From overlooked prospect to Bayern Munich speculation, Verbruggen's stunning penalty save against Brentford might just be the defining moment of his season.
Bart Verbruggen has had an impressive turnaround in his Albion career this season.
From being a player who was largely overlooked, and also on the back of a poor season last season, he is now being linked with moves to Bayern Munich to replace Manuel Neuer!
Such is the nature of football, and how quickly things can change in such a short space of time.
Memories are short amongst fans, but people within the game can see potential far beyond the standard eye.
But what has been Verbruggen's main moment? A best save? A moment of class? It has been proven that this is no longer the same goalkeeper as last season.
Brighton vs Brentford - last minute penalty save
Without a doubt, it is the unbelievable moment against Brentford. Now, of course, he has made some incredible saves this season.
While this may look like a more 'routine' stop from a poor penalty, the feeling behind it was much bigger.
This was the first time a Brighton player had saved a penalty since Jason Steele in 2021 against Newport in the cup, but if you want to delve into league statistics, Robert Sanchez saved a penalty vs Southampton in 2022, but the rebound was scored...
For saves not resulting in a goal, you'd be looking at Maty Ryan vs Stoke City in 2018. A mere seven years difference!
Verbruggen had a tough 2024/25. Many doubting whether the Dutchman would ever reach his potential, as he was marked down as one of the worst shotstoppers in the league during that season. A big part of this is confidence, and we have seen that in abundance since.
The save felt like a poignant moment for Verbruggen to truly announce himself as Brighton's number one goalkeeper.
For Dutch fans, they were already familiar with this side of his game, but for his club career, this did him the world of good. Not to mention, this penalty was the final kick of the game against an in-form Igor Thiago. There was no doubting who the favourite from the situation would be, after all, goalkeepers statistically rarely save penalties, and shouldn't be expected to.
The save caused the Amex to erupt, and Albion crazily won the game. A big win over a tough Brentford side, who pushed the Seagulls throughout the course of the season for European competition.
Verbruggen had his moment, and it could well even define his career.