The goalkeeper of the Argentinian team and the Belgian Thibaut Courtois fought hard for the first place. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics said the decision was very close.
The surprise caused for some the ranking that the IFFHS recently issued, which highlights the 10 best archers in the world for the period of 2022. And it is because Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, world champion goalkeeper with Argentina, was in second place on the list, despite his strong performance at the World Cup in Qatar.
The prestigious first place, with 125 points, went to the Belgian goalkeeper champion of the Champions League with Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois . The season that ‘Flaco’ had with the meringues was very remarkable, being a key figure in each of the clashes that the madridistas had, especially in the most important club tournament in the world.
Dibu, for his part, obtained 110 points, thus remaining in second place in the standings. The controversial Trans-Andean goalkeeper played a key role in securing the World Cup for his team, being the protagonist in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands and France, as well as saving a goal sang from Australia and another from the Gauls in the agony of the final. . Same, he was awarded the competition’s Golden Glove, which positions him as the best goalkeeper in the World Cup . However, his stats in that same game don’t work in his favor, as Martínez conceded eight goals in the seven games he played and made only seven saves in total.
Considering the importance of the two goalkeepers in obtaining the mentioned trophies, the website from IFFHS explained that the decision was very close. Probably, the low-key season Emiliano Martínez had at Aston Villa could have been the deciding factor for the ranking Courtois ended up leading, who managed to get this award for the second year in a row, tying Peter Schmeichel’s mark. The record is held by Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer with five awards each.
In third place on the list is Moroccan Yassine Bounou with 55 points, the current Sevilla goalkeeper. The goalkeeper has made history, since it is the first time that an African goalkeeper has positioned himself in the top 3 of this ranking . Bounou’s merit is due to the great performance he achieved during Morocco’s historic participation in Qatar. Until the semi-final against France, the goalkeeper had conceded only one goal, in the group stage against Canada, thanks to an own goal from Nayef Aguerd. In the match against the Gauls, the African side conceded two goals, the same number conceded by Croatia in the third-place game, so Bounou finished with a total of five goals conceded in six games played.
The IFFHS Top 10
1. Thibaut Courtois (Belgium/Real Madrid)
2. Emiliano Martinez (Argentina/Aston Villa)
3. Yassine Bounou (Morocco/Seville)
4. Dominik Livakovic (Croatia/Dinamo Zagreb)
5. Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham)
6. Wojciech Szczesny (Poland/Juventus)
7. Jan Oblak (Slovenia/Atlético Madrid)
8. Alisson Becker (Brazil/Liverpool)
9. Jordan Pickford (England/Everton)
10. Mike Maignan (France/AC Milan)
Track to El Deportivo
Source: Latercera
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
