Top 5 Goalkeepers of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

1). Gianluigi Buffon: Despite suffering through a miserable Juventus campaign, you certainly cannot fault Gigi. The 9-time Serie A Goalkeeper of the year had strong showings this year against the toughest in the league, including Inter and Roma. Expect the Italian international to shine brightly this summer, especially with a relatively easy Group F (New Zealand, Paraguay, and Slovakia) and a likely winnable game in the Round of 16 versus Cameroon or Denmark.

2). Hugo Lloris: If you haven’t heard of him by now, you definitely will be hearing his name praised in a month. Already becoming a star at 23, the French international has been in incredible form for both club (Lyon) and country. He helped guide Lyon to a Champions League semi-final and a 2nd place finish in the league for automatic Champions League qualification next season. He also (arguably) single-handedly qualified France for the World Cup finals with an incredible performance against Ireland (in one of the most controversial games in recent memory). With an extremely favorable group draw in South Africa (Uraguay, South Africa, and Mexico), one can expect a few clean sheets a potentially long run in the World Cup.

3). Iker Casillas: Sure, he plays on two of the most talented teams in the world (Real Madrid and Spain). Hoever, the 28 year-old Spanish international has been voted in UEFA’s team of the year three years in a row now and he deserves all the accolades he receives. Having made over 350 appearances for Real Madrid and earning 100 caps for the Spanish squad is a tremendous accomplishment and he will keep earning more appearances with his best football years potentially ahead of him. Playing around the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Torres, Villa, and Puyol should help make his job a bit easier, but take nothing away from Casillas. His smaller size as a goalie has never stopped him from being part of an elite group of players and he will be certainly be earning a couple clean sheets in South Africa.

4). Júlio César: One of two goalkeepers receiving votes in the 2009 Ballon d’Or (the other, Casillas), Brazil’s first choice goalkeeper sat in the shadows of Dida for a long time. However, he has emerged as one of the top goalkeepers in the game, helping to guide Inter Milan to a possible treble this season (behind fellow countrymen, Lúcio and Maicon). Inter have won Serie A each year he has been the posts and that is no coincidence. He plays behind a terrific and powerful backline, which will help him pad his already great reputation as a top goalkeeper.

5). Tim Howard: Surprised? Let’s look at the facts of the US international. Howard was named the Confederations Cup golden glove winner (ahead of the likes of Casillas, Júlio César, and Buffon). He is 6 foot, 3 inches, so he has a ridiculously long wingspan. The US is paired with Algeria and Slovenia, two of the weaker sides of this year’s cup with not much attacking prowess. His performances for Everton have them on an 11 game unbeaten streak, recording 5 clean sheets in that span (11 total on the season). Why couldn’t he shine brightly this summer? England may prove tough to deal with, but expect Howard to be a monster between the frames for the US.

By Chris Behrens, writer and media manager for SoccerPro.com. Besides being a soccer fanatic, Chris owns a large collection of goalkeeper gloves and soccer jerseys.