Best goalkeeper gloves for stellar saves from Adidas, Nike and more

In football, it’s probably fair to say that the role of goalkeeper is seldom viewed as the “sexiest” on the pitch.

While children dream of scoring the winning goal, far fewer aspire to save it when they are standing between jumpers in the park being pelted by their opposition’s efforts.

But while there rarely outwardly seems to be as much glory associated with it, much like with a screamer from 30 yards outside the box, we know when we’ve seen a great save. And great saves are, after all, pretty crucial to a successful football team.

Unless they are particularly lucky, a keeper has their moment (or moments) in every match, and all under a weight of pressure known by few others on the pitch. The goalkeeper is the loneliest figure on a team, and if their defenders aren’t working for them, it’s vital that their gloves - the very last line of defence - are.

While the internet is awash with advice on the best boots, there’s a surprising amount of diversity in the goalkeeper gloves market and the best can be a little harder to pin down. We’ll run you through the top designs available to wannabe stoppers.

If the glove fits

There are a few key things to look out for when choosing goalkeeping gloves, but most crucially of all is getting the size right. A well-fitting glove will maximise control, comfort and wear. Gloves are measured in length – from the tip on the middle finger to the end of the palm - and the width across the palm, not including the thumb.

After that, you’ll need to establish the cut of the glove.

There are many familiar names in the goalie glove market, including many you’d recognise from wider sports apparel: Nike, Puma, adidas. While others may be less well known to anyone not following the market closely, and top dollar does not necessarily mean top performance.

Best goalkeeper gloves at a glance

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Reusch Attrakt Freegel Gold

Best: all-round

One of the OGs when it comes to goalkeeper gloves, the brand faded somewhat into obscurity in its post Peter Schmeichel/David Seaman glory days. The brand has enjoyed something of a renaissance thanks, in part, to Liverpool’s Alisson Becker. This is a flat palm glove with latex rolled around the fingertips, giving good control, as well as a silicon backhand to protect the knuckles. It also has a superior grip, thanks to its Grip Gold formula – essentially glue particles that add tackiness.

Buy now £99.00, Amazon

Uhlsport Prediction Absolutgrip SC

Best for: feel

Worn by Euro 2024 Golden Glove winner, Mike Maignan of France and AC Milan, the glove features Uhlsport’s high-performance foam Absolutgrip which works well in all weather conditions. It’s a negative cut glove, and has a snug fit, which gives a better feel of the ball for extra control, as well as its Dual Fix System – two wrist straps as the name suggests – and Flex Entry which makes it a bit easier to get them on and off.

Buy now £91.49, Uhlsport

ONE NXT Pro SL

Best for: price

ONE Glove prides itself as bringing professional grade accessible gloves to the market in a range of styles to suit every keeper. The brand is worn by the likes of Arsenal’s David Raya – the golden glove winner of the 2023/24 Premier League season – and the NXT Pro SL is a hybrid cut in an attractive white and blue colourway. It has great grip and wraps as well as a Quantum Elastic entry. For an extra £9.99 you can personalise your gloves, an especially nice feature in the junior range.

Buy now £60.00, Greaves

Puma FUTURE Pro Hybrid

Best for: style

Everton and England number one Jordan Pickford and Manchester City’s Ederson are just two from a handful of Premier League keepers to don Puma’s FUTURE Pro Hybrid gloves. The FUTURE Pro Hybrid boasts freedom of movement and reactivity, with a generous catching area while the knitted body improves fit and agility. It’s also hard to argue with this glove from an aesthetic perspective, with this stylish cream and orange colourway.

Buy now £110.00, Puma

Adidas Predator Pro Hybrid

Best for: branding

Adidas’s Predator boots are synonymous with the modern game – an instantly recognisable boot – and their gloves are no different. Worn by Qatar 2022 Golden Glove winner, Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emi Martinez also took home the Yashin trophy at the 2024 Ballon d’Or, as well as being the only goalkeeper to make the top 20 in the main prize. An impressive endorsement for these gloves. These strapless, hybrid gloves boast both stability and movement, and the cushioned palm includes latex running over the fingers and around the thumb for extra grip. They have a less bulky look to them than some of their competitors on the market, which gives them a stylish aesthetic.

Buy now £110.00, Adidas

Nike Vapor Grip3

Best for: colour range

The Nike Vapor Grip might be worn by Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, but among some quite serious gloves, the Vapor Grip 3 feels a bit less intimidating, with a relatively good price point and a great range of colourways. Nonetheless, these too are a good option, with a weather resistant outer you can be confident it won’t be your gloves that let you down on a drizzly Sunday morning. Additionally, the fingers are well protected by wraparound foam.

Buy now £109.00, Nike

AB1 Uno 3.0

Best for: durability

Former Stoke, Chelsea and Bournemouth (to name but three of his teams) stopper Asmir Begovic is the name behind the AB1 brand and personally approves and wears the materials and designs used by it.

The gloves are a bit old school, aesthetically speaking, and a little on the chunkier side. Though many pro goalkeepers don’t use finger protection due to the negative impacts on agility and movement, you might feel a bit differently about playing five-aside on a Thursday evening.

Additionally, these are a sturdy design with a negative cut and reinforced stitching for durability.

Was: £65

Buy now £34.99, AB1

Sells Claw Aqua Fit

Best for: innovation

A Popular name among Premier League keepers, this innovative brand is worn by the likes of Newcastle’s Nick Pope. In terms of advanced design, this glove is up there, giving great control, but also the negative stitched glove follows the form of the hand, whilst also mirroring the shape of the ball in a sort of – you guessed it – claw. It also has a layer of memory foam on the palm of the glove, for an enhanced grip, especially in hot weather.

Buy now £89.99, Sells

KeepHer Adira

Best for: women

As with football boots, almost all goalkeeper gloves are designed for men – the fit and the feel are based on the male hand, just scaled down and pinkified for a female market. Enter KeepHer, a brand founded by a mother after she realised that her daughter’s goalie gloves were designed for men, which she felt impacted on her performance. The brand claims its gloves offer better control of the ball to female keepers. We’d be lying if we said there wasn’t a pink hue in sight in the KeepHer shopping section, but think more bold and bright than pretty and pastel, like this negative cut Adira glove with a single wrap wrist strap and removable finger protection.

Buy now £68.00, KeepHer

Reusch Attrakt Starter Solid Finger Support Junior

Best for: kids

When you’re looking for kids’ gloves, you’ll want something hardwearing and with great protection, which is where Reusch’s junior range comes in. These gloves have stabilising spines in the fingers to prevent hyperextension and keep your little one’s digits safe, and features a solid palm foam with synthetic latex to ensure durability, even on hard surfaces.

Buy now £28.54, Amazon