Neville crowns Schmeichel, snubs De Gea in his all-time Premier League goalkeeper list

Trust Gary Neville to light up the goalkeeper debate. After Jamie Carragher laid down his top 10, Neville fired back with a punchier top eight — heavy on pedigree, light on sentiment — and there’s a big headline: David De Gea doesn’t even get a mention.

Neville’s magnificent eight

No surprise at the summit: Peter Schmeichel takes Neville’s No 1 shirt. From there he goes old-school respect with David Seaman at two and Edwin van der Sar at three, a trio he sees as separated by the thinnest of margins. Then it’s Petr Cech at four, the modern masters Alisson Becker and Ederson at five and six, Thibaut Courtois at seven, and Arsenal Invincible Jens Lehmann rounding it out at eight.

Neville was particularly bemused that Carragher had Seaman way down the pecking order. Having shared England duty with the Arsenal great — and a trophy-stacked dressing room with Schmeichel — Neville argued those two, plus van der Sar, spent years trading the crown as the division’s top stopper. Courtois, he admitted, is a keeper he adores, but with his best work now in Madrid and a relatively brief stint at Chelsea, he slips beneath the Premier League lifers.

Pressed to stretch to a full 10, Neville swerved it. He toyed with Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford, Emi Martínez and even Gianluigi Donnarumma (who, of course, isn’t a Premier League staple), but ultimately shut the notebook at eight. Notably, he left out Neville Southall and Pepe Reina — names Carragher embraced.

Carragher’s case for Cech — and the points of friction

Carragher went big on Petr Cech at No 1, leaning on that towering Champions League final display and the general feeling of futility teams had when trying to beat him. His full roll call ran: Cech, Schmeichel, Alisson, De Gea, Courtois, van der Sar, Ederson, Southall, Seaman and Reina. That’s where the sparks flew. Neville balked at Seaman down in ninth and flatly rejected the idea of De Gea ranking ahead of van der Sar. To add spice, van der Sar was in the Sky Sports studio and fancied himself at least a top-five lock.

The De Gea divide

Here’s the nub. Carragher points to De Gea’s five PFA Team of the Year nods as proof of prolonged excellence, especially during Manchester United’s leaner years. Neville, meanwhile, weighs the full goalkeeping portfolio — trophies, command, assurance with the ball — and lands on van der Sar as the steadier, more transformative presence. De Gea’s shot-stopping peak? Sensational. But in Neville’s ledger, the Spaniard sits just outside the true greats of the Premier League era.

What this tells us about the art of keeping

It’s an era clash as much as anything. Schmeichel set the template with presence and power; Seaman’s positioning and calm were elite long before the back-pass law changed the landscape; van der Sar brought serenity and distribution to a dynasty. Fast-forward and Alisson and Ederson have rewritten the role with sweeping and playmaking from the gloves. Cech stands as the bridge — a serial winner with monstrous big-game moments.

If you’re weighing up the arguments like punters pore over the best betting sites, here’s the takeaway: Schmeichel remains the benchmark, Seaman deserves far more respect than a ninth-place nod, and De Gea — for all the reflex miracles — falls outside Neville’s elite eight.

Neville’s final order (1–8)

1) Peter Schmeichel; 2) David Seaman; 3) Edwin van der Sar; 4) Petr Cech; 5) Alisson Becker; 6) Ederson; 7) Thibaut Courtois; 8) Jens Lehmann.

Carragher’s contrasting top 10

1) Petr Cech; 2) Peter Schmeichel; 3) Alisson Becker; 4) David De Gea; 5) Thibaut Courtois; 6) Edwin van der Sar; 7) Ederson; 8) Neville Southall; 9) David Seaman; 10) Pepe Reina.

Two lists, two philosophies — and a timeless reminder that goalkeeping greatness is as much about aura and authority as it is about acrobatics.