Who has the most clean sheets in Premier League history?

Which goalkeeper has the most clean sheets in Premier League history? Learn the top shot-stoppers to feature in the league and which holds the all-time record!

Keeping the most clean sheets in a Premier League season is an achievement in itself, but having the most clean sheets in Premier League history requires an elite level of longevity. The players on this list have combined both top-class goalkeeping abilities and long careers in England’s top-flight to rack up such tallies, making them stand out as some of the best players the league has ever seen.

The list contains many keepers who would have featured among the Premier League betting favourites to win the Golden Glove during their playing careers. Keep reading to learn the goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in the league’s history!

The ten goalkeepers with the most Premier League clean sheets

Below are the top ten goalkeepers with the most clean sheets in Premier League history and the different clubs they played for throughout their careers:

Counting down the players with the most Premier League clean sheets

Now that you know the keepers with the most Premier League clean sheets, let’s learn a little more about each of these players and how they achieved such impressive tallies.

9. Brad Friedel – 132 clean sheets

Friedel spent his early career at Liverpool before moving to Ewood Park in 2000, also going on to play for Aston Villa and Tottenham in his Premier League career.

The American shot-stopper managed to appear in 310 consecutive Premier League games – showing off an incredible level of availability. Impressively, the keeper even managed to score a goal too, netting against Charlton during his time at Blackburn Rovers.

His constant availability and consistency allowed him to play into his 40s, continually displaying his top-level abilities as a no-nonsense goalkeeper.

9. Tim Howard – 132 clean sheets

Tying Brad Friedel’s clean sheet tally is the second American keeper to make the cut, Tim Howard. He may have begun his Premier League career at Manchester United, but he spent the majority of his time in the league playing for the Toffees at Goodison Park.

Similarly to Friedel, Howard also managed to get on the scoresheet as he scored from a powerful clearance upfield where the ball bounced over the opposition keeper and found the net from 100 yards out!

Despite rarely being considered among the division’s elite goalkeepers during his playing career, Howard’s 399 appearances show he was one of the most consistent over the course of his 13 Premier League seasons.

8. Edwin van der Sar – 133 clean sheets

Dutchman Edwin van der Sar may have peaked later in his career than most, but he certainly managed to establish himself as one of the best Premier League goalkeepers of all time.

Van der Sar moved from Ajax to Fulham in 2001, aged 30, and played for the Cottagers for four seasons before moving to Manchester United aged 34. It was here, however, where he was considered by Sir Alex Ferguson the best goalkeeper at the club since Peter Schmeichel.

The Dutch keeper played for the Red Devils for six seasons, winning four Premier League titles and a Champions League title. Topping this off, he achieved the longest consecutive run without conceding a goal, going 1,311 minutes (14 full matches) during the 2008/09 season.

7. Pepe Reina – 136 clean sheets

Joining Liverpool in 2005, the Spaniard managed to hit the ground running as he won the Golden Glove for three seasons in a row. One of the first keepers to combine both shot-stopping and good distribution, he was a pioneer of the modern goalkeeping style.

Though not having a career laden with silverware, Reina’s time in the Premier League was extremely respectable, even making a return after joining Aston Villa on loan in the 2019/20 season.

6. Nigel Martyn – 137 clean sheets

Despite not being one of the so called ‘big names’ on the list, Nigel Martyn more than deserves his inclusion. The Englishman began his career at Crystal Palace, before moving to Leeds and ending his top-flight career at Everton.

Martyn set the record for a goalkeeper fee after moving to Leeds for £2.25 million in 1996 and put in top-level performances both in the league and in Europe – most notably a man-of-the-match performance against Roma in the UEFA Cup campaign, helping Leeds to the semi-finals.

Despite signing as second-choice at Everton in 2003, an injury to first-choice keeper Richard Wright saw him earn his place and help the club to fourth place in the 2004/05 season.

5. David Seaman – 140 clean sheets

One of the greatest Arsenal goalkeepers, David Seaman makes the top five. Spending 11 seasons at Arsenal in the Premier League, he had his prime years at the club before moving to Manchester City in the 2003/04 season.

Seaman became a safe pair of hands both for club and country, being key to Arsenal’s dominant teams that won league titles and cups in the 1990s and early 2000s. He demonstrated both good positioning and an ability to command his defence, which both contributed to him racking up so many clean sheets during his career.

4. David De Gea – 147 clean sheets

After moving from Atletico Madrid to Manchester United in 2011, the Spaniard had lots of pressure to live up to the levels of his predecessor Edwin van der Sar. Joining at the back end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s time as the Red Devils’ manager, though, he managed to establish himself and pick up a Premier League title in 2013.

Spending 12 seasons at the club, David De Gea became a point of stability throughout a time where the club frequently changed managers while maintaining high standards and expectations.

At the peak of his powers, the Spanish goalkeeper was one of the best in the business, with world-class shot-stopping abilities and few being better in one-on-one situations. Despite tailing off towards the end of his career at Old Trafford, De Gea more than earned his position on this list throughout his time in the Premier League.

3. Mark Schwarzer – 151 clean sheets

Despite not being a name thrown around in conversations on the Premier League’s best goalkeepers, Australian Mark Schwarzer defined his career through being consistent and reliable. Schwarzer managed to play into his 40s, making the most appearances in Premier League history for a non-English goalkeeper.

Playing for Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea, and Leicester, Schwarzer contributed to various clubs throughout his career. The final two seasons of his career also saw him win the Premier League with Chelsea and Leicester, though he didn’t play on enough occasions to earn a medal.

2. David James – 169 clean sheets

The epitome of reliability and longevity, David James played more Premier League matches than any other goalkeeper in his career. James featured for a wide variety of clubs including Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City, and Portsmouth, making himself first-choice throughout most campaigns.

James also holds the record for the most penalty saves by any Premier League goalkeeper too, with 13 in total – further proving why he deserves his spot so high up on the list.

1. Petr Cech – 202 clean sheets

Finally, the goalkeeper with the most Premier League clean sheets is Petr Cech. Cech is considered one of the best goalkeepers to grace the Premier League, being part of the Chelsea side that only conceded 15 goals in the 2004/05 season.

Impressively, the Czech international holds the record for the most clean sheets in a single Premier League season with 24 in the 2004/05 campaign; while Cech also became the fastest goalkeeper to reach 100 clean sheets – achieving the total in just 180 games. Given the number of clean sheets he kept, it’s no wonder that he won the Golden Glove on four occasions.

He recorded 162 of his tally at Chelsea, before moving to Arsenal in 2015 where he took his total up to 202 over his four seasons with the Gunners. Considering he’s arguably the best Premier League goalkeeper of all time after consistently being world-class, he’s more than earned his place at the top of this list.

Will any current players join the list soon?

Though reaching these impressive figures is rare, there are some active Premier League goalkeepers that could potentially add themselves to the list if they spend a few more seasons in the Premier League.

• Liverpool’s Alisson Becker currently sits in 18th place on 103 clean sheets, sitting just 29 behind Brad Friedel and Tim Howard. If he stays with the Reds for a couple more seasons, he could match or overtake their tallies, making it into the top ten.

• Jordan Pickford, who is just behind the Brazilian, has racked up 98 clean sheets in his Premier League career with Sunderland and Everton. Like Alisson, should the England international manage a few more seasons with his club, the Toffees, then he could get the 34 clean sheets he needs to match their totals and claw his way onto the list.