We are heading towards the completion of 25 years of the 2000s, and it has been a rollercoaster ride for Manchester United.
Entering the new millennium as Treble winners, United wrap up 2025 as club that has fallen a long way from past glories, with no league title since 2013.
We are looking back at the players to represent the clubs over the past 25 years, and today, specifically the goalkeepers.
There are two standout candidates to be the best since 2000 – and we think this will really split opinion…
Edwin van der Sar celebrates for Manchester United, wearing purple kit with arms raised
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Edwin van der Sar
Manchester United fans feared that Edwin van der Sar signed for Manchester United too late, he was 34-years-old when he joined the club in 2005.
For a fee of £1.5 million, it was a gamble worth taking, and Van der Sar repaid it several times over.
Van der Sar immediately ended the post-Peter Schmeichel uncertainty that had clouded the position since the Dane’s exit back in 1999.
United benefited from Van der Sar playing into his 40s, until 2011, setting records and winning trophies along the way.
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Van der Sar’s best moment was his penalty shootout save from Nicolas Anelka in Moscow in 2008 to win the Champions League for the club.
He also won four Premier League titles and two League Cups, while also setting a long-standing record for not conceding a goal, at a staggering 1,311 minutes. It may never be beaten!
Manchester United v Chelsea FC - Premier League
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David de Gea
David de Gea was given the huge task of trying to replace Edwin van der Sar, and Manchester United chose very well.
De Gea spent more than a decade at United between 2011 and 2023, winning the Premier League title in 2012/13.
But for the majority of De Gea’s United career, he was the barrier trying to slow down United’s rapid downfall, and without him, the club’s fortunes could have been far worse.
De Gea won Manchester United’s Player of the Year Award four times, and still managed to win more silverware in cup competitions. He is also in the club’s top 20 all time appearance makers.
His greatest performance was a staggering individual display away at Arsenal in 2017, where he produced a display comparable to Peter Schmeichel at St James’ Park.
De Gea’s spell was not perfect, however. He left under a cloud after an error in the 2023 FA Cup Final, and the least said about the 2021 Europa League Final the better…
Who is the best Man Utd goalkeeper 2000-2025? Cast your VOTE 🗳️
Help us pick our best XI!
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Other nominees…
We have three ‘tier below’ options we have included in our poll…
Fabien Barthez
There was a lot expected from French World Cup winner Fabien Barthez, who was a little before his time.
Barthez wanted to play with the ball at his feet and take risks, and in the end the mistakes were too much for Sir Alex Ferguson to bear.
Despite this, Barthez contributed strongly to two title-winning campaigns in 2000/01 and 2002/03.
Roy Carroll
A true underdog, Roy Carroll was a back-up who earned his way into a starting role before Edwin van der Sar took over.
His finest moment was the FA Cup semi-final win over Arsenal in 2004 at Villa Park, where he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win.
Sergio Romero
Sergio Romero had the unenviable task of backing up David de Gea, which meant he never got the run in goal that he was truly capable of.
Romero played frequently as United’s ‘cup goalkeeper’, and started in the 2017 Europa League Final win for the Red Devils under Jose Mourinho.
Sadly for Romero, in 2019/20, he helped United reach three semi-finals before being dropped for De Gea, and United lost all of them.
Didn’t quite make the cut…
Andre Onana, Anders Lindegaard, Mark Bosnich, Victor Valdes, Dean Henderson, Ben Foster, Tom Heaton, Tim Howard, Altay Bayindir and Senne Lammens all played in goal for United between 2020 and 2025.
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