FEATURE | A week to remember for the ‘world’s best goalkeeper’ Lucas Perri | OneFootball

“The best goalkeeper in the world” were the superlatives used by Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca to describe his shot-stopper, Lucas Perri (27), last week. Whilst those comments may include a slight exaggeration, there aren’t many players who have had a better week than the Brazilian goalkeeper.

Perri has been called up to the Brazil squad ahead of the upcoming international break to replace the injured Ederson of Manchester City. The former Crystal Palace loanee has previously been selected to represent his country at the top level but failed to make an appearance. With the Manchester City number one out of contention, the OL keeper will be hoping his selection turns into a night to remember and an eventual debut in the next couple of weeks.

Receiving lofty praise from your manager and being recognised by your country, with a potential debut to come, is a week to remember for anyone. However, when you take a deeper look at his performances, the signs show that this momentous week materialising is not a fluke.

Just over a week ago, Lyon travelled to Nice knowing they would have to produce a stellar performance to end one of only two unbeaten home records in Ligue 1. Before the arrival of Les Gones, Le Gym had not lost a game at home in the league all season – a feat only replicated by PSG.

OL ended up eventual winners, defeating Nice 2-0 and ending their impressive home record. On paper, the scoreline would indicate that it was a controlled performance from Lyon, yet if not for Perri, it could have been a completely different story. The stopper produced a commanding display, with 3 saves from the top drawer – keeping his clean sheet intact.

This performance on the back of another impressive display against FCSB in the UEFA Europa League led to Fonseca lauding the former Botafogo goalkeeper as “the best in the world”. Perri’s influence is now being felt at OL, but this hasn’t always been the case.

Biding his time

The Brazilian youth international arrived at Lyon in the January transfer window of 2025 and instantly had to accept that minutes would be scarce in his first few months at the Groupama Stadium. Anthony Lopes, now at Nantes, was the irremovable number one at Les Gones and it had been that way since Hugo Lloris left the club for Spurs in 2012.

Lopes remained the first-choice keeper at OL until the end of the 2023/24 season when it was decided the timing was right for a change and to replace the Portuguese international between the posts. With the limited opportunities he was handed in his first 6 months, the 27-year-old proved he was a worthy heir to inherit the spot of number one stopper.

Perri was offered opportunities to prove himself as the Rhône club’s cup goalkeeper. Despite this sometimes being a difficult dynamic, this didn’t phase Perri and he thrived as Les Gones went on to reach the final of the Coupe de France before they were eventually beaten by PSG.

The proof was in the pudding that the Lyon keeper was a worthy replacement for Lopes in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. OL faced Strasbourg and after a goalless draw, the sides couldn’t be separated meaning a penalty shootout would decide which team progressed to the final four. Perri got Lyon off to the perfect start by saving Thomas Delaine’s penalty. This intervention would ultimately be decisive as Lucas Perrin’s miss confirmed Les Gones’ advancement.

It was a long time coming for Perri to be able to show his qualities in Ligue 1 but after displacing Lopes, he is displaying his worth. After being called up for Brazil, the Lyon stopper will be hoping his week to remember improves even further with a debut against Colombia on Thursday night.

GFFN | Liam Wraith