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The Ballon d'Or has always been known to favour outfield players, which has something to do with why the Yashin Trophy was created. Only one goalkeeper (Lev Yashin) has ever won the Ballon d'Or, so the Yashin trophy was introduced to recognise the efforts of goalkeepers.
The shortlist for the 2024 edition of the award has been announced, with Emiliano Martinez unsurprisingly getting nominated. He has been a force to reckon with for Argentina, helping them win a second consecutive Copa America trophy. He won the Yashin trophy last year but he will have to defend against other notable contenders in 2024.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Diogo Costa, Gregor Kobel, Andriy Lunin, Mike Maignan, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Unai Simon, Yann Sommer and Ronwen Williams are all nominees. However, there are some notable absentees from the Yashin trophy list, which has left many scratching their heads.
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Let's take a look at the top five omissions from the 2024 Yashin Trophy shortlist:
#5 Ederson Moraes
The Manchester City goalkeeper has been a key figure at the club since 2017 and has maintained a high standard while winning a plethora of trophies. Last season was no exception, as his club won a fourth straight Premier League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Ederson also helped them reach the FA Cup final and quarter-final of the Champions League, keeping 16 clean sheets and conceding 34 goals in 43 games across competitions. That makes the Brazillian's omission quite surprising, despite his absence due to injuries in early 2024 keeping him on the sidelines.
#4 Thibaut Courtois - Yashin Trophy winner 2022
Like Ederson, Courtois had to deal with injury last season, but the Belgian shotstopper spent nearly the entire year on the sidelines. The Real Madrid goalkeeper, though, remains one of the elite goalkeepers in the game.
On his return to the starting lineup, Courtois didn't concede in La Liga and the Champions League final. Barring any bad luck or serious injuries, he's likely to make his return to the esteemed shortlist next year.
#3 David Raya
The exclusion of the Arsenal shot-stopper came as quite a surprise. Although he didn't win any trophies apart from the Community Shield, the Gunners boasted the best defensive record in the Premier League last season, conceding 29 goals. Raya also kept the most clean sheets - 16 - winning the Golden Glove.
He was also selected in the PFA Team of The Season in the Premier League, while also keeping a clean sheet in his only start during the Euros, which his country, Spain, won. His lack of appearances for Spain, though, might have been his undoing, as Unai Simon, La Roja's No 1, was shortlisted.
#2 Andre Onana
It might come as a bit of a surprise to readers, but despite Manchester United's problems, Andre Onana had a really good season individually. Unfortunately, his defence often left him stranded. In the Premier League, Onana faced a record 203 shots last season and saved 146 shots, with a save percentage of 74.9%.
These stats alone indicate that if he had a more capable defence in front of him, he would have conceded far less than the 58 league goals he let in last season. It's difficult to conceive that one of the Champions League's best goalkeepers two seasons ago suddenly got worse.
He will hope that the defence in front of him improves this season so that he makes the shortlist next year.
#1 Alisson Becker
Yes, the Liverpool No. 1 was also omitted from the Yashin Trophy shortlist despite having a fairly strong season at Anfield. The Reds finished third in the league and won the Carabao Cup, with Alisson conceding 32 goals all season, keeping eight league clean sheets.
Although, to be fair, he was out for quite a few matches due to injury, and the Reds saw a general dip in form towards the tail end of the season, which saw them eventually finish third.
His performances for Brazil at Copa America 2024 were good, as he conceded just two goals in four games, but they were knocked out in the quarter-final.
