The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will mark the eighth time the tournament will be awarded the Adidas Golden Glove Award, which until 2006 was known as the Lev Yashin Award in honor of the famous Russian goalkeeper.
When Croatia beat Brazil on penalties, Morocco beat Portugal, France beat the British, and Argentina narrowly beat the Dutch, we were down to the last four teams.
In the last knockout round of the tournament, Lionel Messi’s magic proved too much for Croatia, who were unable to recreate their run from four years earlier as they lost 3–0 on 13 December. The next day, France beat Morocco 2–0 to advance to the World Cup final and are now on the verge of defending their title.
The top contenders for the Golden Glove are as follows:
Dominik Livkovich
Croatia goalkeeper Daniil Subasic was instrumental in the country’s victorious journey to the 2018 World Cup final.
Dominik Livkovic made up for his predecessor with excellent performances against Japan in the round of 16 and against Brazil in the quarterfinals. Like Subasic, the 26-year-old goalkeeper made four saves in his team’s penalty shootout victory.
Levakovic also leads the save tally with 23, meaning he stopped three more goals than an ordinary goaltender based on post-shot predicted goals.
Hugo Loris
France captain Hugo Lloris is one goalkeeper who has gone unnoticed despite leading his country to victory at the 2018 World Cup.
Lloris has secured a veneer of security at Qatar 2022 with not a single instance of him being wrong. In fact, Lloris was at his dominating best in the semi-final against Morocco, as he stopped at least two sure-shot goals in the second half before sticking to a shaky clean sheet to send his team through to the final. Was.
Emiliano Martinez
Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been a key component in the country’s recent recovery. The Aston Villa goalkeeper put in a strong performance in Qatar, helping the Albiceleste to reach the final.
Martinez’s presence at the back has given Argentina a sense of calm and stability. His importance was highlighted during the shootout in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, when he stopped Virgil van Dijk for a first down, keeping Argentina in control.
Martínez also made a crucial interception in the last game of the round of 16 that kept Argentina’s 2–1 lead over Australia.
Yassin Bounou
Bounou was in excellent form throughout the tournament, his tenacity most on display against Spain in the round of 16, when he helped his team keep a clean sheet before saving two penalty shootout attempts.
In the quarter-final against Portugal, the Sevilla shot-stopper held off a dangerous attack with several brilliant saves.
What is Golden Glove Award?
Unlike the Golden Boot, the Golden Glove award was formally added by FIFA prior to the 1994 World Cup, making it a relatively new addition to the World Cup.
Between 1994 and 2006, the honor was formerly known as the Lev Yashin Award, in honor of the illustrious former goalkeeper of the Soviet Union.
Michel Preidhomme of Belgium earned the first prize in 1994. Subsequently, Gianluigi Buffon (2002), Fabian Barthez (1998), and Oliver Kahn (2002) each took home the trophy (2006).
How are the Golden Gloves awarded?
In most domestic competitions, the Golden Glove is awarded to the goalkeeper who has kept the most clean sheets.
However, due to the World Cup being such a short format, it is awarded on the basis of contribution from the goal line as opposed to the number of clean sheets kept.