Vincent Enyeama Named Europe’s Best Goalkeeper

Super Eagles vice-captain and Lille of France safe hands, Vincent Enyeama has been picked as the best goalkeeper in the major leagues across Europe in the 2013/14 football season.

Research by supersport.com showed that the ratio of saves made to goals conceded by the Nigerian is by far and away the most impressive, compared to any goalkeeper at any football club in any of Europe’s top leagues this season.

The 31-year-old conceded eight goals in 19 league appearances for Lille OSC this season and was voted best player in Ligue 1 on two consecutive occasions ahead of stellar individuals like Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Mathieu Valbuena, Radamel Falcao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Enyeama’s saves made to goals conceded ratio stands at seven; well ahead those of established goalkeepers like Victor Valdés (FC Barcelona), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) and Morgan de Sanctis (AS Roma).

Valdés’ saves made to goals conceded ratio in the 13 league games he played for FC Barcelona this season stands at 4.4 while Neuer’s in his 16 Bundesliga games this season was pegged at 3.9. Italy, the land famous for tight defences, catenaccio and legendary goalkeepers produced the fourth and fifth best stoppers using statistics in the first half of the 2013/13 season as the yardstick.

Veteran Juventus man, Buffon’s figures as far as the ratio of goals conceded to saves made stood at 2.3 while De Sanctis who has been in supreme form for AS Roma managed 2.2.

Buffon has made 16 league appearances for La Vecchia Signora this season while De Sanctis has made 17 Serie A appearances for the Giallorossi this term.

Enyeama’s recent accomplishments have attracted words of adulation from Nigeria’s goalkeeper trainer, Ike Shorunmu who believes the former Enyimba star has had a barnstorming season. “I work with (Enyeama) whenever he’s back on international duty so this news brings a smile to my face.

He is making us proud and more importantly the fact that these things are happening during the season leading to the World Cup is fantastic,” Shorunmu said yesterday. Enyeama made his debut for Nigeria in 2002 and has been capped 88 times by the Super Eagles.