Cech voted best Barclays Premier League goalkeeper

Premierleague.com readers vote for Petr Cech, with Peter Schmeichel in second

A review of six of the best No 1s to have played in the Barclays Premier League.

Premierleague.com readers have voted Chelsea's Petr Cech as the best goalkeeper to have played in the Barclays Premier League.

Over 3,000 votes were cast and on the back of reaching 150 League clean sheets after Chelsea's 2-0 win at Hull City on Saturday, Cech ended up as the winner with 46% of the votes. Former Manchester United goalies Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar were in second and third while David Seaman finished ahead of David James to claim fourth. Do you agree? We have left all the relevant stats and information below for you to look through and make up your mind.

Clean sheets

David James, the former England goalkeeper, played for five different teams in the Barclays Premier League during his long career and still holds the record for the number of clean sheets, with 169. But Petr Cech, who joined Chelsea in 2004, has reached the 150 mark a lot sooner, having competed in far fewer matches in his career to date. His Stamford Bridge team-mate Mark Schwarzer is only two behind and former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman was was not far off either.

Player	Matches played	Clean sheets*
David James	572	169
Petr Cech	313	150
Mark Schwarzer	504	148
David Seaman	344	142
Nigel Martyn	372	138
José Reina	285	134
Brad Friedel	450	132
Edwin van der Sar	313	132
Tim Howard	325	112
Shay Given	440	112
Jussi Jääskeläinen	435	108
Thomas Sørensen	363	107

Save percentage

Cech has the highest save percentage in history of the Barclays Premier League, leading Tottenham Hostpur goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes and Manchester City's Joe Hart.

Player	Saves	Matches played	Clean sheets	Save %
Petr Cech	747	313	150	75.98
Heurelho Gomes	324	95	31	75.35
Joe Hart	620	214	82	73.8
Marcus Hahnemann	469	115	28	73.78
Jens Lehmann	345	148	54	73.18
Tim Howard	901	325	112	73.14

More records

Legendary Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, later of Aston Villa and Manchester City, was the first player to reach 100 clean sheets in the Barclays Premier League and ended his career with 129. One of the next to fill his boots at Old Trafford, Edwin van der Sar, holds the record for the longest run of consecutive clean sheets. The Dutchman went 14 matches without conceding a goal for Manchester United in 2008/09, breaking Cech's record of 10 consecutive clean sheets during his debut season in 2004/05.

Player	Matches	Team	Date
Edwin van der Sar	14	Manchester United	Nov 2008 – Feb 2009
Petr Cech	10	Chelsea	Nov 2004 – Mar 2005
Jose Reina	8	Liverpool	Oct 2005 – Dec 2005
Neville Southall	7	Everton	Nov 1994 – Dec 1994

The vote

We have compiled a list of five goalkeepers listed below, but who gets your vote? Remember to watch the video with highlights from each player's career and vote for your person of choice on the homepage by scrolling down to the poll.

David Seaman

Team	Matches played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Arsenal	325	267	137
Manchester City	19	24	3
Overall	344	291	140

David James

Team	Matches played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Liverpool	214	217	72
Aston Villa	67	69	20
West Ham United	64	91	18
Manchester City	93	109	20
Portsmouth	134	179	39
Overall	572	665	169

Brad Friedel

Team	Matches played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Liverpool	25	32	6
Blackburn Rovers	261	331	77
Aston Villa	114	145	35
Tottenham Hotspur	50	59	14
Overall	450	567	132

Petr Cech

Team	Games played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Chelsea	313	234	150
Overall	313	234	150

Edwin van der Sar

Team	Games played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Fulham	127	162	42
Manchester United	186	142	90
Overall	313	304	132

Peter Schmeichel

Team	Games played	Goals conceded	Clean sheets
Manchester United	252	212	112
Aston Villa	29	37	7
Manchester City	29	38	9
Overall	310	287	128

*Clean sheets only counted where the goalkeeper has played the entire match.

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