The last line of defence is an important position in football. Moreover, in a tournament like the World Cup, their importance of a goalkeeper is paramount as there is always the possibility of the tie being decided on tiebreakers.
The golden glove award is a recognition of the brilliance of a keeper during the competition. The award was first introduced in 1994, in the honour of the legendary Lev Yashin, the late Soviet goalkeeper. However, in 2010, it was rechristened as the 'golden glove'. FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) is responsible for picking the winner based on the player's performance throughout the tournament.
Some well-known goalkeepers like Fabien Barthez, Oliver Kahn, Iker Casillas have all managed to win the award at a World Cup. Kahn (2002) remains the only keeper who has won the golden glove and the golden ball award in the same edition of the competition. Let us now take a look at the winners of this award since its inception in the 1994 World Cup.
Year | Winner | Matches | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets |
1994 | Michel Preudhomme (Belgium) | 4 | 4 | 2 |
1998 | Fabian Barthez (France) | 7 | 2 | 5 |
2002 | Oliver Kahn (Germany) | 7 | 3 | 5 |
2006 | Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) | 7 | 2 | 5 |
2010 | Iker Casillas (Spain) | 7 | 1 | 6 |
2014 | Manuel Neuer (Germany) | 7 | 4 | 4 |
2018 | Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) | 7 | 6 | 3 |