Ever since Diego Simeone took charge of Atlético Madrid in December 2011, the Argentinian has worked to instil a level of defensive organisation and rigidity that has seen the Spanish club’s backline become the envy of the European game.
With wily, no-nonsense, risk-averse centre-halves such as João Miranda, José Giménez and the impervious Diego Godín forming the bedrock of the side, Colchoneros’ recent success has been built on solidity at the back.
The role that Atléti’s goalkeepers – the latest of whom, Slovenia international Jan Oblak, is perhaps the best in a line of outstanding young custodians to have kept guard at the Vicente Calderón over the last decade – have played in recent years should not be underestimated.
David de Gea broke into the Atlético first team as a teenager and showed immense promise before being snapped up by Manchester United in 2011, while Thibaut Courtois’ three-year loan from Chelsea proved immensely successful.
Yet as magnificent as the two stars of the Premier League were during their time keeping goal in La Liga, neither looked quite as assured or as subtly commanding as Oblak.
Signed from Benfica for €16m in the summer of 2014, Oblak initially found it hard to break into Simeone’s starting XI. It was not until injury forced Miguel Ángel Moyà off the field in a Champions League last-16 tie with Bayer Leverkusen in March of that season that the Slovenian was called upon in a meaningful fixture.
The match went to penalties and Oblak saved from Hakan Çalhanoğlu to help Atléti advance. A La Liga debut came four days later and he has remained in place as the club’s first-choice keeper ever since.
Although he was forced to bide his time and wait for his opportunity, Oblak immediately looked a natural fit between the sticks for the 10-time Spanish champions. Little more than a year later, another penalty save against German opposition – this time denying Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller at the Allianz Arena – helped ensure Atléti’s progression to a second Champions League final in three years.
If last season marked Oblak’s arrival among the continent’s finest goalkeepers, this term has served to rubber-stamp that status. He has, moreover, arguably leapfrogged many of his peers to be considered the very best, from an all-round perspective, of the bunch.
Commanding in the air with accurate distribution and stunning reflexes, the 24-year-old is the complete goalkeeping package. But perhaps Oblak’s greatest skill is his ability to maintain concentration through long periods of inactivity and still produce the goods when called upon.
It is a specific facet of goalkeeping that is unique to those playing for elite teams, who tend to dominate possession and therefore allow fewer opposition efforts on goal. Playing behind the most resolute defence in Europe, Oblak may not be called into action too many times in a single game, but he is invariably ready to spring into action on the two or three occasions he is needed. It must be demoralising for opposing attackers who, when having finally picked the lock to Atléti’s stubborn defence, they are then faced with the task of trying to beat the 6ft 2in Slovenian.
As rumours of a potential move to Real Madrid for De Gea gather steam, Manchester United are reported to be eyeing Oblak as a replacement for the former Atléti shot-stopper.
If United are serious about prising the Atlético No.1 away from the Spanish capital, they will likely have to stump up €100 million to meet the 24-year-old’s release clause – almost trebling the current record fee for a goalkeeper – as Los Colchoneros know that, to them, Oblak is irreplaceable.
For his part, too, Oblak seems happy with his current situation, telling Marca last summer: “Well, I never think so far into the future, because one day things change. As of now I'm very happy here, everything is going perfect.”
This summer could well be one of great change for top-level goalkeepers around Europe, with De Gea and Courtois on Real Madrid’s wishlist and Milan’s teenage superstar Gianluigi Donnarumma having just one year remaining on his San Siro contract.
But Atléti will be hoping to preserve the status quo when it comes to the man guarding their goal next season.
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