Not all great keepers are 40, you know.
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Most centre-backs could probably deputise at full-back at a push, while many wingers could do a half-decent job upfront in an injury crisis. Goalkeeper, on the other hand, is a genuinely specialist position. No team can go without one, even for a single game.
So how come the man between the sticks rarely gets any love? The last goalkeeper to scoop the Ballon D'Or was Lev Yashin, who played for the now-dissolved Soviet Union, in 1963. Meanwhile, Gianluigi Buffon is still the all-time most expensive shot-stopper, moving back in 2001 for about £30m - which would just about buy you one of Neymar's kneecaps today.
Perhaps the problem here is that, relative to outfield players, 'keepers tend to reach the peak of their powers much later in their careers. While strikers typically enjoy their best form in their early-to-mid 20s, the guy at the other end of the pitch sometimes has to pass 30 before they start reaching the very top of their game (which is good news for 31-year-old Joe Hart).
Then again, there are a smattering of goalies who have bucked this trend over recent years, putting in the kind of penalty box-commanding performances you normally associate with players of a decade or more big match experience. Here are 10 that fit the bill.
10. Simone Scuffet (Udinese)
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Italy prospect Simone Scuffet has flown under the radar for overseas fans, largely because he hails from the same country as the incredible Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is almost three years younger and already being tipped as Buffon's sucessor for the national team.
Scuffet is also yet to fully establish himself as number one for his club side, Udinese, although at 21, there's not really any shame in that. Only an elite group of 'keepers get the number one jersey for a top division side so young.
In the limited opportunities he has received, he has dazzled at times and disappointed at others, making a string of brilliant saves one minute only to let himself down by dropping a clanger the next.
None of that is out of the norm for an up-and-coming outfield player, however - let alone a goalkeeper - and that's particularly true in Italy, where players have historically tended to peak much later than in other countries in Europe.
9. Yvon Mvogo (RB Lepzig)
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Bundesliga outfit RB Lepzig have developed a knack for identifying the world's best young players over recent years, examples of which include Timo Werner, Dayot Upamecano and the Liverpool-bound Naby Keita.
Among the latest batch of prospects they've picked up is 23-year-old Swiss goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo, signed in the summer from the appropriately-named Young Boys for a fee thought to be in the region of €5m.
Opportunities in Germany have so far been limited, but you needn't look further than his performances in his homeland for proof that he's a star in the making, having played more than 100 games in the Swiss top flight (and for one of its biggest sides).
That, coupled with his new employers' track record in developing youngsters, and the fact that he's already been called up several times for Switzerland (albeit without being capped), has to be a good omen for his future.
8. Pau Lopez (Espanyol)
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One of three Spanish 'keepers to make the cut, Pau Lopez is best known by English fans for the year he spent on loan at Tottenham Hotspur last season, during which time he managed a grand total of zero appearances in the Premier League.
That's no basis by which to gauge his ability though. He faced tough competition at White Hart Lane from France number one Hugo Lloris and Dutch understudy Michel Vorm, both of whom have years of experience in the net.
Since returning to his parent club, Espanyol, in the pre-season, Lopez has re-established himself as the team's first-choice pick, putting in a string of performances so impressive that he's already earned a move to Real Betis, to be finalised this summer.
Considering that Lloris' own form has been a little shaky of late, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino could well end up kicking himself for not pushing harder to sign him on a permanent basis.
7. Timo Horn (Köln)
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Germany have emerged as one of world football's leading producers of goalkeepers over recent years, currently calling upon the number one picks at Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Liverpool and, until just recently, Paris Saint-Germain too.
Small wonder, then, that Köln stopper Timo Horn is yet to win his first international cap, despite amassing more than 100 appearances in the Bundesliga already and representing the country at every youth level, as well as the 2016 Olympic Games.
Horn's strengths are his terrific reflexes and the ability to get off his line quickly to smother oncoming attacks. Like many young 'keepers, he has come under criticism for failing to catch crosses, but that's nothing that can't be corrected with time (see: David De Gea in 2011-12).
All said, it's likely that he'll be on the shopping lists of one or two European giants in the not-too-distant future. He might even one day rock up at Bayern Munich as the eventual heir to Manuel Neuer.
6. Jordan Pickford (Everton)
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Jordan Pickford is, admittedly, from England, a country which hasn't produced a genuinely world-class goalkeeper for at least 40 years. He also plays for Everton, a side that hasn't won anything in about 20.
But appearances can be deceptive, and Pickford is an altogether more modern 'keeper than many of his countrymen. He's quick across the ground, handy with his feet, and capable of picking out teammates with accurate passes long and short.
At 24, there's also plenty of time for him to improve the not-so-impressive areas of his game. Things like handling crosses, which - in another break from English tradition - he isn't entirely comfortable with just yet (possibly owing to his relative lack of height).
It being likely that Pickford will keep goal for the Three Lions at this summer's World Cup, he now has the opportunity to prove to observers around the globe, not just those who watch him week-in, week-out in the Premier League, that he is up there with football's elite.
5. Loris Karius (Liverpool)
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After struggling for two years to settle on a first-choice goalkeeper, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp may well be in the market for a new one this summer, with a host of big names now being linked with Anfield.
It is tempting, then, to write off one of their current shot-stoppers, the 24-year-old Loris Karius, who has endured no end of criticism for his performances since joining the club from Mainz in 2016.
But not all of has been entirely warranted. Karius rarely looks like a complete disaster of a player; rather, he is prone to the occasional lapse in concentration - something that many goalkeepers have managed to iron out of their game through the accumulation of experience.
So while he may not be Liverpool's number one beyond the end of this season, the ex-City youth player will more than likely go on to man the sticks for another big European rival and, given a couple of years, may well be occupying one of the backup spots for Germany as well.
4. Sergio Rico (Sevilla)
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Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico may only be 24, but he boasts more big game experience than most. As well as manning the sticks for his side's Champions League run this year, he also played a big part in two Europa League successes in 2015 and 2016.
Moreover, he's already broken into the notoriously hard-to-impress Spain set-up, winning his one and only cap two years ago despite facing competition from the likes of David De Gea and Pepe Reina.
Blessed with Spanish technique, Rico is comfortable both with the ball at his feet and with opposing players beaming in on his goal. He's also capable of getting down to stop those pesky daisy-cutters, despite being one of the taller men on this list at six foot five.
Sevilla being a club that tends to sell its best players every couple of years (and yet somehow still be competitive at Europe's top level just about every season), you imagine it won't be too long before one of the super-clubs come knocking on their door.
3. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
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Set to challenge Rico for a place in Spain's summer World Cup squad is Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arrizabalaga, who simply has to be a top-class goalkeeper. His name is Kepa, for goodness sake.
If that's not enough to convince you, then consider this: he has already won his first international cap at the age of 23 - that's five years younger than Victor Valdes was when he got his.
Owing to his lightning-quick reflexes and incredible maturity between the goal-posts, Arrizabalaga was - according to Spanish site Marca - courted by Real Madrid earlier this year before signing a new deal to remain in Bilbao.
While current Galacticos 'keeper Keylor Navas is far from finished, something tells us they might be going back in for his services in the near-future - especially if Manchester United hold firm on Spanish number one David De Gea.
2. Ederson (Man City)
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Remarkably, Ederson is more than likely not going to keep goal for Brazil at the World Cup this summer. That honour will go to Roma's 25-year-old goalkeeper Allison, which is emblematic of the incredible squad depth the five-time champions have at their disposal.
Certainly, it's no reflection on the quality of the Man City number one's performances over the last 10 months. He's been one of Pep Guardiola's difference-makers this season after arriving from Portuguese champions Benfica in June.
Most of the plaudits that have come his way in that time have related to his ability with the ball at his feet, which is perfectly understandable: compared to many other 'keepers in the league (even the top ones), he's remarkably adept at playing out from the back.
But it shouldn't be overlooked just how many points he's earned his side with his hands. Ederson is blessed with cat-like reflexes and an incredible bravery that any player mad enough to stand between the sticks needs (as his clash with Sadio Mane in September showed).
1. Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
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If it's rare for goalkeepers under the age of 25 to be the complete package, then imagine how good Gianluigi Donnarumma must be. He's 19, and about to wrap up his third season as AC Milan's number one.
The most remarkable thing about Donnarumma is how commanding a presence he is in his team's back-line. He is regularly seen barking instructions at his defenders while preparing for an opposition set-piece, despite having fewer years on the planet than some of them have on the pitch.
Aside from that, all of the technical and physical characteristics you want from a top goalie are there. He's got a tall, imposing frame, he can reach shots high and low, and he's fast learning to distribute with precision too.
Whomever manages to snag him from the Rossoneri (presuming he one day decides to leave, of course) is effectively sorting out their goalkeeping situation for the next 15 years - and perhaps more if he is afflicted with the same Benjamin Button thing that Juve's Gianluigi Buffon has.
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