The Ballon d’Or is back. And this year, it brings a new set of nominees with results influenced by not just club football, but also the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The World Cup had a massive impact on who ended up being nominated and nowhere is this more apparent than with the Yashin Trophy. The Yashin Trophy, named after the goalkeeping legend Lev Yashin, will be awarded to one goalkeeper each in the men’s and women’s categories. This year, ten nominees for men’s and five nominees for women’s have been
selected.
Looking at this list itself, there are some choices that seem obvious, but some that seemingly came out of nowhere. And here again, the World Cup has shown to be a major confounding variable.
Men’s nominees:
- Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain / Russia)
- Édouard Mendy (Al-Ahli/ Senegal)
- Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa / Chelsea / Argentina)
- Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund / Switzerland)
- David Raya (Arsenal / Spain)
- Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilaln / Morocco)
- Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid / Belgium)
- Joan García (FC Barcelona / Spain)
- Unai Simón (Athletic Club / Spain)
- Vozinha (Grupo Desportivo de Chaves / Colo Colo / Cabo Verde)
Women’s nominees:
- Ann-Katrin Berger (Gotham FC / Germany)
- Ayaka Yamashita (Manchester City / Japan)
- Lorena (Kansas City Current / Brazil)
- Hannah Hampton (Chelsea / England)
- Cata Coll (FC BArcelona / Spain)
Men’s Analysis
Rather than looking at the individual statistics, it would be more interesting to describe all these keeper in brackets. These brackets will be based on what performances warranted a nomination. All of them are incredible keepers in their own right, but what did they do right here?
The trophy haul
First, Matvey Safonov. 31 games with 12 clean sheets but with the season that Paris Saint-Germain had? The Parisians picked up the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup and emerged Ligue 1 title holders.
Next, Édouard Mendy. Senegal did not have a spectacular World Cup to speak for, but Mendy’s season with Al-Ahli is why he is here. The AFC Champions League and the Saudi Super Cup add to Mendy’s case.
Two-time Yashin winner Emiliano Martínez needs no introduction. Argentina fought valiantly in the World Cup and emerged runners-up. Martínez also won the Europa League with Aston Villa.
Joan García, the young FC Barcelona keeper, has been making waves. Winning the Zamora Trophy is no joke, especially for someone his age — he won it by conceding a mere 21 goals in 30 games. Barcelona won both the Supercopa de España and La Liga, adding to his trophy tally.
Show(t) stoppers
Borussia Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel, Arsenal’s David Raya, Al-Hilal’s Yassine Bounou, and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, all had individually spectacular seasons.
Courtois secured 23 clean sheets, Kobel bagged 24, and most impressive, Raya for Arsenal maintained 29 and Bono tops this list with a whopping 30.
The World Cup performers
Top of this list is of course, the World Cup winner and Golden Glove holder himself — Unai Simón. 62 matches, 76 goals conceded, 22 clean sheets. So far, one could argue Simón is the strongest contender.
Now here comes the wild card — Vozinha from Cabo Verde. Given what he did for his national team and for the global image of Cabo Verde, it is no surprise that France Football brought him into the mix. However, the numbers perhaps are not part of his argument — he has the lowest number of clean sheets with just 13.
Women’s Analysis
Germany’s own Ann-Katrin Berger has an incredible CV — with 36 games, 23 clean sheets and just 24 conceded. Playing with NWSL giants Gotham FC, she won both the NWSL and the NWSL Challenge Cup.
The women’s nominees too contains a Yashin winner — Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton is the reigning winner. Having won the FA League Cup with Chelsea, Hampton continues to be the top choice goalkeeper for England as well. The numbers are good too — out of 34 games, Hampton has secured 18 clean sheets and conceded only 30.
A lineup that could make jaws drop would be Spanish keeper Cata Coll’s trophy collection from 2026. With her club, she won the Champions League, Liga, Copa del Rel and Spanish Super Cup, and with Spain, she won the Nations League. The FC Barcelona Femení keeper has played a whopping 39 games and secured 23 clean sheets with only 18 conceded.
Another player who hit it big with both club and country is Ayaka Yamashita, who won the Women’s Super League and the FA Cup with Manchester City, and with the Japan National Team, won the Asian Cup. Yamashita joins the long list of Manchester City’s Ballon d’Or nominees with solid numbers too — 29 games, 13 clean sheets, and 22 conceded.
Brazil’s Lorena may not have multiple trophies, but she makes up with impact. The Kansas City Current keeper won the NWSL Shield and with 29 matches, 27 goals conceded and 12 clean sheets, she continues to be an important part of both club and country.
So, who’s winning?
That, we will have to wait and see. But the lineup of nominees is as varied and interesting as ever. What are your thoughts on this year’s list? Let us know in the comments!
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