10 Unsung Warriors This Premier League Season

The most impressive thing about the gigantic Romanian isn’t even his enormous frame, it’s the way he celebrates when he makes a crucial save. The exclamation of pure joy, matched with extreme despair when he concedes, reassures fans that the team’s result is of paramount importance to him.

Pantilimon was tasked with a rather daunting prospect near the start of the season — protecting Sunderland’s goal. It certainly isn’t a job for those looking for a quiet life. 

Despite this, the former Manchester City man has joined a long line of Sunderland goalkeepers to have played a huge part in keeping the club in the league.

He may look like the BFG in build, but there’s an unsung warrior lying beneath that frame.