If you want to know if a goalkeeper is good, then Iker Casillas is certainly a man whose opinion you can respect.

He is, by any definition of the word, a goalkeeping legend. A record of 725 matches for Real Madrid, 156 for Porto and 167 for the Spanish national team, with 440 clean sheets to his name, is probably enough to earn him that title.

But then there’s the record. He holds the record for clean sheets with Spain (102), the record for the most clean sheets in the Champions League (57) and was selected in the UEFA Team of the Year six consecutive times between 2007 and 2012.

He was also named the world’s best goalkeeper by IFFHS 5 times (consecutively from 2008 to 2012), a record shared with Gianluigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer.

Then there’s the trophies on top. With 27 to his name, include a World Cup, two European Championships, three Champions Leagues, five La Liga titles and various other successes, his cabinet is a big one, to say the least.

Suzuki opinion

All of this is to say, he knows a lot about being a good goalkeeper. And it means he knows a good goalkeeper when he sees one.

So, when he says that Aston Villa summer signing Zion Suzuki is a top goalkeeper in the making, you should probably listen.

Suzuki joined Aston Villa in the summer from Parma to replace Emiliano Martinez. That is something he has done comfortably, despite the Argentine enjoying hero status at Villa Park.

His performances so far have earned him nothing but praise. Some have even suggested that he had every attribute of the perfect goalkeeper for the modern game. That’s an opinion Casillas seems to share.

“He is the only young player I see with the potential to replace Courtois at Real Madrid,” he told his podcast, Bajo Palos.

“I’m never wrong when it comes to goalkeepers; I see in Suzuki what is needed to become one of the best in the world. It’s not just his saves—it’s his decision-making; that is the sign of a special goalkeeper.”

Real Madrid next?

The question is when Real Madrid could potentially come calling.

Courtois’ current deal expires next summer but, he’s due to sign an extension to that. So, a 2028 departure could be on the cards.

How expensive Suzuki could be by that point, remains to be seen. He would be 26 at that point. And he’d have two years of Premier League experience and perhaps even Champions League football too.

If he continues on his current trajectory, that will only see his value, which is already €30m, rise significantly.

Aston Villa are certainly unlikely to sell on the cheap. And they may even use Casillas’ praise to add a few extra million on right now.