Golden Glove leader David Raya and Emi Martinez snubbed as top three Premier League goalkeepers are named to build the 'ideal' No.1

Some iconic custodians have graced the English top-flight in the modern era, from Peter Schmeichel and David Seaman via Petr Cech and Edwin van der Sar. In the present, the Premier League is littered with international-calibre keepers.

The most prominent of those provide the last line of defence for teams with title aspirations at home and abroad, while many will be heading to the 2026 World Cup with their respective countries.

Who, though, can be considered the pick of that bunch and what separates the best from the rest? Crossley knows what it takes to fill the most demanding of roles, having once helped Forest to a third-place finish in the Premier League and qualification for Europe, and he has cast an eye over the class of 2025-26.

Rather surprisingly, Arsenal No.1 Raya - with 15 clean sheets to his name this season - is overlooked alongside World Cup-winning Aston Villa star Martinez. There is, however, a deep talent pool from which to fish out elite performers.

Crossley, speaking exclusively to GOAL while piecing together a Bally Bet All-Stars squad, said when asked to name his Premier League top three: “My favourite is Gianluigi Donnarumma and I've been saying it for ages from his Champions League exploits last year [at Paris Saint-Germain]. I couldn't believe how cheap he actually was. I didn't realise he was only 26 years old. He looks a lot older! But I've been seeing him in the Champions League last year and coming to the Premier League. He's turned into my favourite because he's kind of an old-school style, like Schmeichel-esque from my era.

“Same as Alisson as well and I like that type, so I'm going to go with Donnarumma. Alisson, very similar, fills the goal, big lad, very, very calm. I love to see a goalkeeper that doesn't get flustered, even when he makes a mistake.

“So I went for him as my number two and I've gone with one of our own, Jordan Pickford, as number three simply because I love his distribution. He's left-footed, I was left-footed, so I kind of like the left-footed goalkeeper a lot and I think if you put the three together, you've got the ideal goalkeeper. Jordan Pickford, I've never seen him play badly for England. I think he's been the best player over the last three, four seasons and that's the reason I've gone for him because I love a bit of consistency.”

Raya, Donnarumma and Pickford fill the top three places in the race for the 2025-26 Golden Glove. Arsenal’s Spanish shot-stopper leads the way, with domestic rivals on the books of Manchester City and Everton securing 11 shut-outs apiece this term.

Gunners star Raya has picked up Golden Glove prizes in the last two campaigns, but has no major honours to show for those efforts. He should form part of Spain’s squad at this summer’s World Cup, while Pickford will be England’s go-to option between the sticks, Alisson will be confident of landing Brazil’s No.1 spot and Donnarumma can help Italy to reach FIFA’s flagship event for the first time since 2014 when they face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a crucial play-off final on Tuesday.

Nottingham Forest's front of shirt partner Bally Bet is on a mission to give long-serving grassroots players the recognition they have earned. Forest great Mark Crossley has been set the challenge of compiling the first ever All-Stars Vets squad, made up from the real characters of the game in a celebration of everything that makes grassroots great. Crossley will be ably supported by other recognisable Forest faces as he goes about assembling the Bally Bet All-Stars.

The All-Stars will then be given the full Premier League treatment, swapping the recreation grounds for the City Ground, as they turn out against a team of hand-picked Forest legends towards the end of May. Prior to that game taking place, Crossley will be refining his starting XI with the help of some familiar faces on Trentside.