In football, a clean sheet denotes a situation where a team, with the goalkeeper and outfield players, successfully prevents the opposing team from scoring throughout the entirety of a match.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once emphasized the importance of defense by stating, "Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles."
Consistently securing clean sheets not only leads to victories but also positions teams favorably for championship contention.
The Premier League stands out as Europe's most fiercely contested football league, where goalkeepers play a crucial role in preserving clean sheets.
At the end of each league season, the goalkeeper with the cleanest sheets are honored with the Premier League Golden Glove award.
Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea topped the charts for clean sheets in the Premier League last season, safeguarding Manchester United's goal on 17 occasions and claiming the Premier League Golden Glove.
In the 2021-22 season, Manchester City's Ederson and Liverpool's Alisson Becker jointly received the Premier League Golden Glove award, both tallying 20 clean sheets.
Interestingly, Ederson previously clinched the Premier League Golden Glove twice in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, while Alisson secured it in the 2018-19 campaign.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech and ex-Manchester City keeper Joe Hart hold the record for the most Premier League Golden Glove awards, each winning it four times.
Petr Cech also boasts the highest number of clean sheets in Premier League history, with 202, followed by David James with 169.
Goalkeepers such as Ederson, Alisson, and Arsenal's newcomer David Raya are anticipated to contend for the Golden Glove accolade in the Premier League 2023-24 season.
Comments