FIFA has announced the finalists for the FIFA Best Women’s Goalkeeper and FIFA Best Men’s Goalkeeper awards for The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022.
Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois and Emiliano Martinez have been announced as the three finalists for the 2022 FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award.
The award recognizes the best players in men’s football between August 8, 2021 and December 18, 2022. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on February 27, 2023.
Five players were initially nominated for the FIFA Best Men’s Goalkeeper award, having been selected by a panel of experts. In this shortlist, the three finalists were selected by an international jury including:
Men’s national team coaches, men’s national team captains, football journalists and fans voted on the official FIFA website.
The annual awards are intended to reward those who have performed the best in the year in question.
Ahead of the event, FIFA has narrowed down the nominations for the best goalkeeper of the year in the men’s and women’s categories to three.
The final three nominees for FIFA’s Best Women’s Goalkeeper are (in alphabetical order):
Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany / Chelsea FC Women)
Mary Earps (England/Manchester United WFC)
Christiane Endler (Chile / Olympique Lyonnais)
The final three nominees for FIFA Best Men’s Goalkeeper are (in alphabetical order):
Yassine Bounou (Morocco / Sevilla FC)
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium / Real Madrid CF)
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina / Aston Villa FC)
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on February 27, 2023.
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Thibaut Courtois
Courtois had a great 2021/22 season as Real Madrid were crowned Spanish and European champions. The 1m67-tall keeper’s commanding style laid the groundwork for Real’s success as he combined composure and authority with the ability to make decisive saves.
Proving once again that he is a man of big occasions, Courtois made one of the best goalkeeper performances of the year in the 2022 Champions League final. Liverpool held a draw in Paris, helping Vinicius Junior ensure Vinicius’ second-half strike was enough to give Carlo Ancelotti’s side a 1-0 win.
Courtois’ 2022 ended in disappointment as Belgium were eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup, but the 30-year-old’s outstanding individual performances for club and country helped him look back on another special year.
Emiliano Martinez
Martinez was an inspiring and brilliant figure as Argentina’s last line of defense in their victorious Qatar 2022™ campaign. The 30-year-old is a standout player for his country and has won the Golden Glove award for the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
His reputation as a penalty shoot-out specialist was further bolstered by brilliant saves in penalties as Argentina beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and France in the final. This incredible final also saw Martinez perform one of the most important goalkeeper interventions in football history. When the score was 3-3 and in the 123rd minute, French striker Randal Kolo Muani ran to goal and fired a seemingly destined shot into the bottom corner. However, Martinez made a remarkable save with his wide left boot to ensure the game went on penalties.
Martinez has also impressed continuously for Aston Villa over the past 18 months and cemented his status as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers.
Yassine Bounou
Bounou was instrumental in helping historic Morocco become the first African nation to reach the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup™. Bounou was a calm and confident presence between the sticks and conceded just one goal as the Atlas Lions overcame an extremely difficult path to the last four, where they eventually defeated by the French.
The 31-year-old made two excellent saves from the penalty shootout in Morocco’s round of 16 penalty shootout against Spain and also shone as his side beat Portugal 1 -0 in the quarterfinals. Morocco captain Romain Saiss described the goalkeeper’s impressive performance at the World Cup as “heroic”.
Bounou’s eye-catching performances at the World Cup represent a continuation of the form he has shown for club Sevilla. Bounou is a key factor in helping the Spanish team have the best defensive record in La Liga 2021/22. His efforts were recognized when he received the team’s best goalkeeper award.