Approaching the 2016 European Championship, Bleacher Report will review and rank the top 200 players of the tournament, according to their positions. The first review - the goalkeeper position, which is undoubtedly one of the most important positions in football, and in this championship there will be no shortage of stars in this position. The ranking is made up of two categories: one made up of game reading (positioning, leading defenders, catching the ball, and self-confidence), and the other made up of shot-stopping (reactions, ball distribution, reflexes, and error avoidance). Each player in each of these categories can receive a maximum of 50 points, and by adding up the points obtained in both categories, the ranking of European Championship goalkeepers was compiled. In the second part of this review, the top ten goalkeepers are presented. You can read about the goalkeepers in positions 11-20 by clicking on this link. 10. Bernd Leno - Germany Game reading: 39/50 Starting his career in the reserve team of 'Stuttgart', Leno moved to 'Bayer' in 2011. Starting as the first-team goalkeeper at the age of 19, he has already played almost three hundred matches in his five-year career. Except for one of the worst goals he conceded in a season, Leno usually plays well with his feet. He is remarkably calm and focused compared to other goalkeepers of his age. Statistics say that he struggles to make long passes, but unlike his compatriot Kevin Trapp, he seeks out not Zlatan Ibrahimović, but the lesser-known Javier Hernandez in attack. Shot-stopping: 42/50 Having, probably, the ideal height for a goalkeeper, Leno is not only tall enough to cover the goalmouth, but also very quick, often breaking opponent counterattacks. His speed is visible not only in speed and reflexes but also in decision-making. Many young goalkeepers make unnecessary risky decisions, but Leno almost always remains cool and rarely makes mistakes. 'Bayer' had the third-best defense in the 'Bundesliga' and their young goalkeeper is one of the key reasons for this achievement. Overall rating: 81/100 Leno, like other young German talents, is also waiting for Neuer to step down from the starting goalkeeper position. When the Bayern goalkeeper decides to retire or is surpassed by younger players, at least five other great keepers will compete for this position. This European Championship may not offer any of them a chance to shine, but looking ahead, Leno is one of the most serious candidates to become the main national team goalkeeper. 9. Steve Mandanda - France Game reading: 38/50 'Marseille' had a tragic 2015-2016 season. They finished a dismal 13th, and the team captain Mandanda should take some responsibility on his shoulders. However, the 31-year-old player was recognized as the 'Ligue 1' goalkeeper of the year, and playing 50 matches in this season he was certainly not the worst player in his team. Shot-stopping: 45/50 While Mandanda did not have the best season defending his team, he is naturally good at shot-stopping. In his best years, Mandanda was one of the best goalkeepers in the world in terms of reaction and reflexes. His nine 'dry' goals in 36 matches may not look as impressive, but throughout his career, he has conceded only 110 of 334 goals in 'Ligue 1' matches. Overall rating: 83/100 Mandanda is an experienced goalkeeper who has always been in the shadow of Hugo Lloris. However, if we were to only look at backup goalkeepers, the Frenchman would be, if not the best, at least one of the best. 8. Iker Casillas - Spain Game reading: 41/50 Iker Casillas has become one of the most accomplished goalkeepers in football history in his career. This season, after 16 years at 'Real' club, the Spaniard decided to join neighboring Portugal's 'Porto' team. To qualify for next year's Champions League, Casillas did not concede a goal 13 times. The 35-year-old veteran, while not the player he was five years ago, has shown once again that he can still be the main goalkeeper. Shot-stopping: 42/50 Since his breakthrough into the 'Real' team, Casillas has been known for his incredible reflexes and intuition. The longer his career, the less noticeable these skills become, but this is nothing new and surprising - such changes are always seen when a player crosses the thirty-year mark. The Spaniard is making more and more mistakes, but over his career, he has earned such a reputation that his errors are simply considered a credit to good offense. Overall rating: 83/100 Looking at the European Championship, it becomes interesting whether Casillas's past merits will still help him find a place in Vicente Del Bosque's team. Will the coach of the team that has won the championship twice in a row decide to bench the veteran and let David De Gea play instead? De Gea would be more useful for the Spanish team, but this decision may not be as simple as it seems to most football fans. 7. Joe Hart - England Game reading: 43/50 For the past two seasons, Joe Hart's career at 'Manchester City' was hanging by a thread. After letting in a late goal by Fernando Torres, he later spent a month on the bench. Hart was later reinstated in the starting lineup, and his improved form helped the 'Citizens' win the 2013-2014 'Premier' league champions title. Since that moment, the 29-year-old player has become a truly solid goalkeeper. Hart does not hold back in expressing his opinions and comments to defenders, thus organizing his defending teammates, and he fearlessly competes for high balls without hesitation. Shot-stopping: 43/50 Hart's most underrated aspect of his game is his reflexes. This player, who is not known as an athletic player, is actually much faster than most imagine. His height also helps him - when he goes for the ball, it usually just hits him. If he ever misses, Hart usually does it near the near post. The Englishman also assesses the situation excellently and decides properly when to catch the ball, when to punch it, and when to just let it go past the goal. This trait helps the team avoid unnecessary corners and gives defenders the added advantage while defending. Overall rating: 86/100 If there were any doubts about who would be England's first-choice goalkeeper, after Jack Butland's injury, they have completely disappeared. England has taken a slightly rejuvenated lineup to the tournament, with many players making their debut in the championship, so the stable performance of the experienced 'Manchester City' player in goal will be even more crucial. 6. Hugo Lloris - France Game reading: 43/50 Before arriving in England, Lloris successfully guarded the goal for the 'Lyon' team. However, he probably had his best chance to win the title when he seriously fought for the 'Premier' league gold with 'Tottenham Hotspur'. Playing as a sweeper-keeper, Lloris expertly takes up the right positions. His quick movements off the goal line and excellent ball flight anticipation were one of the key elements in the team's defense. His only flaw is playing off the line. Sometimes his reckless actions put the team in an uncomfortable situation, but his excellent interception of counterattacks negates all his shortcomings in starting an attack. Shot-stopping: 46/50 Lloris is one of the most agile goalkeepers in the world with incredible reflexes. His constant surprising shot-stopping often changes the course of the game in his team's favor. The French national team member could improve by making decisions between catching the ball and punching it, but compared to other goalkeepers, there are certainly not many better players in Europe in this position. Overall rating: 89/100 Lloris will be the goalkeeper who will need to deal with, perhaps, the biggest pressure in this championship. However, his stellar season at 'Tottenham' should give him confidence and be reflected in his game. The hosts are one of the favorites to win the championship, and Lloris's reliable play in the goal will greatly contribute to their success. 5. Petr Cech - Czech Republic Game reading: 45/50 Throughout his ten seasons as the main goalkeeper for 'Chelsea', no one could have imagined that Cech would now be playing for the key rivals, 'Arsenal'. But football can sometimes be unpredictable. The Czech national player added quality to the 'Gunners' goalkeeper position, but he was the only such purchase, and in the 2015-2016 season, they did not have enough to win the title. Although Cech is still one of the best goalkeepers in the 'Premier' league, the solid 'Chelsea' defense has contributed significantly to his success in this team. However, with time, his leadership qualities and game reading should help improve the 'Arsenal' defense. Sometimes Cech is deceived by crosses, and his playing in the air is completely unpredictable. Sometimes he makes just terrible decisions, and sometimes all of his decisions are perfect. Shot-stopping: 45/50 Shot-stopping is the category where Cech has been unrivaled for many years. However, in recent seasons, it can be seen that he regressed slightly in this category. A perfect example of this would be the matches this season against 'Manchester City' and 'West Ham United'. In these matches, shots that were supposed to be stopped found their way into the 'Arsenal' goal. Does this mean that Cech is descending from the ranks of world-class goalkeepers, or 'Arsenal' defenders perform worse at the functions performed by 'Chelsea' players in this position? Probably both contribute to this. Nevertheless, if you want a goalkeeper who can stop an 11-meter penalty shot, you want to choose the 'Arsenal' goalkeeper. Overall rating: 90/100 Throughout his career, Cech, with his national team, has not underestimated and has reached the semifinal stage only once. Although he could still play in the next World Cup or even other European tournaments, the time for the experienced goalkeeper is running out for him to win something major with the national team. 4. Thibaut Courtois - Belgium Game reading: 44/50 Courtois had a really bad 2015-2016 season. 'Chelsea' in the English championship had a very leaky defense, and one of the culprits was the team's goalkeeper. Getting two red cards during the season and not playing for ten weeks due to injury, the Belgian could call his season the best-case scenario. Although he was not the only reason for 'Chelsea's' poor game, Courtois was certainly not himself. Playing for 'Gent', 'Atletico', and for a year before that for 'Chelsea', the 24-year-old player was controlling the penalty area securely, catching all high balls, and leading the whole team defense. But in this chaotic season, we could only see his type of play by looking at videos from previous seasons. Shot-stopping: 47/50 The two-meter-tall goalkeeper, despite his height, is surprisingly athletic. He can reach balls that are flying to all four corners of the goal, and it looks like when he sees a shot, he always saves it. The combination of his height, reflexes, and good intuition makes him almost unbeatable. Or at least it should make him. This season, we saw his struggles with shots. Perhaps his injury was more problematic than it seemed to everyone? Edinson Cavani's goal in the Champions League could be used as an excellent example that this could be true. Overall rating: 91/100 A few bad months cannot take away from four incredibly good seasons of a player. Ultimately, his performance in the 2014-2015 season was so convincing that 'Chelsea' persuaded to sell Petr Cech. The Belgian national team has a lot of talent and little experience. Their team is no longer a surprise contender, they are one of the contenders for the title. To dream about the title, or at least the final, they will have to hope that Courtois returns to the form he showed the four years before this unsuccessful season. 3. Gianluigi Buffon - Italy Game reading: 49/50 'Juventus' won the fifth 'Serie A' champions title in a row this season. They hadn't achieved such a feat since the 1930s. Since the 2011-2012 season, there have been many changes in the club, but one thing was stable in this team - Gianluigi Buffon reliably guarded the goal. Having played almost a thousand matches in clubs and the national team, the goalkeeper is certainly among the best goalkeepers of all time, and he remains so at the age of 38. Buffon is arguably the perfect leader, who always communicates and leads the defensive line. World champion and seven 'Serie A' champions titles only confirm his mastery. Shot-stopping: 44/50 In previous years, this statistic of Buffon would be very close to 50. However, the time to beat him has not come, and he does not. Still possessing good reflexes, the Italian no longer has the reaction that made him the most expensive goalkeeper globally 15 years ago. Even if his abilities have deteriorated in a few areas, it did not prevent him from being an excellent shot-stopper. Buffon surpasses any other goalkeeper in the world with knowledge and experience, and this helps him occupy such a position, nullifying any loss of athleticism. Overall rating: 93/100 Can the legendary 'Juventus' player play for two more years in the national team and go to the seventh World Cup finals, which would be a record in that tournament? It is possible. He could ask to be included in this tournament, even losing his starting goalkeeper position, and he would certainly deserve it. However, perhaps this European Championship is Buffon's last tournament with the Italian national team. If Buffon maintains the form he showed in club football at the European Championship, the Italian national team's goal will be in safe hands. 2. David De Gea - Spain Game reading: 45/50 People often talk about 'Atletico's' ability to find excellent defenders and help them excel, but don't ignore their work with goalkeepers. Jan Oblak and Thibaut Courtois were the last goalkeepers to flourish at the club, but before them shone David De Gea. After moving to 'Manchester United' in his first season, the Spaniard did not look so good, but Sir Alex Ferguson believed in the young goalkeeper's abilities. After a tough first season, De Gea adjusted to English football and significantly improved his game reading and aerial play. Shot-stopping: 50/50 There is no debate - De Gea is the best in the world when it comes to shot-stopping. His acrobatic saves and reflexes are unmatched by any other goalkeeper globally. Some say that opponents simply shoot into 'United goalkeeper'. It should be an insulting statement, but it is actually true, and it happens because of De Gea's incredible talent in anticipating future opponent actions, which hardly anyone can match. Overall rating: 95/100 If we were to only look at the abilities - De Gea should be Spain's main national team goalkeeper and no one would argue about it. It could even be said that he is the best goalkeeper in the world, but Vicente del Bosque still trusts Casillas. Before these championships, De Gea played only three Euro qualification matches. Will this continue at the European Championship? Casillas still remains the captain, but he is certainly no longer the best goalkeeper in Spain. Will this be important for the national team coach? We will only see at the start of the European championships. 1. Manuel Neuer - Germany Game reading: 49/50 Manuel Neuer rose to prominence at 'Schalke', but as the best goalkeeper on the planet, he established himself at 'Bayern'. Over the past five seasons, he has been one of the key reasons for Bavarian success in both domestic leagues and European tournaments. Perfecting the role of a sweeper-keeper, in recent seasons Neuer, coached by Pep Guardiola, has become an even more important player in the team. Over his career, he has been recognized for his ability to lead the defense, and he always demonstrates exemplary concentration. Excellent hands and self-confidence for a goalkeeper are very important, and this 30-year-old player certainly has both. Shot-stopping: 48/50 In addition to his excellent control of the team defense, the main advantages of Neuer include the ability to anticipate approaching dangers. When he fails to use his speed skills to intercept a ball in a fast counterattack, Neuer relies on his reflexes, which are also excellent. While in all the teams he represents, they are usually the ones who are more likely to test the opposing goalkeepers, many times his aura creates such doubts that opponents simply do not believe they can break his defense. Overall rating: 97/100 There are many goalkeepers who do some things better than Neuer or have more innate talent. However, there is not a single one in the world who has everything that the German has. Both Germany and 'Bayern' benefit from an aggressive goalkeeper playing style, and this benefit is best reflected in their trophy wins.
