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Liverpool have been blessed with some truly exceptional goalkeepers
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A trio of number ones dominated the position for the latter half of the 20th century
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Their present custodian Alisson might one day be viewed as their greatest ever
From their rise under Bill Shankley to a modern-day makeover in the Klopp-era, Liverpool have been blessed with some truly outstanding goalkeepers, several of which are celebrated below.
Impressively, across a vast period of time that easily covers three decades and more, the Reds’ goal was guarded by just a trio of great stoppers, with a couple of able deputies filling in when required, and if the turn-over has quickened in recent times, presently they possess a number one who might one day be viewed as the best of the lot.
Under Alisson Becker, Liverpool finally won their first Premier League crown in 2020. Our Premier League predictions have them firmly in the mix this term too.
Current Liverpool Goalkeepers
Alisson Becker’s importance to Jurgen Klopp’s Red revolution has been somewhat underplayed, perhaps over-shadowed by the goal-scoring exploits of Liverpool’s formidable front three.
This is ironic given that the Brazilian is in an exclusive club of goalkeepers to score a Premier League goal, heading a dramatic 95th minute winner in 2021 against West Brom.
Regardless, the 6ft 3 number one has been a superb acquisition for the Merseyside giants since he joined from Roma in 2018 for a world record fee at the time.
Indeed, it could be reasonably argued that the substantial £66.8 million can be considered a bargain in hindsight.
Alisson is a highly proficient shot-stopper, blessed with a finely tuned positional reading while his ‘sweeping’ up of danger makes him a thoroughly modern exponent of his craft.
Not only is he one of the best goalkeepers in the EPL, many believe him to be the finest in the world at present.
Nicknamed ‘O Goleiro Gato’ is his homeland – which translates as ‘the cat-like goalkeeper’ – Alisson’s reactive saves have played a pivotal role in his team’s recent successes, that include a Champions League triumph in 2019 and the club’s first ever Premier League title a season later.
He is destined to be Liverpool’s chief custodian for many years to come.
Battling it out to be the South American’s main understudy is Adrian and Caoimhin Kelleher, the latter of whom Klopp has turned to in recent times, trusting the 22-year-old Irish stopper more due to a handful of reliable displays.
On three occasions the talent from Cork has kept nets in the Premier League, keeping two clean sheets, and with a brace of shut-outs in the Champions League too, his future looks extremely bright.
By way of comparison, his rival Adrian must first seek to redeem his past.
A string of individual errors and poor performances has seen the former West Ham keeper pushed towards the rear of the queue and though his manager is quick to point out his many attributes, it seems the 34-year-old has lost the trust of the Kop.
As Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius can each attest, it’s very hard to gain that back. Speaking of which, it’s surprising to learn that Karius remains on the club’s books, returning last summer from his latest loan stint in Germany.
The gaffe-prone keeper is fourth in line for a starting spot and is unlikely for feature for the Reds anytime soon.
Best Liverpool Goalkeepers
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Ray Clemence
The Skegness-born stopper remarkably only missed six games for the Reds across 11 years, a decade that saw Liverpool dominate both the domestic scene and accumulate multiple continental honours.
Clemence would have easily won considerably more than 61 England caps had his peak not coincided with Peter Shilton’s but at Anfield he reigned supreme, a class act whose unflappable style of goalkeeping was admired far and wide.
On the rare occasions the opposition managed to carve out a chance against the great Liverpool sides of the Seventies, there was Ray to frustrate them.
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Bruce Grobbelaar
Premier League Odds odds presently have Liverpool down as third favourites for the title. Back in Grobbelaar’s day, no other team would have been close.
In the South African’s first ten years in England the Reds didn’t once finish outside of the top two with the title secured on six occasions.
There was also a European Cup triumph made memorable by Grobbelaar’s ‘spaghetti legs’ routine that put off a Roma player in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.
Though the moustachioed stopper is recalled as the Clown Prince of Anfield for his eccentric style of keeping – so often racing from his area to clear the danger – it’s worth noting that his ‘sweeper-keepering’ preceded the modern trend by a generation.
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Elisha Scott
The Northern Irishman holds the distinction of being Liverpool’s longest serving player, guarding the nets for such a length of time that it includes one world war and nearly two.
By 1920, Scott had established himself as a firm fan favourite and regular starter, admired for his athleticism and bravery with a journalist once writing of him: “He has the eye of an eagle, the swift movement of a panther when flinging himself at a shot and the clutch of a vice when gripping the ball.”
Scott departed Anfield in 1934, gaining deserved entry into Liverpool’s Hall of Fame many years later as his legendary status grew.
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Pepe Reina
Reina can justifiably lay claim to being a criminally under-rated stopper, a World Cup winner no less who brilliantly kept nets at Liverpool for just shy of a decade.
On joining from Villarreal in 2005, the Spaniard became the fastest Liverpool keeper to rack up 100 clean sheets, achieved in just 198 games.
Soon after, he exceeded the clean sheet tallies of Clemence and Grobbelaar, thus proving beyond all doubt his elite credentials.
That these feats were accomplished while bolstering Liverpool sides that routinely veered from the sublime to the ridiculous is further testament to his immense ability.
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Tommy Lawrence
The affable Scot signed for Liverpool aged 17, and all-told made 306 first team appearances, winning the league twice as well as lifting the FA Cup in 1965.
The football betting markets pitch Liverpool as one of the clear favourites to once again win the famous competition this year.
Affectionately nicknamed the ‘Flying Pig’ due to his 14 stone frame, Lawrence found social media fame long after retirement when a clip emerged of a local news reporter asking Liverpudlians of their memories of a Merseyside derby from the Sixties.
“I played in it,” Lawrence stated, proud yet modest. “I was the goalkeeper for Liverpool.”
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
