Fulham have had a memorable 21st Century, with promotion to the Premier League for the first time in over 30 years in 2001 and an unforgettable Europa League run in 2010.
With these great teams come great goalkeepers and Fulham have had some fantastic shot-stoppers in the last 22 years.
With this in mind, we take a look at Fulham’s top five goalkeepers of the 21st Century so far…
Edwin van der Sar (2001-2005)
A Premier League legend that has recently been nominated for the Premier League Hall of fame, van der Sar joined Fulham in 2001 from Juventus and went on to appear 127 times in the league for the Londoners. In 2005 he would depart the club and join Manchester United and go on to win four Premier Leagues and a Champions League.
Van der Sar is arguably Fulham’s best keeper since the turn of the Millennium. In his final season at the club, he memorably saved two penalties from Juan Pablo Ángel in a 1–1 draw against Aston Villa.
Mark Schwarzer (2008-2013)
Fulham’s Player of the Year in 2009, Schwarzer played an important role in Fulham reaching the Europa League final in 2010. The Australian is the most-capped player for his country and played over 200 times for Fulham.
Schwarzer is Fulham’s fourth all-time highest appearance maker in the top flight and when leaving the club in 2013 he would go onto win the Premier League with both Chelsea and Leicester City.
Alphonse Areola (2020-2021)
Areola is another goalkeeper to win Fulham’s Player of the Season. Last year he had a fantastic stint at the club and was arguably a reason why Scott Parker’s side were not relegated earlier than they were. The French goalkeeper joined on loan from PSG and featured 36 times in the league for Fulham, keeping nine clean sheets.
Following the club’s relegation, Areola departed the club and is now currently on loan at West Ham. The 29-year-old has only played one game in the Premier League and has mostly been used in Europa League and Cup games.
Marek Rodák (2014-present)
Fulham’s current no.1 is enjoying a fine season under Marco Silva and has kept 12 clean sheets in the Championship. Despite Fulham breaking records for scoring goals, Rodák has come up with important performances and is another reason why the Whites are doing so well this season.
Having played the majority of the 2019/20 promotion season, he was unlucky not to get a shot in the Premier League the following season but may get his chance next season. The Slovakian has been capped 13 times for his country and has appeared 75 times for Fulham, conceding a total of 72 goals. At only 25 years old, Rodák still has plenty of time to build up a legacy at Craven Cottage.
Maik Taylor (1997-2004)
Arriving at the club from Southampton in 1997, Maik Taylor played pivotal roles in Fulham’s promotion from the Second Division in 1999 as well as promotion to the Premier League in 2001. A Kevin Keegan signing, Taylor was called up to the Northern Ireland side for the first time during his spell at Fulham and would go onto make 88 appearances for his country.
He would lose his place in the team following the signing of van der Sar and joined Birmingham City in 2004.
