FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Winners List

At the conclusion of every FIFA World Cup, the Golden Glove Award is given out to the best goalkeeper, as determined by a panel of voters. The award originated in 1994 as the Lev Yashin Award, and in 2010 it was renamed the Golden Glove Award. In all, seven different players have won the award since it was first introduced. Read on to learn more about the Golden Glove Award and who has won it.

Golden Glove Award Origination

Before 1994, the only recognition a goalkeeper could receive after the World Cup was being named onto the World Cup All-Star team. One keeper was voted onto the team for every World Cup from 1930 until 1986. Then, in 1990, two earned the honor (Sergio Goycochea of Argentina and Luis Gabelo Conejo of Costa Rica). Starting with the 1994 World Cup, FIFA decided that goalkeepers deserved some additional recognition, so they created the Lev Yashin Award. The award was named after legendary Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, one of the best goalkeepers in the history of soccer. From 1994-2006, the best goalkeeper award was presented this way before it was changed to the Golden Glove award in 2010, the name it has kept ever since.

Voting Procedure for the  Golden Glove Award

The group that votes on the Golden Glove Award is the FIFA Technical Study Group. Each member of the panel votes on who they believe was the best goalkeeper at the tournament, and the player who receives the most votes is presented with the award. If two or more players tie for the most votes, tiebreakers are in place to ensure there is a single winner. The first tiebreaker is whoever advanced the furthest in the tournament, followed by the number of saves made, and if a third tiebreaker is needed, the player who played the most minutes wins the award. 

Lev Yashin Winners List

• Michel Preud'homme (Belgium): 1994 United States World Cup
• Fabien Barthez (France): 1998 France World Cup
• Oliver Kahn (Germany): 2002 South Korea/Japan World Cup
• Gianluigi Buffon (Italy): 2006 Germany World Cup

Golden Glove Winners List

• Iker Casillas (Spain): 2010 South Africa World Cup
• Manuel Neuer (Germany): 2014 Brazil World Cup
• Thibaut Courtois (Belgium): 2018 Russia World Cup
• Emiliano Martinez (Argentina): 2022 Qatar World Cup

Golden Glove/Lev Yashin Award Winners Team Achievements

Since 1994, the winner of the Golden Glove/Yashin Award has come from the World Cup-winning team four times out of the seven World Cups in which the award has been given. Fabien Barthez of France in 1998, Gianluigi Buffon of Italy in 2006, Iker Casillas of Spain in 2010, and Manuel Neuer of Germany in 2014 were all World Cup champions and best goalkeeper award winners in the same year. As for the other winners, Thibaut Courtois and Belgium came in third in 2018, Oliver Kahn and Germany were runners-up in 2002, and Michel Preud'homme and Belgium were eliminated in the Round of 16. 

When broken down by country, Belgium and Germany are the only countries with multiple winners, as Belgium had Courtois in 2018 and Preud'homme in 1994, and Germany had Neuer in 2018 and Kahn in 2002. Oliver Kahn is perhaps the most notable of these winners, as he is the only one of the seven to win this award and the Golden Ball Award in the same tournament. The Golden Ball Award is given out to the best overall player regardless of position. 

FAQ