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Yann Sommer Spotted Training in Sunglasses

Yann Sommer was the hero for Switzerland on Monday night, after he denied Kylian Mbappé from the spot to send his team through to the quarter finals.

In what was a fantastic evening of football, the match ended 3-3 between the two sides, meaning that the tie would be settled by the dreaded penalties.

All eyes were on the Swiss keeper as he stepped up to the plate to send EURO 2020 favourites France, crashing out of the competition.

Sommer was spotted training in a pair of special sunglasses prior to the match and fans have speculated that they were the key to his shootout success.

There's a detail that played a key role in Sommer dream night: the use of Strobe Glasses during the GK training session. This glasses emit flashing lights through the lenses, blinding the wearer intermittently w/ the aim of increasing the ability to react. Is this the secret? pic.twitter.com/swAsRzZNXI
— nss sports (@nss_sports_) June 29, 2021

So no, the glasses were not a fashion statement, but in fact battery-powered, shutter effect sunglasses.

They are made by a Japanese company called VisionUp with the purpose of improving reaction time and anticipation.

The glasses feature an adjustable shutter speed so that users can alter the level of sight in order to strengthen visual skills.

On VisionUp’s website they state that the spectacles “stimulate your brain and improve your vision by intermittent shutter”.

Visual skills that the glasses focuses on include “kinetic visual acuity, dynamic visual acuity, peripheral vision, depth perception & hand-eye coordination”

Will we see more goalkeepers using this kind of technology in the future?

Let us know your thoughts by connecting with us on our socials!

Glove Spotting: Yann Sommer

Sommer was wearing his own variation of the Puma FUTURE Z Grip 1 Hybrid’s, in what was a historic night for his nation.

Shop all the latest goalkeeper gloves from Puma and all the major brands, at Just Keepers. We offer the best range of goalkeeper gloves, goalkeeper clothing and goalkeeper essentials anywhere in the world.

All of our products are hand picked to offer you all the products you need all in one place. Remember we are the original online goalkeeper specialists…

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

EURO 2020 – Keepers of the Group Stage

The EURO 2020 group stages have officially come to a close, after an entertaining evening of football concluded the preliminary round.

With the knockout stages looming, we took a look at some of the best performing goalkeepers so far in the tournament.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 3

Goals Conceded: 0

After not conceding a goal over the 3 matches, Donnarumma simply has to make the list. Whilst the Italian goalkeeper remained relatively untroubled over the course of the the group stages, he contributed to what was an excellent start to the competition for Mancini’s side.

Danny Ward

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 1

Goals Conceded: 2

Wales managed to secure 2nd place in Group A despite the odds being against them. The Leicester number 2 has stood out as one of his teams best performers so far, making a number of good saves across the opening matches.

Jordan Pickford

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 3

Goals Conceded: 0

Like Donnarumma, Pickford is the only other goalkeeper not to concede a goal in the EURO 2020 group stages. So for that reason alone, the Everton goalkeeper makes the list.

Robin Olsen

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 2

Goals Conceded: 2

Robin Olsen played a key role in Sweden’s unbeaten progression to the knockout stages of the competition. His highlight so far will likely be his excellent performance to shut out 3 time champions, Spain.

Thibaut Courtois

Appearances: 3

Clean Sheets: 2

Goals Conceded: 1

Along with Italy & the Netherlands, Courtois’ side were the only other nation to achieve 9 points from 9. The Real Madrid shot stopper will be hoping to continue his fine form and get his hands on Belgium’s first European title.

Shop all the latest goalkeeper gloves from all the major brands, at Just Keepers. We offer the best range of goalkeeper gloves, goalkeeper clothing and goalkeeper essentials anywhere in the world.

All of our products are hand picked to offer you all the products you need all in one place. Remember we are the original online goalkeeper specialists…

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

England vs Scotland: Goalkeeper Quiz

England & Scotland face off for the first time in over 4 years tonight, as they meet in the second game of the EURO 2020 group stages.

Southgate’s Three Lions will be hoping to make it 6 points from 6, whereas Steve Clarkes side will be desperate for a win to keep their EURO dreams alive.

It is likely that Pickford will start for England, whilst Scotland are expected to opt for the experienced David Marshall between the posts.

Can you name the eight goalkeepers who have played in England vs Scotland since 1996?

Test your knowledge in the quiz below!

Let us know how you got on by connecting with us on our social media platforms.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

Buffon Returns to Boyhood Club

Gianluigi Buffon has re-signed with his boyhood club, Parma after making his debut for the Italian side 26 years ago.

With his contract expiring at Juventus, Buffon wasted no time in signing his new deal, that will keep him at the club until 2023.

At 43 years old, many would’ve expected the legendary keeper to be hanging up his gloves, but he has made it clear that his work is not yet finished.

His main goal will likely be to gain promotion back to Italy’s top tier, after Parma were relegated from the top flight last season.

Rewind over 25 years, and the clubs situation was much different to what it is this time around.

A 17 year old Buffon would be making his Parma debut, who were a highly established team in Italian football.

He would spend 6 years here before attracting the interest of European giants, Juventus who signed him for around £47 million in 2001.

During his first stint at Parma, he tasted success on multiple occasions winning the Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup & Italian super cup.

This was clearly a sign of things to come for Buffon who now boasts over 25 major honours in his professional career.

Glove Spotting: Gianluigi Buffon

Buffon has been wearing the Puma ULTRA Grip 1 Hybrid Pro’s in recent times.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

River Plate Midfielder Puts in MOTM Goalkeeping Display

River Plate Midfielder, Enzo Pérez put in a man of the match performance between the sticks last night in the Copa Libertadores.

Pérez was forced to play in goal after a Covid outbreak hit the River Plate squad leaving them with just 11 players.

20 members of the first team squad were ruled out, with all 4 of the goalkeepers being amongst these.

To make things even worse, the South American Football Confederation refused to allow the use of academy players.

On top of this, Pérez was also carrying a hamstring injury leaving very little hope for River Plate before the match.

River Plate incredible night 🇦🇷

– 20+ Covid cases
– Goalkeepers ruled out
– No list changes allowed
– 11 players available (!)
– Midfielder Enzo Pérez starts as GK vs Santa Fe in Copa Libertadores 🧤
– Pérez plays through a hamstring injury

…and River won 2-1.

Pérez, MVP. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qtmrDjbnxm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 20, 2021

The Covid-hit squad stepped up to the plate though, and ended up beating Santa Fe 2-1!

2 goals within the first 10 minutes for River Plate seemed to settle the nerves, particularly for Pérez who was in unfamiliar territory.

The stand-in goalkeeper would’ve been dreaming of a clean sheet after keeping the visitors at bay for over 70 minutes.

It wasn’t to be though for the Argentinian, who finally conceded after making a number of good saves.

If the victory wasn’t enough, Pérez was also named MOTM to top off what was a truly memorable night in the footballing world.

Glove Spotting: Enzo Pérez

Pérez was sporting the blackout Reusch Attrakt Freegel S1 as his goalkeeping heroics earnt his side a 2-1 victory.

Shop all the latest goalkeeper gloves from Reusch and all the major brands, at Just Keepers. We offer the best range of goalkeeper gloves, goalkeeper clothing and goalkeeper essentials anywhere in the world.

All of our products are hand picked to offer you all the products you need all in one place. Remember we are the original online goalkeeper specialists…

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

Premier League Golden Glove Quiz

Manchester City goalkeeper, Ederson was handed the Premier League Golden Glove award for the second consecutive season last night.

He is the first goalkeeper to win the accolade back to back since 2013, when a certain Manchester City keeper achieved this feat.

The Brazilian has kept 18 clean sheets so far this season and was closely followed by Edouard Mendy (16) & Emiliano Martinez (15)

Can you name all of the Premier League goalkeepers to win the Golden Glove since 2005?

Test your knowledge in the quiz below!

Let us know how you got on by connecting with us on our social media platforms.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

Every Goalkeeper to Score a Premier League Goal

Alisson became only the 6th goalkeeper in Premier League history to score a goal this weekend, with his headed effort at the Hawthorns.

The last Premier League goalkeeper who managed to hit the back of the net was Asmir Begovic in 2013.

In this blog, we take a look at the elite group of goalkeepers who have found themselves on the scoresheet in the Premier League.

Peter Schmeichel

**Türkçe:** Dünyanın en iyi kalecilerinden olan PETER SCHMEİCHEL son dakikalarda attığı kafa golleriyle ünlüdür, 13 January 2021, Own work, Futbol61tstrabzon

The first goalkeeper to get himself a goal in the competition was none other than ‘The Great Dane’.

Playing for Aston Villa at the time, Peter Schmeichel came up for a corner and volleyed home an effort late on against Everton in 2001.

This was ultimately just a consolation goal though, as ‘The Villains’ ended up losing 3-2 on the night.

Brad Friedel

In similar circumstances, Friedel thought he had rescued a point for Blackburn in 2001 after scrambling the ball home from a corner.

The Americans elation was short lived, as Charlton went up the other end and scored in the dying embers to make it 3-2.

Paul Robinson

Unlike the first two on the list, as well as managing to score, Robinson actually ended up on the winning side.

In a 2007 fixture against Watford, the England goalkeeper scored Tottenham’s second goal in what was a 3-1 victory.

The goal came from a free kick in his own half which somehow found its way over Ben Foster’s head after taking a nasty bounce.

Tim Howard

Tim Howard put his side 1-0 up against Bolton in 2012 with a strike from 101-yards on a gusty day.

Goals from David Ngog & Gary Cahill meant that Bolton had the last laugh as they overturned the deficit to win 2-1.

Asmir Begovic

A year later in 2013, Asmir Begovic scored what was the longest goal in football history at the time.

This record was only recently beaten by goalkeeper, Tom King playing for Newport County.

Despite Begovic’s best efforts, his record breaking goal only earned Stoke a point at home to Southampton.

Alisson

Saving the best for last? Alisson is the most recent goalkeeper to join the group after his fantastic last gasp header to snatch all 3 points from West Brom.

Of the 6 goalkeepers on the list, the Liverpool keeper is the only one to score a winning goal as well as a header.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

Edouard Mendy Breaks Champions League Record

Edouard Mendy broke a Champions League record last night as Chelsea progressed to the final of the competition.

The Blues number one managed to keep an eighth clean sheet of the season in a 2-0 win against Real Madrid.

This is the most that has ever been achieved by a goalkeeper for an English club in a single season!

As well as keeping eight clean sheets, Mendy has only conceded 3 goals in the 11 games that he has started.

Edouard Mendy has kept EIGHT #UCL clean sheets in 2020/21.

The most ever by a goalkeeper for an English club in a single season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/COTM5H9c4O
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 5, 2021

It has been a rollercoaster of a journey for the Senegalese keeper, who was forced to register for unemployment in 2014.

Mendy, was then playing in the fourth tier of French football 2 years later where he had to work his way through the ranks.

Ligue 1 side, Rennes then signed Mendy in 2019 before he made his move to London a year later for around £20 million.

He is now only one step away from attaining the ultimate dream of winning the Champions League.

Standing in the way is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City who defeated PSG to earn their place in final.

The all English clash will take place on the 29th of May, where Mendy will be hoping to get his hands on some silverware.

Glove Spotting: Edouard Mendy

Mendy had on his own variation of the Uhlsport Pure Alliance Supergrip gloves.

Shop all the latest goalkeeper gloves from Uhlsport and all the major brands, at Just Keepers. We offer the best range of goalkeeper gloves, goalkeeper clothing and goalkeeper essentials anywhere in the world.

All of our products are hand picked to offer you all the products you need all in one place. Remember we are the original online goalkeeper specialists…

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

Mike Maignan Reaches 19 Clean Sheets in Ligue 1

Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan kept his 19th clean sheet of the Ligue 1 campaign on Saturday in a 2-0 victory against Nice.

This result meant that Maignan now has the most clean sheets out of any goalkeeper in Europe’s top 5 leagues this season.

He is in good company in the clean sheet rankings, sitting above Ederson who is on 18 and Oblak on 17.

🦅 Mike Maignan a réalisé 19 clean sheets en @Ligue1UberEats cette saison, total le plus élevé pour un portier sur un exercice dans l’élite depuis 2014/15 😳

👏 @mmseize #LOSCOGCN pic.twitter.com/7XGsE5uO3k
— LOSC (@losclive) May 2, 2021

In doing so, the French keeper has only let in an impressive 22 goals in 35 matches.

It has been a fantastic season for Maignan and Lille who currently sit top of the French division.

Maignan and his teammates will be hoping to end the season strongly and win their first league title since 2011.

With 3 games remaining, LOSC are ahead of PSG by 1 point as they look to cause an upset in the title race.

Lille will be desperate to hold on to their shot-stopper who will now undoubtedly be on the radar of some of Europe’s elite clubs.

Glove Spotting: Mike Maignan

The Uhlsport Next Level Supergrip is just one of the Uhlsport gloves that Maignan has showcased this season.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One

American Goalkeepers in the Premier League

Zack Steffen became the latest American goalkeeper to make his mark on the English game this weekend as he lifted the Carabao Cup.

He became only the fourth American keeper to win the competition, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory against Tottenham.

It has been a successful start to life in Manchester for Steffen who will hope to follow in the footsteps of goalkeeping greats such as Brad Friedel & Tim Howard.

Below we take a look at some of the best American goalkeepers to appear in the Premier League.

5. Marcus Hahnemann

PL Appearances: 115

PL Club(s): Reading, Wolves, Everton

“File:MarcusHahnemann USMNT 20060511.jpg” by Jarrett Campbell from Cary, North Carolina, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Hahnemann made his move over from the MLS in 1999, having stints at Rochdale & Fulham in the lower tiers of English football early on. It wasn’t until 2006 where he made his first Premier League appearance for Reading after earning promotion. He Returned to the MLS in 2012 where he won 2X Open Cups & 1X Supporters Shield with the Seattle Sounders.

4. Brad Guzan

PL Appearances: 154

PL Club(s): Aston Villa, Middlesbrough

“Brad Guzan gets ready!” by Ronnie Macdonald is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Guzan arrived at Aston Villa in 2008 where he initially gained experience in European competitions as well as a short loan move to Hull City. He eventually became the number one in 2012 and consolidated this position for the next few years. Like Hahnemann, Guzan returned to the MLS where he is still playing for Atalanta United.

3. Kasey Keller

PL Appearances: 201

PL Club(s): Leicester, Tottenham, Southampton, Fulham

“Kasey Keller” by jimculp@live.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 (Cropped Square)

Keller’s Premier League career lasted a total of 5 years where he represented a number of different clubs. He was also a part of the Leicester City squad that won the the League Cup in 1997. As well as making over 200 appearances in the Premier League, Keller made a name for himself on the international stage. Not only did the shot stopper appear at numerous World Cup’s, but he also won the American Footballer of the Year on 3 separate occasions.

2. Tim Howard

PL Appearances: 399

PL Club(s): Manchester United, Everton

“Тим Ховард / Tim Howard” by Aleksandr Osipov is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (Cropped Square)

Tim Howard established himself as a Premier League great and is also recognised as one of the greatest American footballers of all time. His journey in England started off at Manchester United where he was a part of teams that won the Community Shield, FA Cup & League Cup. He was perhaps more renowned for his time at Everton though, where he held the number one spot for a decade.

1. Brad Friedel

PL Appearances: 450

PL Club(s): Liverpool, Blackburn, Aston Villa, Tottenham

“FH – Aston Villa 227” by dalli58 is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (Cropped Square)

When looking at American Goalkeepers in the Premier League no one has appeared more times than Brad Friedel. During his time in England he played for some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs including Liverpool & Spurs. His most successful spell was at Blackburn Rovers where he won the League Cup in 2002.

Just Keepers – The Number Ones Number One