‘Dibu’ Martínez in the race for a third Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper

Argentine star goalkeeper Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez was nominated on Tuesday for the Lev Yashin Trophy. The annual award is presented by sports magazine France Football to the best-performing goalkeeper in the world as part of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. Martínez is the only Argentine among the nominees for the additional awards, which include best young player, best coach and best club. This would be his third win, after being awarded in 2023 and 2024. The Argentine goalie’s nomination might be seen as a surprise. While the 34-year-old had a solid campaign with Aston Villa, with whom he won the 2026 UEFA Europa League, he also struggled in the World Cup, conceding eight goals in eight games out of 28 shots on his goal. Still, the Mar del Plata-born goalkeeper, who was signed by Chelsea FC in September, did set a record with 11 saves in the World Cup final. The feat made him the shot-stopper with the most recorded interventions in the tournament’s deciding match. Martínez was nominated alongside nine other goalkeepers, namely Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Joan García, Gregor Kobel, Édouard Mendy, David Raya, Matvey Safonov, Unai Simón, and another World Cup hero, Cape Verde’s Vozinha. Simón and Raya lead the way Martínez will have a tough time overtaking Simón and Raya, as the two Spanish goalkeepers are the favorites for the award. Athletic Club and Spain goalkeeper Simón had a historic 2026 World Cup, setting a record of 649 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal at a World Cup, beating Italy’s Walter Zenga’s mark of 517 minutes, set at the 1990 tournament. The Basque keeper logged 750 minutes across eight matches, keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just once throughout the entire competition, en route to helping Spain to its second-ever title. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s David Raya led the clean sheet standings in both England and Europe, registering 19 clean sheets in the Premier League and topping the Champions League with nine clean sheets. The Ballon d’Or ceremony will take place on Monday, October 26, at The London Palladium in the English capital.