Noah Atubolu, the 22-year-old goalkeeper for SC Freiburg, is on the brink of making Bundesliga history, Footynaija.com reports.
With four consecutive penalties saved, Atubolu is poised to set a new league record if he saves one more in Sunday’s match against FC Augsburg.
The Germany U21 started his impressive run last season with a standout performance against Union Berlin. In that match, he saved two penalties. He continued this impressive form by denying Florian Wirtz of Bayer Leverkusen and, more recently, André Silva of Werder Bremen. With this, he joins the likes of Jörg Butt, Frank Rost, Thomas Zander, and Bernd Leno, who also saved four consecutive penalties during their careers.
Atubolu is the only one of this group still playing in the Bundesliga, and he has a chance to become the first Bundesliga goalkeeper to save five penalties in a row, when SC Freiburg play against Augsburg on Sunday. He is also only 110 minutes away from setting a new record for the longest streak of not conceding a goal in the Bundesliga.
The Freiburg native has kept eight clean sheets in 20 Bundesliga matches for Freiburg. And thanks to his consistency, the Bundesliga club have maintained a strong league standing this season.
Atubolu’s exceptional form has caught the attention of several top clubs, scouts, and football pundits. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently reported that English Premier League clubs, including West Ham United, are monitoring the young goalkeeper as a potential future target.
When asked about the secret behind his penalty saves, Atubolu remained humble, crediting it to preparation and practice, saying, “I spend a lot of time dealing with penalties and am prepared for every one that comes my way. Of course, I have my tricks, but I won’t give them away,” per Brilla.
Reflecting on his recent save against André Silva, Atubolu said it looked “cool” and added, “It has to do with the fact that I spend a lot of time dealing with penalties and am prepared for every one that comes my way.”
SC Freiburg’s head coach, Julian Schuster, praised his goalkeeper’s contributions, saying, “We are happy that we have him,” as contained in a report by Get Football Germany.
