The Relationship Between Anthropometrics Parameters and Clean Sheets of Goalkeepers in Elite European Football

This chapter highlights the association between goalkeepers’ (GKs) clean sheet performances and their anthropometric indexes. It has been demonstrated from the study findings that GKs with bigger body sizes and older ages are more likely to keep clean sheets compared to those with lower anthropometrics and younger ages. The study also found that the feet used by the GKs have no association with keeping clean sheets. Therefore, higher anthropometric indexes and clean sheets in goalkeepers highlight the multidimensional nature of goalkeeping performance. It suggests that a combination of physical attributes as well as experience can contribute to a goalkeeper’s ability to keep clean sheets. It has also been demonstrated from the current finding that the logistic regression model is able to yield an excellent prediction of the group of GKs based on the investigated parameters. Understanding these factors could improve defensive performance in football and assist stakeholders in making better decisions about who to recruit and develop as GKs.