Player Focus: The Stats Behind La Liga's Top Keepers

With the season drawing to a close in Spain attention turns to awards including the Pichichi for top scorer, and the more competitive Zamora. This gong is handed out to the best goalkeeper with regards to their goals conceded per game ratio. With a brilliant contingent of keepers in Spain, including those at the clubs near and in the relegation zone, WhoScored.com looks closer at the stats of the top 5 from the Zamora award to ascertain who is truly the best.

5. Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad) - WhoSocred rating: 6.78

Goals conceded per game: 1.29

The Chilean has been instrumental in Real Sociedad’s rise up the table and it’s well deserved for a goalkeeper who has long been a steady presence in La Liga. He has a 72% save success rate, which is the second highest out of this top 5, made even more impressive given his side concede the most shots per game of the analysed players here, with 13.1. Indeed, of all the keepers to make at least 15 appearances in La Liga, only three can better his save success rate. In total Bravo has made 95 saves, which is the third highest total from our group, at an average of 3.4 per game.

4. Andrés Fernandez (Osasuna) - WhoScored rating: 6.87

Goals conceded per game: 1.25

Andrés has been underappreciated by many since his emergence on the scene, but his exploits in Osasuna’s goal shouldn’t be ignored.  He’s got a penchant for picking out vital saves when games are close and can secure points on his own for the club, especially given their ineptitude in front of goal. Out of our 5 he has made the most saves with 105 and has a success rate of 71.9%. Out of those saves, 71.40% have been from shots inside the penalty area, which is the highest percentage in the entire league.

Elsewhere he towers over the other four here in terms of successful high claims, with 53, having been an ever present with 35 appearances, and in that time Andrés has picked up 12 clean sheets. Another interesting statistic is that Osasuna are the third lowest scorers in Europe’s top 5 leagues, with the two below them having been relegated, Andrés has potentially been the difference.

3. Willy Caballero (Málaga) - WhoScored rating: 6.90

Goals conceded per game: 1.12

What an incredible season it has been for Willy Caballero, with his exploits not only in La Liga but also in the Champions League as Málaga had a terrific run to the quarter-finals – with WhoScored.com awarding him an averaging rating of 7.12 in Europe. In La Liga, meanwhile, Willy has made 103 saves, with an excellent success rate of 71%.

Along with Andrés, he’s also managed 12 clean sheets, coming from 34 appearances. Willy has been there when it mattered most with vital saves too, and formed part of a strong defence that Manuel Pellegrini has implemented. If it wasn’t for a recent hammering by Valencia his stats would look even more impressive, and he had at one point been close to the Zamora award. Despite being 31-years-old it’s surprising that he hasn’t yet been considered for a call-up to the Argentina national team.

2. Víctor Valdés (Barcelona) - WhoScored rating: 6.50

Goals conceded per game: 1.10

Having won the Zamora award on the last four occasions, Valdés is now unable to make it five in a row, but that doesn’t mean that he has been poor. Valdés has made only 58 saves but that is due to the fact that Barcelona have only conceded 9.2 shots per game, the lowest in La Liga. He’s got a 65% save success rate, and with 70.7% of those saves having been made from shots inside the box – the second highest ratio in La Liga – the agile Valdés is quality when it comes to making those reaction saves. He’s only kept 7 clean sheets this season, but with the issues Barça have had in defence across the season with an unfamiliar backline, again you can understand why.

1. Thibaut Courtois (Atlético Madrid) - WhoScored rating: 6.76

Goals conceded per game: 0.80

Into the second year of his loan with Atlético Madrid, the development of Thibaut Courtois has been fantastic to watch. Few goalkeepers possess his calm, soothing presence and ability to be so agile despite his significant height. The Belgian has made 77 saves this season, and his 74.8% success rate is the best in the division, proving to be an almost unbeatable force between the posts. His excellent figures don’t stop there having kept an incredible 19 clean sheets in his 35 appearances – again the most in the league.

The Belgian has also been breaking several records along the way; first surpassing Abel Resino’s record for minutes without conceding having hit 819, then more recently the record also held by the same man for not conceding away from home in La Liga, hitting the 681 minute mark. Of Courtois’ saves, only 48.1% have been from shots inside the penalty area, though only five La Liga keepers have made more than his 47 successful high claims.