The real reason for the name ‘clean sheet’ when goalkeepers don’t concede a goal

For those guarding the net, the most recognized phrase is their clean sheet record — referring to matches played without conceding.

At the conclusion of each tournament, the goalkeeper with the highest number of clean sheets receives the golden glove award, honoring their performance and highlighting their excellence.

Last season in the Premier League, this accolade was jointly earned by Arsenal’s David Raya and Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels, both achieving 13 clean sheets over the 38-match campaign.

So how did the phrase ‘clean sheets’ come to represent a game without goals conceded?

For goalkeepers, securing a clean sheet is paramount — it guarantees the team cannot be defeated regardless of other outcomes.

Today’s goalkeepers rely on advanced statistics and digital tools to assess their form, but this wasn’t always the norm.

In football’s early days, goalkeepers depended on handwritten records maintained by journalists and club staff, who documented scores on paper.

If no goals were conceded, the sheet remained blank — hence the origin of the term clean sheet.

Though paper-based match tracking is rare now, the phrase endures, a nod to the sport’s simpler beginnings.

Throughout the 21st century, the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets is Italian icon Gianluigi Buffon, who recorded 77 in 176 appearances for Italy and amassed 506 in total during his career.

In Premier League history, Petr Cech holds the record with 202 clean sheets across his time in the league.