The Yashin Trophy is back. The Ballon d'Or will be handed out in a glittering ceremony in Paris next month but the world football's most prestigious individual prize is not the other thing up for grabs.
The nominees were confirmed last week as a shortlist that did not contain either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since 2003 was unveiled. Now, the Ballon d'Or favourites are starting to form, as players hope to join a long list of illustrious winners.
But while the Ballon d'Or will be the headline award handed out on the evening of October 28, other individual silverware will also be dished out, including the Yashin Trophy.
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What is the Yashin Trophy?
The Yashin Trophy is an annual award that is handed out to the game's best goalkeeper. France Football present the trophy, which is voted for by former Ballon d'Or winners.
The award is named after the legendary Soviet Union goalkeeper Lev Yashin, who revolutionised the position during his career with Dynamo Moscow and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s. Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d'Or award.
The Yashin Trophy was first given out in 2019, when Brazil and Liverpool stopper Alisson won the prize, with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Thibaut Courtois following him up as winners, before Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez claimed the honour in 2023.
The Yashin Trophy is one of several awards, including the Kopa Trophy, the Gerd Muller Trophy and the Socrates Award. The Ballon d'Or Feminin is always awarded that night.
Who is nominated for the Yashin Trophy this year?
A total of ten goalkeepers have been nominated for the Yashin Trophy this year...
- Diogo Costa (Porto)
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
- Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)
- Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid)
- Mike Maignan (Milan)
- Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia)
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)
- Yann Sommer (Inter Milan)
- Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns)
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