What is the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove award?
The FIFA World Cup Golden Glove award is given to the best goalkeeper of the tournament, and has been running since 1994.
The award is not always given to a World Cup winner, as players representing countries who fell short have also been handed the prize, which was previously named the 'Yashin Award', after legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin.
Who has won the World Cup Golden Glove?
There have been eight total winners of the Golden Glove. The most recent prize was handed to Argentina's Emiliano Martinez after their triumph in Qatar, while the first was given to Belgium stopper Michel Preud'homme. Other winners are Fabian Barthez, Oliver Kahn, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, and Manuel Neuer.
Of the winners, five of the eight have won the tournament - Barthez, Buffon, Casillas, Neuer, and Martinez. Preud'homme's Belgium were eliminated in the Round of 16, the earliest elimination for a winner of the award, but he maintained an impressive record of only conceding one goal per game. Kahn's Germany were beaten finalists, while Courtois' Belgium reached the semi-finals in 2018, where they were beaten by eventual winners France.
The now-Real Madrid goalkeeper only conceded six goals in seven games, as the Red Devils won the bronze medal after beating England in the third-place play-off.
| Tournament | Winner | National team | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 World Cup | Michel Preud'homme | Belgium | Two |
| 1998 World Cup | Fabian Barthez | France | Five |
| 2002 World Cup | Oliver Kahn | Germany | Five |
| 2006 World Cup | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | Five |
| 2010 World Cup | Iker Casillas | Spain | Five |
| 2014 World Cup | Manuel Neuer | Germany | Four |
| 2018 World Cup | Thibaut Courtois | Belgium | Three |
| 2022 World Cup | Emiliano Martinez | Argentina | Three |
Who has won the most World Cup Golden Glove Awards?
There has been no repeat winner of the award, such has been the nature of the tournament cycle.
Preud'homme and Kahn, for example, both won the award, and then bowed out on the international stage; the former retired, and the latter was replaced as No.1 by Jens Lehmann at the 2006 tournament.
Barthez, meanwhile, went to the 2002 World Cup with France, but they were eliminated at the group stage, and he turned in a series of erratic performances in 2006, even if he did set a record of becoming the first goalkeeper to keep two clean sheets against Brazil at the tournament.
Casillas won the award in 2010 but made two notable errors in 2014 against the Netherlands and was not picked for the 2018 squad, while Neuer was left stunned by Germany's early 2018 exit, as well as their disappointing 2022 run, in which they were again eliminated at the group stage.
Courtois, similarly, saw Belgium eliminated in the group stages in 2022, scotching any chance of him becoming the first repeat winner.
Martinez will be out to break the curse in 2026, when Argentina aim to defend their title in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Of course, before the introduction of the award, there could have been some obvious winners: Banks in 1966, after England won the World Cup, and also in 1970, after his sensational save from Pele. Yashin would almost certainly have won the prize too, had it been available.
His name now adorns the Yashin Trophy, presented to the best goalkeeper from a club season. That award has been running since 2019 and has been won by both Martinez and Courtois in recent years.
Can the Golden Glove winner also win the World Cup Golden Ball award?
The winner of the Golden Glove can, indeed, win the Golden Ball, but it is a vanishingly rare statistic.
The only player to ever do the Golden Glove and Golden Ball double is Germany legend Kahn, doing so in 2002, as his performances propelled Die Mannschaft to the final, and the cusp of glory.
Amazingly, Kahn played in the tournament with ligament damage in his right ring finger and only conceded three goals before the final. However, in the showpiece against Brazil, he made his only mistake, as he fumbled a Rivaldo shot, allowing Ronaldo to nip in and score.
Kahn said after the game: "There is no consolation... it was the only mistake I made in seven games and it was brutally punished."
FIFA's technical committee, nevertheless, awarded Kahn both the Golden Ball and the Golden Glove, as he edged out Ronaldo to be named the best player of the tournament. As he himself has said though, it was scant consolation.
In 2026, Martinez will be eligible once again, as will the likes of Jordan Pickford, Alisson Becker, Mike Maignan, and Courtois. Competition is sure to be fierce and it will take something sensational for another goalkeeper to match Kahn's achievement. History suggests the best bet a stopper has is merely to win the competition; simple, right?