Goalkeeper (association football)
Player From To Fee ( £ ) Fee ( € ) Year
Kepa Arrizabalaga Athletic Bilbao Chelsea £71m € 80m 2018
Alisson Roma Liverpool £66.8m € 75m 2018
Gianluigi Buffon Parma Juventus £33m € 51.646m 2001
Ederson Benfica Manchester City £35m €40m 2017
Jordan Pickford Sunderland Everton £25m 2017
Francesco Toldo Fiorentina Internazionale €28.405m 2001
Manuel Neuer Schalke 04 Bayern Munich £19m €24m 2011
Bernd Leno Bayer Leverkusen Arsenal £19.2m €22m 2018
David de Gea Atlético Madrid Manchester United £18m €22m 2011
Angelo Peruzzi Internazionale Lazio €20.658m 2000
Sébastien Frey Internazionale Parma €20.658m 2001
Samir Handanović Udinese Internazionale €19m 2012
Claudio Bravo Barcelona Manchester City €18m 2016
Ivan Pelizzoli Atalanta Roma €17.043m 2001
Jan Oblak Benfica Atlético Madrid £12.6m €16m 2014
Angelo Peruzzi Juventus Internazionale €14.461m 1999
Petr Čech Chelsea Arsenal £10m €13.9m 2015
Fraser Forster Celtic Southampton £10m €12.5m 2014
Wojciech Szczęsny Arsenal Juventus €12.2m 2017
Marc-André ter Stegen Borussia Mönchengladbach Barcelona £9.7m €12m 2014
Records -- Highest fees
As of August 2018 [ update ] , the most expensive goalkeeper of all time was Kepa Arrizabalaga following his 2018 €80 million ( £71 million ) transfer to Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao .
The goalkeeper, often shortened to keeper or goalie, is one of the major positions of association football. It is the most specialised position in the sport. The goalkeeper's primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring (moving the ball over the defended goal-line within the frame of the goal). This is accomplished by the goalkeeper moving into the path of the ball and either catching it or directing it away from the vicinity of the goal line. Within the penalty area goalkeepers are able to use their hands, making them (outside throw-ins) the only players on the field permitted to handle the ball. The special status of goalkeepers is indicated by them wearing different coloured kits from their teammates. The back-pass rule prevents goalkeepers handling direct passes back to them from teammates. Goalkeepers usually perform goal kicks, and also give commands to their defence during corner kicks, direct and indirect free kicks, and marking. Goalkeepers play an important role in directing on field strategy as they have an unrestricted view of the entire pitch, giving them a unique perspective on play development. The goalkeeper is the only required position of a team. If they are injured or sent off, a substitute goalkeeper has to take their place, otherwise an outfield player must take the ejected keeper's place in goal. In order to replace a goalkeeper who is sent off, a team usually substitutes an outfield player for the backup keeper (thus effectively the red card and substitution takes out two of the starting eleven players).