Recently, it has surfaced that former Brighton transfer target Kevin Mier has a somewhat eccentric style of play over in the Liga MX. Residing between the sticks, most of the time, the Colombian 24-year-old has played 25 times for Cruz Azul, keeping 13 clean sheets in all competitions.
Mier takes the role of sweeper-keeper to a whole new level. Regularly, he finds himself in line with the centre-backs, playing off them and providing the team with an extra player for their build-up play.
The well-decorated Colombian joined Cruz Azul in January of 2024, having won the Colombian Cup twice, the Super Cup once, and the Colombian League once with Atletico Nacional.
Having cost Cruz Azul £5 Million, they sat comfortably on the top of the table, having only conceded 12 goals. However, his erratic play style does have its drawbacks…
Costly in the Cup
Jumping into the knockout phase of the league, Cruz Azul would make their way to the semi-finals. It was here that they would come up against Club America.
After a well-earned clean sheet away from home, Cruz Azul held the advantage heading into their home leg. However, after a quick goal, Kevin Mier was beaten at his far post after 15 minutes, and the pressure mounted on the home side.
After halftime and searching for an equalizer, Kevin Mier joined the backline in their build-up play. However, after a defender gives up possession sloppily, Mier is easily lobbed and has to pick the ball out of his net shamefully.
When it works, it’s incredible to watch. Although, when it doesn’t, it isn’t very pleasant, especially as a supporter. This could be why Brighton opted against signing him in the summer. Or, it could be that he only just recently joined Cruz Azul and wanted to see out the season.
Could we see a renewed interest in January now that the Mexican season is nearly over? I sure hope so.
Pep’s Influence
Since Pep Guardiola has joined Manchester City, we’ve seen more teams trying to play out from the back. Amongst this, the emergence of the sweeper keeper role has become much more prominent in the British game.
Most teams like their Goalkeepers to play out from the back and be comfortable with the ball at their feet. Following the likes of Ederson and Alisson, Kevin Mier takes this to the next level.
Indeed, a keeper like Mier could entice Guardiola or even Brighton, who must see the potential profit margins in signing him. Either way, it sure would be exciting to watch him in the heights of the Premier League.
Joining an Elite Club
South America and the Americas generally have a habit of producing eccentric Goalkeepers. Players like Ederson and Alisson are more toned down but still possess these qualities—Ederson with his confidence on the ball and Alisson’s desire to take risks.
The highest scoring Goalkeeper in history is Rogerio Ceni, who scored 131 goals throughout his career. Being a prolific scorer from set-piece situations certainly helped in that regard. His 100th goal came from a free kick that was 25 yards out. Highest-scoring prolific scoring from set-piece came from a 25-yard free kick.
Next up is Paraguayan shot-stopper Jose Luis Chilavert, who amassed a whopping 67 goals from between the sticks. Included in that tally was a very impressive hat trick of penalties, making him the only goalkeeper in history to score a hat trick.
People will never forget the famous Scorpion kick from Goalkeeper Rene Higuita, or ‘El Loco’. Throughout his career, he has amassed 43 goals, one of which was an audacious shot from his penalty area. The Colombian madman will be remembered for centuries to come.
Kevin Mier: The Numbers
It’s all good to praise his eccentricity, but is Kevin Mier, even a good goalkeeper?
Once again, I used ‘Football Statistics and History | FBref.com‘ to help figure this out. I will be talking about percentiles. The higher the percentile, the better the player performs in those areas.
Kevin Mier finds himself in the 94th percentile for clean sheets per 90 minutes and the 94th percentile for goals against per 90. We must consider that he mainly plays in the Mexican league, where you can question the quality of his opposition. However, some of these matches will be continental competitions as well.
He seems to be an accomplished shot-stopper, and his eccentricity is also evident.
Mier also ranks in the 82nd percentile for long pass completion per 90 minutes, the 91st percentile for passes attempted per 90 minutes, and the 88th percentile for defensive actions outside the penalty area per 90 minutes.
Kevin Mier seems to be the perfect sweeper keeper when looking at things from a statistics point of view.
Kevin Mier vs Ilan Meslier
Using the same website, I could compare Kevin Mier to that of last season’s Championship Golden Glove winner, Ilan Meslier.
Stats-wise, they are very similar, with Ilan Meslier slightly bettering Kevin Mier in most areas. Meslier competing in the Championship and Mier competing outside of Europe, I think, makes this a fair comparison.
If a Premier League team were searching for a goalkeeper, Kevin Mier would be considerably cheaper than Meslie,r for example, due to his importance to Leeds and their financial situation.
Indeed, Kevin Mier is worth taking a punt on, and I hope to see his eccentricity in the Premier League very soon.
