The Notable Journeyman Goalkeepers in the European Top Leagues

 

A few notable goalkeepers have had to become journeymen in the European top league in order to play regularly.

Being a journeyman might have been considered a way to sense the adventure. Such is not entirely mistaken, as it does have its own advantage. Yet, not everyone becomes such due to their own will. Some have to be the journeyman because of the circumstance. 

For a goalkeeper, it can be quite challenging due to the nature of this position. You can either cement your place in the team or move elsewhere if you do not fancy sharing the tasks as a second fiddle in the club. The latter often becomes their only choice to save their career. Otherwise, they would have gone unnoticed due to being on the sideline for too long.

This season, Australian international Matthew Ryan has to deal with it again. He is unhappy with the minutes he has in AS Roma. Despite being more experienced than the first choice, Mile Svilar, he is overlooked by the new boss, Claudio Ranieri.

Ryan eventually switches sides to RC Lens in the January transfer window. He soon made his debut in Ligue 1 for Will Still’s side in emphatic fashion as he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Angers.

The French top flight is a new league for the former Club Brugge man. Previously, he was already playing for three other European top seven: the Premier League with Brighton and Arsenal, La Liga with Valencia and Real Sociedad, and the Dutch Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar. Ryan is one example of a journeyman goalie who becomes one for seeking regular minutes, although he has yet to lift a trophy in any of those top leagues.

There have surely been other shot stoppers who shared the same experience as the 32-year-old goalkeeper. One of them even won a notable continental silverware with the big club.

Sergio Romero 

The 37-year-old shot stopper was also a journeyman during his years in Europe. He has been competing in the Dutch Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar, the Italian Serie A with Sampdoria and Venezia, Ligue 1 with AS Monaco, and most notably with Premier League giant Manchester United. 

Unlike Matty Ryan, Romero managed to win titles with some of them. The former Argentine international won Eredivisie in 2009, the Europa League, and the League Cup with the Red Devils in 2017. He even contributed heavily while snatching the continental title under Jose Mourinho despite the fact that he was only David De Gea’s understudy. His Portuguese boss laid trust on him throughout the competition by featuring in all games from the knockout stage to the final. 

Unfortunately, the current Boca Juniors man suffered a number of injuries in his European spells, which cost him his regular spot and consistency. Nevertheless, he remained satisfied being the second fiddle in Monaco and Manchester until the club did not extend his contract. 

Romero’s career with the national team was fairly secure despite his lack of minutes at the club level. He was Argentina’s first choice in all major competitions from the 2010 FIFA World Cup to Copa America 2016. That was the period when Lionel Messi and Co. lost in three consecutive finals: the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Copa America 2015 and 2016.

Guillermo Ochoa 

The Mexican international is another journeyman goalkeeper who still plays in Europe today. Ochoa has played in four of the seven European top flights, although none of them is a big team. He mainly had spells in the low-level teams such as Ajaccio (France), Malaga and Granada (Spain), and Salernitana (Italy), before plying his trade at AVs Fs, the newly promoted side in the Portuguese top flight in summer 2024.

Ochoa tends to leave the club when they are relegated, as it happened during his stints in Ajaccio, Granada, and Salernitana. Such has kept him away from making UCL debut in his career. He is one of the top players but never made appearance in the UEFA's top flight competition. The shot stopper with 151 international caps appears to be a journeyman with those non-elite sides on his own will. He even departed from his established role in MX side, Club America, after breaking the club’s most clean sheet record in 2022 to make his return to Europe at the age of 36. 

Vladimir Stojkovic 

The former Serbian international was an unlikely journeyman due to his complex character. He had been unwanted in his club following his conflict with his boss, became the in-between figure of the ruthless local derby, and even once left the training while having a trial with the Premier League side. 

Stojkovic was undoubtedly a talented shot stopper but did not manage to stay long and cemented his place during his stints abroad. The former Nottingham Forest man, while competing in the low tier level, had been in five of the seven European top-flight leagues: the Premier League’s Wigan, La Liga’s Getafe, Ligue 1’s Nantes, Eredivisie’s Vitesse, and Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Lisbon. Unfortunately, his appearances in each of those top league sides were less than 15 games. 

The goalie who once played for both sides of archrivals in Serbian football history, Red Star and Partizan Belgrade, earned 84 caps on the international stage. He appeared in both the 2010 and 2018 FIFA World Cups as the number one between the sticks. 

Pepe Reina 

The current Como man is the most decorated journeyman goalkeeper so far. He has been playing in all four of the European top tiers. Reina played for Barcelona and Villarreal in his homeland, then for Liverpool and Aston Villa in England. He also had a brief stint with Bayern Munich before his spells in Italy. The Spaniard previously was a member of Napoli, Lazio, and AC Milan's squad before joining Como. 

The shot stopper with 36 international caps lifted a trophy with The Reds as they won UEFA Super Cup 2005 and FA Cup 2006, besides winning Coppa Italia 2014 with Napoli and Bundesliga 2015 with Bayern. Reina has made 11 appearances so far with the Serie A’s newly promoted side and remains fit at the age of 42, in which most goalies have hung up their gloves.