Alisson from Liverpool was an unexpected absence from the roster, which also included Aaron Ramsdale and Thibaut Courtois.
Goalkeepers are sometimes neglected in the Ballon d’Or debate, despite their importance to the sport’s success.
The Yashin Trophy honours exceptional goalkeepers from all across the world.
Despite his recent injury, Thibaut Courtois is widely regarded as the best custodian and a strong contender for the title.
Debate over the Ballon d’Or often tends to revolve around outfield players – with Erling Haaland and Lionel Messi expected to battle it out for football’s most prestigious individual award this year – and only one goalkeeper has ever won the trophy outright. This was Lev Yashin in 1963. But we should not forget just how important goalkeepers are to helping make the sport what it is. With that in mind, the Yashin Trophy affords shot-stoppers from across the globe the opportunity to be acknowledged for their efforts every season.
The award is decided by previous Ballon d’Or winners, with Thibaut Courtois being the most recent laureate. Prior to his victory in 2022, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alisson Becker were also winners, but to many people’s surprise – especially the Liverpool star – neither guy has been nominated this time. While the ceremony isn’t until Monday, October 30th, we’ve decided to evaluate the shortlist of nominees from best to worst.
Fans in England will remember Samba for his crucial role in Nottingham Forest’s promotion back to the Premier League two seasons ago. He never played in the Premier League, instead joining Lens last season and continuing his upward trend.
Indeed, the 29-year-old shone in Ligue 1, helping his new side shock many by finishing second in the league, earning a place in the Champions League this season, while also making his national team debut for France earlier this summer and keeping his place in the team for the current international break.
Last winter, the Croatian number one had an amazing World Cup, making save after save throughout the tournament. Most notably, he saved three penalties in his team’s last-16 shoot-out win over Japan, and he was the penalty shoot-out hero once more in the following round as Brazil was defeated in the quarter-finals (he stopped Rodrygo’s effort as Marquinhos struck the post).
Domestically, he helped Dinamo Zagreb win the league title last season, maintaining 11 clean sheets in 35 games while conceding only 28 times. The 28-year-old has since signed a contract with Fenerbahce but is yet to make his debut for the Turkish club.
The Arsenal goalie is still only 25 years old, which is a few years younger than the average goalkeeper’s peak. As a result, he has the potential to be a great player for both club and nation. Ramsdale was nominated to the 2022/23 PFA Premier League Team of the Year despite the Gunners falling just short of their title dreams last season.
Surprisingly, the Englishman hasn’t had the finest start to his current campaign. After all, he has yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League and is the league’s poorest performer in terms of ‘anticipated goals’ conceded. However, being nominated for this award should give him a significant confidence boost, which he might need with David Raya now breathing down his neck as Mikel Arteta’s backup between the sticks in North London.
After joining Manchester United in a £47.2 million summer transfer from Inter Milan, Onana has already made a big impression in England, notably clattering into Wolves forward Sasa Kalajdzic on his Premier League debut, but also allowing Erik ten Hag’s defence to build out from the back with more ease than when David de Gea was the number one option. However, it is his work prior to that transfer that has won him a place among the Yashin Trophy nominees.
After all, the 27-year-old kept eight clean sheets in 11 games while leading Inter to the Champions League final. In the 2022/23 season, he also won a domestic double, when his previous club won both the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup.
The AC Milan player is simply a terrific custodian, and his importance to the team was underscored when he missed a significant amount of action due to injury last season. The Serie A club suffered without him, but when he returned, they rebounded to fourth place, with Maignan keeping eight clean sheets in 21 league outings.
Since moving to Italy, he has won the Scudetto and risen to the top of the French rankings. His recent performances have been so excellent that there has been discussion of his returning to Paris Saint-Germain. This would be ironic given that he would have replaced current PSG custodian Donnarumma in Milan after the Italian went to France in 2021.
As with Livakovic, the importance of a good World Cup for raising a player’s profile cannot be overstated, and Bounou is just one of several Moroccan talents who have won the hearts of football fans all over the world during Qatar 2022. He seized the stage at a crucial point, however, save spot-kicks from Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets as his country defeated Spain to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
Dino Zoff, an Italian goalkeeping icon, even claimed to be the tournament’s finest goalkeeper, telling Tuttosport: “Who is the best goalkeeper in this World Cup?” Bounou has made a strong impact thus far, and he has made a significant contribution. The Morocco surprise has a lot of him.” Adding to his fantastic season, he then excelled for Sevilla in their Europa League final win over Roma, being voted man of the match after saving attempts from Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibaez as his side won 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. He has subsequently joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal.
After a few lacklustre seasons in Spain, the German custodian had a bit of a comeback last season. Barcelona’s defence was exceptional as Xavi and his team won La Liga for the first time since Lionel Messi moved for France. Barcelona had the greatest defensive record among the top five European leagues last season, surrendering only 20 goals with Ter Stegen in goal.
The Catalan giants also conceded 0.53 goals per game on an average of 0.88 predicted goals against per game. Furthermore, Ter Stegen concluded the league season with 9.2 goals saved from 100 shots on goal, conceding 15 (not including own goals) when he was anticipated to allow 24.2.
Domestically, the Aston Villa goalkeeper had a respectable season, keeping 13 clean sheets in 36 league games as his team finished with a Europa Conference League berth in hand. But Martnez’s inclusion on this list is primarily due to his heroics at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
His last-gasp stop against Randal Kolo Muani will not be forgotten, and he later saved Kingsley Coman’s spot-kick as Argentina defeated France in the final. However, he may be best remembered for his boorish gesture after receiving the tournament’s Golden Glove award. It’s been a spectacular few years for the custodian who was once overlooked by Arsenal.
You have to be a very rare skill to be a part of a squad that has been as successful as Man City in recent years. Ederson’s position in the team may be underappreciated as a result of the English club’s domination, but he deserves his roses since Pep Guardiola would not play just anyone in that capacity, as Joe Hart discovered.
After all, the Brazilian played 48 games for City last season, keeping 19 clean sheets as the club achieved an unprecedented treble. Along the way to victory in the Champions League, the 30-year-old also did not concede goals against Sevilla, Copenhagen, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich (home leg), Real Madrid (home leg), and Inter in the final. If that’s not astounding, we’re not sure what is.
Whatever way you look at it, Courtois is – and has arguably been for the last few years – the best custodian in the world. Unfortunately, he’ll be out for a long time after suffering a torn ACL during the summer, but the 31-year-old was at the top of his game before that.
Despite not reaching the final, he was named to the Champions League Team of the Season, ahead of players like Ederson and Onana, and while Real Madrid did not win the Champions League or La Liga last season, they did win the Club World Cup and the Copa del Rey. Courtois kept 17 clean sheets for his side in 49 appearances during the 2022/23 season, making him the most likely winner of the accolade.
