Premier League all-time clean sheets table as David de Gea overtakes Peter Schmeichel
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea moved up to 10th in the Premier League's clean sheets table on Saturday after his team's goalless draw against Watford.
The Spaniard, 31, has now kept 129 clean sheets in the prestigious competition - moving ahead of iconic United stopper Peter Schmeichel in the all-time list.
Schmeichel kept 128 clean sheets in his 310 Premier League outings for the Red Devils, Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Comparatively, De Gea has played 366 games in the competition since legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson signed him from Atletico Madrid in 2011.
Here,Mirror Footballtakes a look at the other nine names on the list - which includes two former Old Trafford regulars.
Who is the best goalkeeper in Premier League history? Let us know in the comments below!
Van de Sar stunned the football world when he joined Premier League newbies Fulham from Juventus in the summer of 2001.
At the time, the Dutchman was considered as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe but had recently lost his place in Turin to Gianluigi Buffon.
Van de Sar was the Netherlands' first-choice stopper and had previously won four Eredivisie titles, the Champions League, UEFA Cup and much more at Ajax.
He was a success at Fulham - making 127 Premier League appearances in four solid seasons - yet it was obvious he was too good to be playing for a mid-table side.
Ferguson believed Var der Sar could solve his goalkeeping crisis and he wasn't wrong, as the stopper went on to win countless trophies at Old Trafford.
Among them were four Premier League titles and the Champions League. And, had it not been for Barcelona, he'd have probably lifted the European Cup in 2009 and 2011, too.
Joint 7th: Tim Howard - 132 clean sheets
The next and final United stopper on this list, Howard arrived at Old Trafford from MLS outfit MetroStars - now known as New York Red Bulls - in the summer of 2003.
He made a steady start to his Premier League career - making 32 appearances in his debut campaign - but failed to hold down a place in Ferguson's transitional side.
Howard was offloaded to Everton in the summer of 2006 - initially on loan - but soon established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
He went on to make 354 league outings for the Toffees and play 121 times for the senior US national team before ending his career in the States.
Joint 7th: Brad Friedel - 132 clean sheets
Speaking of American goalkeepers, there are few better than Friedel.
He signed for Liverpool in the summer of 1997, although he didn't make his Reds debut until the following February due to a delay with his work permit.
Friedel played just 25 Premier League games during his three seasons at Anfield before Graeme Souness lured him to second tier Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2000.
It proved to a move that would define his career. After winning promotion in his first season, Friedel lifted the EFL Cup in February 2002.
He went on to retire with 450 Premier League appearances to his name, later enjoying spells at Aston Villa and Tottenham.
Friedel's greatest achievement is his remarkable consistency. He played every single league game for eight consecutive seasons between 2004 and 2012.
No one has played more consecutive Premier League games - 310, to be precise - than Friedel. It's unlikely his record will ever be broken.
6th: Pepe Reina - 136 clean sheets
The current Lazio stopper is arguably the greatest goalkeeper to represent Liverpool in the Premier League era, making 285 appearances between 2005 and 2013.
Reina arrived in England shortly after the Reds' famous Champions League triumph in Istanbul having impressed at Barcelona and Villarreal.
He is a three-time winner of the Golden Glove award, given to the stopper with the most clean sheets in a season. Only Petr Cech and Joe Hart (four each) have won more.
Reina never did win the Premier League title but did return for a brief loan spell in 2020, helping Aston Villa maintain their top-flight status.
The Spaniard's remarkable trophy cabinet includes the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Bundesliga, Coppa Italia, World Cup and two European Championships.
5th: Nigel Martyn - 137 clean sheets
The 23-cap England international was a regular in the Premier League during the late nineties and early noughties.
Martyn started his career at Bristol Rovers before earning a move to Crystal Palace in 1989, helping the club remain in the first tier for four seasons.
He remained at Selhurst Park after they suffered relegation in 1992-93 and, following an immediate return, endured the same fate in 1994-95.
Martyn's top-flight career took off when he joined Leeds in the summer of 1996, helping the West Yorkshire outfit reach the semi-finals of both the Champions League and UEFA Cup.
He moved to Everton in the summer of 2003, going on to play three more seasons before calling time on his career in 2006 aged 39.
Although Martyn didn't win as much silverware as others on this list, he did keep 137 clean sheets in 372 Premier League outings - an impressive record by anyone's standards.
4th: David Seaman - 141 clean sheets
Seaman turned 29 a month after the Premier League era started and would probably be sitting in first place if he was a decade younger.
The Englishman had already racked up nearly 300 club appearances before 1992 for Peterborough United, Birmingham City, QPR and Arsenal.
He'd also won a top-flight title and made his senior international debut.
But Seaman will always be remembered for his Premier League exploits, playing 344 games, winning two titles and being named Player of the Month in April 1995.
He also won four FA Cups, the EFL Cup, three Community Shields and the European Cup Winners' Cup before hanging up his gloves aged 40 at Manchester City.
Seaman's Premier League efforts were acknowledged in 2002, when he was named the competition's goalkeeper of the decade ahead of Schmeichel.
He also picked up the most Premier League clean sheets between 1992 and 2002 (130).
3rd: Mark Schwarzer - 151 clean sheets
The Australian stopper enjoyed a fabulous 20-year career in England, playing more than 600 league games for Bradford City, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester.
During that time he won the EFL Cup with Middlesbrough and was named the Premier League's Player of the Month in February 2010.
The 109-cap international also became Chelsea's oldest ever player - aged 41 years and 218 days - and Leicester's - aged 43 years and 32 days.
Although he didn't qualify for a medal, he was part of the Blues' squad that won the Premier League title in 2014-15 - repeating the feat 12 months later with the Foxes.
The latter achievement was the final act of Schwarzer's career. Not a bad way to finish!
2nd: David James - 169 clean sheets
James was a stalwart of the Premier League during the competition's first two decades in existence, representing Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth.
Although he never lifted the title, he did win the FA Cup, EFL Cup and 53 caps for England.
James' final Premier League game was for Pompey in 2010, bowing out with 572 appearances to his name - more than anyone else in the competition's history at the time.
That record has since been surpassed by Gareth Barry (653 games), Ryan Giggs (632), Frank Lampard (609) and James Milner (580) - none of whom are goalkeepers.
James' career ended with spells at Bristol City, Bournemouth, Icelandic outfit IBV and Indian side Kerala Blasters.
He also held the record for most clean sheets in the Premier League, until the final man on this list broke it.
1st: Petr Cech - 202 clean sheets
Setting a record that may never be broken, Cech picked up a clean sheet nearly every other game during his 443 Premier League outings for Chelsea and Arsenal.
His form saw him win a ridiculous amount of trophies, including four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three EFL Cups, the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.
Cech also won the Golden Glove four times - a joint record with current Celtic stopper Joe Hart - and holds the record for the most clean sheets in a single season (24).
Yes De Gea is good - as was Schmeichel and Seaman - but many will argue Cech is the greatest goalkeeper of the Premier League era.
When it comes to longevity (after 1992), statistics, quality and honours - it's hard to look past the brilliant Czech stopper.
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