2023 Yashin Trophy Winner
The Yashin Trophy is an individual award handed out by France Football – the same magazine that awards the Ballon d'Or – to the best goalkeeper of the season as chosen by a designated group of journalists. The Yashin Trophy was first awarded in 2019, and since then, Alisson, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Thibaut Courtois have won it. There was no winner in 2020 as the ceremony was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Yashin Trophy will likely have a new winner in 2023 since the standout performers from last year were mostly new faces. As with the other France Football awards, the 2023 Yashin Trophy winner will be announced on October 30 during the official ceremony in Paris.
Full List of Yashin Trophy Contenders
France Football unveiled the full 10-man nominees list for the 2023 Yashin Trophy on September 6. It includes past winners like Thibaut Courtois but we actually believe that the favourites to the award are Emiliano Martinez and Yassine Bounou.
| Goalkeeper | Club | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Yassine Bounou | Sevilla/Al Hilal | Morocco |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Belgium |
| Ederson | Manchester City | Brazil |
| Dominik Livakovic | Dinamo Zagreb/Fenerbahce | Croatia |
| Mike Maignan | AC Milan | France |
| Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa | Argentina |
| Andre Onana | Man United/Inter Milan | Cameroon |
| Aaron Ramsdale | Arsenal | England |
| Brice Samba | Lens | France |
| Marc-Andre ter Stegen | Barcelona | Germany |
Emiliano Martinez
We are used to individual awards going to players from Europe’s top clubs but Emiliano Martinez may break this rule on October 30. The 31-year-old goalkeeper was most impressive during the FIFA 2022 World Cup as he played a key role in Argentina's triumph at the tournament. He kept three clean sheets in seven matches but the highlights of his tournament were the penalty saves against the Netherlands in the quarters and France in the final, as well as the last-minute save against Randal Kolo Muani. Martinez was deservingly named best goalkeeper at the tournament and the FIFA Best Goalkeeper in 2022.
Emiliano was solid for Aston Villa too, keeping 11 clean sheets in 37 matches as the Villans finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for European football. Emiliano Martinez is also among the 30 nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Yassine Bounou
Yassine Bounou isn’t playing for a top club either, as he spent the 2022/23 season at Sevilla and moved to Al Hilal for €21 million over the summer. Similar to Emiliano Martinez, Bounou earned his 2023 Yashin Trophy nomination mainly for his performances at the 2022 World Cup where he placed fourth with Morocco. In the six games Bounou played in Qatar, the 32-year-old conceded just five goals and kept three clean sheets.
Bounou wasn't as good at the club level, though, as he wasn't an undisputed starter for Sevilla. Nevertheless, he finished the 2022/23 season with seven clean sheets in 36 matches and the Europa League trophy in the bag – Yassine even saved two penalty shots in the final against AS Roma. Likewise, Bounou has been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
In terms of collective achievements, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has the La Liga title and Spanish Super Cup to show for 2022/23. However, it is his individual record we have to look at to understand why he is such a strong contender for the 2023 Yashin Trophy.
Last season, Ter Stegen conceded just 39 goals in 50 matches for Barcelona while keeping 28 clean sheets. His 26 clean sheets in La Liga resulted in him equalling the all-time record in Spain which was set by Paco Liano in 1993/94. Obviously, the German shot-stopper won the Zamora Trophy (awarded to the best goalkeeper in La Liga) after his 18 conceded goals in 37 league matches and was also named Player of the Year.
Ter Stegen was voted third in the 2019 Yashin Trophy. This year, the 31-year-old has a decent chance to claim the award.
Andre Onana
Andre Onana is the third and final goalkeeper to have been nominated for the 2023 Ballon d’Or. This, of course, leaves him with good chances to win the 2023 Yashin Trophy.
Onana had an amazing 2022/23 term at Inter Milan, and despite starting as the back-up goalkeeper, the Cameroonian became Simone Inzaghi’s first choice towards the end of the season. In total, the 27-year-old recorded 36 conceded goals and 19 clean sheets in 41 matches. He performed at his best in the Champions League where he kept eight clean sheets in 13 matches and conceded just 11 goals as Inter finished as runners-up.
The summer transfer window saw Onana join Manchester United for €52.5 million. His good passing skills and shot-stopping abilities make him a great fit for Erik ten Hag’s style.
Ederson
If the other goalkeepers on the list of 2023 Yashin Trophy nominees earned their places thanks to standout performances, Ederson finds himself among the candidates thanks to his consistency. Certainly, Manchester City’s defence cannot be rivalled by anyone in the world but that doesn’t mean that Ederson didn’t have anything to do last term.
As the Citizens won their first Champions League trophy ever and completed the treble, Ederson contributed with 19 clean sheets in 48 games and allowed just 39 goals. He also reached the quarter-finals with Brazil at the FIFA 2022 World Cup, although he only played one game as Alisson was the first-choice goalkeeper.
Ederson, alongside Jan Oblak and Manuel Neuer, holds the record for the most Yashin Trophy nominations. However, the highest he ever ranked was in 2019 and 2022 when he placed third – a win this term is not excluded, but there are better contenders.