Surpassing Courtois and Martinez, he becomes the world's No. 1 goalkeeper

At the prestigious Ballon d'Or 2026 awards ceremony currently taking place in London, the capital of England, the name of the planet's best goalkeeper was officially announced. The legendary Yashin Trophy, awarded to the most skilled goalkeeper of the year, went to Unai Simon, the goalkeeper for the Spanish national team and Athletic Bilbao.

The 29-year-old goalkeeper's invaluable and reliable performance at the summer World Cup earned him the most prestigious goalkeeping award in world football.

Only 1 goal conceded at the Mundial: Simon's historic performance

The Spanish goalkeeper demonstrated phenomenal consistency over the past season, especially while playing for the national team:

• World Champion: Unai Simon lifted the top prize — the World Cup — with the Spanish national team at the tournament held this summer;

• Iron defense — only 1 goal: Throughout the entire tournament, opponents managed to find the back of the "La Roja" net only once. Simon's complex saves became the cornerstone of the national team's success;

• Surpassing competitors: According to the voting results, the Spanish goalkeeper outperformed strong candidates such as Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Emiliano Martinez (Chelsea), Matvey Safonov (PSG), and David Raya (Arsenal).

Cata Coll — best female goalkeeper of the year

The best goalkeeper in women's football was also duly recognized at the event:

• Victory for the Barcelona goalkeeper: The prestigious women's award was presented to Cata Coll, the goalkeeper for the Catalan club Barcelona;

• Hegemony of the Spanish goalkeeping school: The fact that Spanish goalkeepers won in both categories (men's and women's) once again proved the country's high level of skill in this position.

"Ballon d'Or 2026": Yashin Trophy results