t really think to themselves, “We must have David James,” but they would think to themselves, “It’d be good to have David James.” The English netminder played for five Premier League clubs, and that’s not even counting his second-flight seasons with Watford and Bristol City that bookend his time in the Premier League. James stuck around, though, as his 572 Premier League appearances are comfortably the most on this list. Of course, that means his 169 clean sheets don’t make up a sizable percentage of his starts, but that’s still impressive quantity.

You know, Cech is in danger of becoming underrated. People may remember him as a really good goalkeeper, or as the goalkeeper who wore that rugby cap after his skull was fractured from an errant knee to the head. He’s one of the all-time best goalkeepers in the history of the game. Cech is the only goalkeeper with over 200 Premier League clean sheets. He’s blowing the competition away. He won four Golden Gloves, three with Chelsea and one with Arsenal. Cech played 124 times for the Czechs internationally. Also, he’s apparently playing goalie professionally in ice hockey now? Petr Cech rules.