When Roma line up against Lille in the Europa League on Thursday, all eyes will be on Mile Svilar – a goalkeeper whose resurgence has made him one of the standout stories of 2025.
At just 26, the Serbian already finds himself level with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel at the top of the clean sheet standings for club and country this year, with 16 to his name.
For a player once billed as Europe’s next great goalkeeper, but who has taken time to truly emerge, the numbers now place him firmly among the elite.
Most of Svilar’s shutouts since January have come against Italian opposition, evidence of his growing authority in Serie A. Yet he has also impressed in Europe, notably keeping Eintracht Frankfurt at bay earlier in the competition.
Importantly, none of his clean sheets have come in goalless stalemates – each has accompanied a Roma victory, underlining his decisive role in their progress.
And goalkeeping is in his blood. His father, Ratko, was a goalkeeper too, and Svilar seemed destined to inherit the gloves.
He was just 18 when he made his Champions League debut for Benfica against Manchester United on 18 October 2017, one of the youngest ever to appear between the posts in the competition.
Seven years on, he has overcome the growing pains of expectation and is now delivering on that early promise. His figures are made all the more striking when set alongside the giants of the game.
Donnarumma’s 16 shutouts have been split between Italy, PSG and Manchester City, while Kobel has been a cornerstone of Dortmund’s campaign and has also added three clean sheets with Switzerland.
Just behind them, Thibaut Courtois sits on 15 for Real Madrid, and the likes of Wojciech Szczesny at Barcelona, Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa and Mike Maignan at AC Milan all boast 14. That Svilar is keeping pace with such names underlines just how far he has come.
As Roma prepare for Lille’s visit, his form could prove the difference. With Gian Piero Gasperini’s side looking to assert themselves in Europe once more, the Serbian has become not just a rising name but a reliable last line of defence.