Penalty Saving Goalkeepers - The New Trend?

 

Photo from Daily Post Nigeria

Is saving penalties an indicator of how good a goalkeeper is in general? We saw at Euro 2020, having a goalkeeper who has a nag for saving penalties can be the difference between going home, or lifting your country's first international trophy in over a decade. If it wasn't obvious who I was referring to, I'm talking about none other than PSG and Italy
goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma. 

A total of 4 penalty shootouts were played across the knockout rounds of the tournament: France v. Switzerland, Spain v. Switzerland, Italy v. Spain, Italy v. England. Incredibly, 3 teams across these knockouts had to go through 2 penalty shootouts in a row. Imagine having put the betting books on that! Now while one can make the obvious case that goalkeepers have more vital roles than simply saving penalties, is there anything more clutch, or momentous than a goalkeeper who can come up with a big penalty save? This undoubtedly has to be running through the minds of all the top clubs across the world after witnessing the 21 year old Donnarumma, and 24 year old Unai Simon stopping shots from the spot, at the Euros. Let's take a look at who, according to the numbers from 2020/2021, are the 10 penalty saving goalkeepers (25 and under) across Europe's top 5 leagues (Italy, England, Spain, Germany, France).

 List is based on Penalty Save Percentage. (Data from fbref.com)

1. Mike Maignan (24) - Lille (France) - 2 penalties faced, 50% saved.

2. Gianluigi Donnarumma (21) - Milan (Italy) - 4 penalties faced, 33.3% saved.

3. Predrag Rajkovic (24) - Reims (France) - 7 penalties faced, 33.3% saved.

4. Florian Muller (22) - Freiburg (Germany) - 3 penalties faced, 33.3% saved.

5. Pierluigi Gollini (25) - Atalanta (Italy) - 6 penalties faced, 33.3% saved.

6. Gregor Kobel (22) - Stuttgart (Germany) - 7 penalties faced, 28.6% saved.

7. Alex Remiro (25) - Real Sociedad (Spain) - 5 penalties faced, 25% saved.

8. Anthony Racioppi (21) - Dijon (France) - 4 penalties faced, 25% saved.

9. Emil Audero (23) - Sampdoria (Italy) - 9 penalties faced, 22.2% saved.

10. Bartlomiej Dragowski (22) - Fiorentina (Italy) - 10 penalties faced, 20% saved.

Undoubtedly some of the goalkeepers on this list have faced more penalties than others, showing up in a big moment to save a penalty does not depend on how many penalties one faces. Looking at the number of goalkeepers on this list that have been moved on to different clubs, with higher expectations and in European competitions, over the summer of 2021, is incredibly interesting.

Mike Maignan: Lille ---> AC Milan 

Gianluigi Donnarumma: AC Milan ---> Paris Saint-Germain

Florian Muller: Freiburg ---> Stuttgart

Pierluigi Gollini: Atalanta ---> Tottenham Hotspur

Gregor Kobel: Stuttgart ---> Borussia Dortmund

While penalty saving ability isn't the crucial factor for a club deciding to sign a goalkeeper, looking at these transfers from the top 10 list above, does make one wonder if penalty saving may in fact be a relevant indicator of a goalkeeper's overall ability and mental strength.

Photo from The Independent