October 08, (THEWILL) -The nominees for the Yachine Trophy, which is awarded to the finest goalkeeper in the world, have been released by France Football. The current incumbent is Liverpool’s Alisson, but he is not in the mix after the Reds’ poor league title defence and Champions League quarter-final defeat.
However, the Premier League is well-represented elsewhere, including a surprise inclusion this year.
Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa and Argentina has been named to the shortlist after a successful debut season with his club and, more importantly, a monumental goalkeeping performance in Argentina’s Copa America semi-final penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the summer.
In other news, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy has been included after a string of strong performances en route to the Champions League title in May.
Prominent among the nominees outside the EPL is Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 22-year-old Paris Saint-Germain goalie, who represented Italy at UEFA Euro 2020, helping the team win the tournament and winning the Player of the Tournament award.
The full list of nominees include
Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan/ Paris Saint-Germain & Italy)
Ederson Moraes (Man City & Brazil)
Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City & Denmark)
Edouard Mendy (Chelsea & Senegal)
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid & Belgium)
Keylor Navas (PSG & Costa Rica)
Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa & Argentina)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich & Germany)
Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid & Slovenia)
Samir Handanovic (Inter)
The trophy is named after legendary USSR goalkeeper Lev Yashin, who often played with a hat and was largely regarded as the best to ever play the position.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
