Perhaps no league in the world is more famous for creating quality goalkeeping talent than the Bundesliga, and that goes beyond the obvious fact that the literal GOAT of goalkeepers, Manuel Neuer, was made in the Bundesliga at Schalke and became a legend at Bayern Munich.
Keepers like Kevin Trapp, Koen Casteels, Peter Gulasci, Lukas Hradecky, Oliver Baumann, Yann Sommer, and now Gregor Kobel have been operating at the highest level for years in the Bundesliga, ranking themselves among the best on the continent.
But who are the best Bundesliga goalkeepers heading into a fresh season? Here is a ranking of the top 10 shot-stoppers to know.
10. Alexander Nubel, Stuttgart
Alexander Nubel is a pretty recognizable goalkeeper in German football because he was Schalke’s captain before moving to Bayern Munich for free, and after his deal was announced, the Royal Blues collapsed into the utter abyss.
Nubel ended up on loan at Monaco and played fairly well, establishing himself as one of the better goalkeepers in Ligue 1, but as most fans at Schalke will tell you, he wasn’t world-class in Gelsenkirchen, nor was he that good in France either.
But Nubel is a decent keeper and was an asset to Stuttgart last season in their Champions League qualification, even if he was far from the biggest star in the lineup.
Still on the books at Bayern, with Manuel Neuer increasingly slowing down over the course of a full Bundesliga season, it may not be long until the 27-year-old gets his chance. Bayern believe in him and have him under contract through 2028/2029.
9. Manuel Riemann, Bochum
Manuel Riemann can be an immature brute even to his own teammates, but there’s no disputing that, when he is on his “A” game, the Bochum goalkeeper is one of the top players at his position in the Bundesliga.
The problem is that Riemann hasn’t truly been at that top level recently. Last season, for example, Riemann saved just 67 percent of the shots he faced, which is outside the top 12 of Bundesliga goalkeepers.
He didn’t even have a 70 percent save percentage the year before that. However, Riemann was brilliant in the 2021/22 season and has been key to helping Bochum avoid the drop in general.
8. Kevin Muller, Heidenheim
Kevin Muller is one of the new goalkeepers making a name for himself in the Bundesliga, and on the strength of the metrics and his consistent top saves for Heidenheim, the 33-year-old could threaten for a significantly higher ranking on this list. He saved 72.4 percent of the shots he faced with a post-shot expected goals prevented in the top 10 of the league.
The problem with trying to write predictive lists like this one is balancing a player’s most recent season with the fact that there are other players who have been at that level for longer, even if their most recent season may not have been as impressive.With another year like this, Muller should threaten for a top-five spot.
7. Oliver Baumann, Hoffenheim
Third in the league in post-shot expected goals last season, Oliver Baumann is still going strong at the age of 34 and has been one of the most underrated keepers in the Bundesliga of his generation, admittedly overshadowed by much more consistent shot-stoppers.
In truth, Baumann hasn’t saved 70 percent of his shots in more than five years, but his prime reflexes enable him to keep Hoffenheim in games with saves that only a handful of other keepers would even have a prayer of making.
6. Kevin Trapp, Eintracht Frankfurt
Speaking of reflexes, Kevin Trapp has made a name for himself as one of the most respected shot-stoppers in world football, whether for PSG or Eintracht Frankfurt, becoming a club legend at the latter stop.
Trapp’s return to Frankfurt from Paris in 2018 was a positive one, with the keeper reestablishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s best. He has taken Frankfurt to two Europa League Finals, winning one of them, and is coming off his third season with a save percentage above 70 since rejoining the Eagles.
5. Michael Zetterer, Werder Bremen
Like Kevin Muller, Michael Zetterer is a new face at the top of the Bundesliga goalkeeping charts and a much-needed upgrade in goal for Werder Bremen, who haven’t had a top keeper since the heyday of the enigmatic Tim Wiese.
Zetterer had the best post-shot expected goal rate of any goalkeeper in the Bundesliga last season and was fourth with a 74.2 save percentage. Only top-three keepers Lukas Hradecky, Peter Gulasci, and Gregor Kobel had a better save percentage last season; all three have been cemented as among the league’s best for multiple seasons.
So the 29-year-old Munich native is in great company, and now that he’s gotten his first taste of being a regular starter in the Bundesliga, Zetterer figures to only get better from here on out.
4. Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich
Considering Manuel Neuer was 14th in save percentage and a disheartening 25th in post-shot expected goals prevented, it may seem crazy to have the Bayern Munich man ranked in the top five – let alone the top 10.
But how can you count Neuer out? Even if he’s no longer the nailed-on, best keeper in the world that he was even five years ago, the Bayern legend is still the GOAT and should not be docked too heavily after posting his worst save percentage since 2018/19.
Neuer bounced back from that to win the treble with a 74.5 save rate, and he can bounce back again, even at the age of 38. And Neuer, even in his worst season, is still the best big-game keeper on the planet int he Champions League.
3. Lukas Hradecky, Bayer Leverkusen
Speaking of bouncing back, Lukas Hradecky had a maddening 2020/21 season at the age of 30, stopping less than two-thirds of the shots he faced after making strides in 2019/20 that had him ranked among the best keepers in the league.
He then had two more below-average seasons before responding to the pressure and thriving under Xabi Alonso like so many of his more hyped outfield teammates.
The Finnish international is far from done at 34, posting arguably the best season of his career with a save percentage of 76.5 for the undefeated Werkself. Hradecky has some of the best reflexes in the league and is very close to the No. 2 spot, in all honesty.
2. Peter Gulasci, RB Leipzig
Peter Gulasci finally returned from a torn ACL last season, starting 13 games and picking up where he left off as a man in the conversation for being the best goalkeeper in Germany.
The 34-year-old Hungarian allowed just 0.69 goals per 90 with a save percentage of 78. He is as tough and consistent as they come with world-class handling. Gulasci has been a star in the Bundesliga for years, going back to his peak season in 2018/19 when he stopped over 80 percent of the shots he faced as argualy the league’s best keeper of the season alongside Kevin Trapp.
1. Gregor Kobel, Dortmund
But the crown clearly belongs to Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, who previously had to deal with countryman Yann Sommer in the argument for the best in the Bundesliga.
Now, Sommer is the best goalkeeper in Serie A, and the distance between Kobel and the rest of the field is even further, even with Gulasci back to health for RB Leipzig.
Kobel is a pure talent in goal and has bailed Dortmund out year after year, proving to be one of the best signings Dortmund have made over the last handful of years, stepping up his game significantly from the glimpses of promise he showed in Stuttgart.
Last season, the 26-year-old Swiss international became even more consistent and a bigger leadership presence between the sticks for the Champions League finalists, saving 75.4 percent of the shots he faced.
You wonder how much more recognition Kobel would receive for his efforts with a better defense and midfield helping him accrue more clean sheets and fewer goals allowed per 90, but, admittedly, the highlight reels are more spectacular when Kobel has to clean up so many messes as BVB’s No. 1 savior after Jude Bellingham’s move to Real Madrid.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.
