Double Dutch delight

After its successful debut last year, the Golden Glove is back!

Outfield players may grab most of the headlines, but at the heart of every great side there is a great goalkeeper.

They are the final line of defence and are often worth as many points as a striker over the course of the season, but just who is the best?

Here at Soccer AM, we think the men between the posts with the best clean sheets-to-games ratio should be recognised, which is why every week for the remainder of the season we will be revealing who, in our opinion, are the best goalkeepers in the land with a little help from our friends at Opta.

To qualify, players must have played in at least half of their side's matches this season and only league games count.

The Golden Glove

It's official, for the second year running Edwin van der Sar is the best goalkeeper in the country!

The Manchester United shot stopper will no doubt have been bitterly disappointed following the climax of an enthralling season which saw Chelsea win the Premier League title and deny United what would have been a record breaking 19th league trophy.

However, he can at least take solace in the knowledge that once again there is no better player in between the sticks than him - and he has the stats to back it up!

After breaking almost every clean sheet record going last season, this year was a far more low-key affair in comparison. In fact the Dutchman only completed 21 games - 11 fewer than the previous season.

But this award is all about recognising the player with the best clean sheets-to-games ratio and there is little doubt that the United number one is this man.

Facing stiff competition from the likes of Kasper Schmeichel and Dorus de Vries, Van der Sar finished the season with 12 clean sheets and a ratio of 0.57, and he can now add his second Soccer AM Golden Glove to a hugely impressive list of accolades.

* Accurate as of 12/05/10