Thanks to a stellar start to the season, Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas has the highest save percentage in Europe's top-five Leagues.
Last summer, the 25-year-old returned to Formello after a listless six-month loan spell at Bournemouth, where he failed to make a single appearance across all competitions. All in all, the Greek's only outing of the 2025/26 campaign was a Coppa Italia game between Lazio and AC Milan.
(Photo by Marco Rosi – SS Lazio/Getty Images)
Therefore, Mandas looked slightly rusty in the summer, but Gennaro Gattuso insisted he should be the club's first choice between the sticks, sanctioning Ivan Provedel's transfer to Inter Milan. The Calabrian head coach has been proven right, with the shot-stopper delivering superb displays in the first eight Serie A rounds of the season, playing an integral role in the seven wins registered.
According to La Lazio Siamo Noi , Mandas has been Italy's best goalkeeper since the start of the season, saving 85.7% of the shots on target. His closest rival in Serie A is Napoli's Sinisa Milinkovic-Savic (83%), followed by Roma's Mile Svilar (81%), Cagliari's Elija Caprile (78%), and Roma's backup goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini (77%).
The Lazio custodian not only tops the Serie A charts, but also Europe's top-five leagues. His closest rivals are Leeds United's James Trafford, who was bought from Manchester City in the summer, and Schalke's Loris Karius, mostly remembered for his nightmarish outing for Liverpool in the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid. They both have a save percentage of 83.3%.
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While Mandas has been formidable between the sticks, Gattuso would argue that Lazio must do better at preventing chances. Nevertheless, this aspect has significantly improved in recent weeks, even though the team still conceded a late goal against Parma , albeit from a fortunate cross.
