Goalkeepers are not as revered as their outfield counterparts, but their role is as important as any other position in football.
Today their role is evolving, and coaches are even demanding more from modern-day goalkeepers, especially in the top leagues around Europe.
A case in point is the Premier League where coaches have redefined the roles and expectations of goaltenders. To be highly rated, the custodians of the goalposts must possess some skills to play modern football.
However, their traditional roles of shot-stopping and making saves are still very relevant. Being one of the best football leagues in the world, the Premier League has seen some of the greatest shot-stoppers in the sport.
In this article, we will examine the goalkeepers with the most number of clean sheets in the English top flight.
10. Tim Howard (132 Clean Sheets)
Tim Howard is one of the best American goalkeepers ever, and he also managed to achieve cult hero status at Goodison Park where he featured in hundreds of Premier League matches for Everton.
He started his sojourn in the Premier League with Manchester United, but he soon became back-up goalkeeper to Edwin van der Sar in the 2005/2006 season.
The arrival of Van der Sar limited his playing time, which limited the American to 45 appearances for Manchester United.
Due to his lack of game time, he moved on to Everton, where he kept 116 clean sheets in 329 appearances.
The former American number one is now a pundit. Because of his reputation as an outstanding pundit, he became an ambassador of BetMGM. BetMGM is a top online betting destination in the United States.
Part of his responsibility is to promote the sportsbook’s offering plus the BetMGM bonus regarded as one of the best sports betting bonuses in the United States.
He has been featured in many adverts promoting the BetMGM bonus- one of the most popular offers in America.
9. Brad Friedel (132 Clean Sheets)
Brad Friedel is one of the first goalkeepers to play in the Premier League. He joined Liverpool in 1997/1998 from the United States, but he left Anfield four seasons later before he establish himself as a top goalkeeper.
After his three years spell at Liverpool, he signed for Blackburn Rovers, where played for eight seasons.
He kept 77 clean sheets at Blackburn and added more clean sheets to his name playing for other clubs like Tottenham Hotspur before he called time on his career.
8. Edwin van der Sar (132 Clean Sheets)
Dutchman Edwin van der Sar started his Premier League career with Fulham after he left the Dutch Eredivisie.
His performance for the Cottagers caught the attention of Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed him for the English giants. The former Ajax man racked up 132 clean sheets while playing in England.
7. David De Gea (133 Clean Sheets)
Spaniard David De Gea started his career with Atletico Madrid before switching to Manchester United in England in 2011.
He became United’s first choice goalkeeper for over a decade before finally leaving in the summer of 2023.
The former Atletico man had an outstanding campaign in the 2017/2018 season in which he managed to keep 18 clean sheets from 37 appearances.
De Gea was outstanding for so many years, racking up 133 clean sheets while playing for Manchester United.
6. Pepe Reina (136 Clean sheets)
Pepe Reina is the second Spaniard to make it to the top 10 goalkeepers with the most clean sheets.
Reina was outstanding in the colors of Liverpool. As a result, he is now considered a Liverpool legend. The former Spanish international made 285 appearances for the Reds and got 134 clean sheets.
Six years after he left the shores of England, he returned to join Aston Villa on loan, and he kept two more clean sheets in 12 appearances.
5. Nigel Martyn (137 Clean Sheets)
Only a couple of English goalkeepers can boast the number of clean sheets Martyn has in his name. He is one of only two English men in the top ten.
He played over 400 matches in the English top flight for two different clubs. But he made his mark at Leeds United. While with the Lillywhites, he kept 82 clean sheets in 207 appearances.
He moved on to Everton later and saw out his career at Goodison Park.
4. David Seaman (141 Clean Sheets)
David Seaman is an England and Arsenal legend. He was a giant between the sticks for Arsenal in the 1990s. His longevity saw him make over 400 appearances for the North London club.
The former England goalkeeper kept 138 clean sheets for Arsenal and a further 3 for Manchester City before he drew the curtain on his career.
3. Mark Schwarzer ( 151 Clean Sheets)
Mark Schwarzer is one of many Australians who had outstanding Premier League careers.
The Aussie made over 500 appearances in the English top flight. But he was outstanding at Middlesbrough where he played 366 times with 92 clean sheets in his name.
Schwarzer, along with the likes of Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, and Tim Cahill are Australia”s biggest Premier League exports.
2. David James (169 Clean Sheets)
Former Portsmouth and England goalkeeper ranks highly on the list of goalkeepers with the highest number of premier league clean sheets.
James played for five teams in the league, and he managed to hold on to the number one spot in each of those clubs. He retired from the game more than a decade ago.
1. Petr Cech (202 Clean sheets)
Petr Cech tops the list of goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the Premier League. And he stands head and shoulders above other goalkeepers on this list.
He is the only goalkeeper to rack up to 200 clean sheets in Premier League history. Cech played for London giants Chelsea and later Arsenal in the twilight of his career.
In over 15 years of playing in the Premier League he recorded a stellar 202 clean sheets.