Why Goalkeepers Rarely or Never Win the Ballon d’Or

• The Ballon d’Or is regarded as the biggest individual prize for footballers, but goalkeepers rarely win it
• Lev Yashin, who stopped over 150 penalty kicks during his career, remains the only goalkeeper to have won the coveted prize
• Here we dissect why the No.1 shot-stoppers rarely get such recognition despite their overall importance to the game

Many have continued to wonder why goalkeepers rarely win the prestigious Ballon d’Or since the honour was handed to footballers in 1956.

Every year, the best player is awarded the coveted prize, but hardly has a goalkeeper received such recognition.

A keeper has only won the award once and that's, Lev Yashin, in 1963, other shot-stoppers have come close though.

Another goalkeeper who also had a chance to join Yashin as a Ballon d’Or winner was German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn in 2002.

Many suggest that his sloppy rebound save in the World Cup final, which saw Ronaldo tuck home Brazil’s second goal, cost him the prestigious prize.

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Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s Player of the Year merged in 2010

In 2010, the Ballon d’Or and FIFA’s Player of the Year awards were merged to allow non-European journalists, team captains and coaches to vote.

This enabled the number of points awarded by voters to jump from hundreds to thousands. In 2014, despite having a fantastic season, Manuel Neuer was over a thousand points short of eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

It is more surprising that even Iker Casillas, once considered the best goalkeeper on the planet from 2010-2012, only received 4 per cent of the Ballon d’Or votes.

No glamour in goalkeeping

If a goalkeeper wins the Ballon d’Or, many could tag it a mediocre year for European football. After being voted the winner of the Yashin Trophy as the world’s best goalkeeper in 2022, Thibaut Courtois said as per The Athletic:

“As a keeper, you can’t do more, winning the league and the Champions League the way (Real Madrid) did.

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“Naturally, being in the top 10, it’s fantastic, but unfortunately, when voting comes, keepers are being overlooked, with strikers being favoured. It’s not such a big deal, but keepers are being underestimated, although we’ve been participating in the game much more, sometimes almost as playmakers.”

Nine times goalkeepers missed out on winning football’s top prize

1. 44 points behind 1st – 1960 Lev Yashin (Finished 5th place in voting overall)

2. 45 points behind 1st – 1961 Lev Yashin (4th)

3. 49 points behind 1st – 1973 Dino Zoff (2nd)

4. 49 points behind 1st – 2006 Gianluigi Buffon (2nd)

5. 80 points behind 1st – 1956 Lev Yashin (5th)

6. 88 points behind 1st – 2001 Oliver Kahn (3rd)

7. 94 points behind 1st – 2002 Oliver Kahn (3rd)

8. 109 points behind 1st – 1992 Peter Schmeichel (5th)

9. 130 points behind 1st – 1983 Jean Marie Pfaff and Rinat Dassaev (6th, tied)

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Messi tipped to win 2023 Ballon d’Or

Sports Brief earlier reported that the 2023 Ballon d'Or debate has gotten into full swing following the conclusion of the European season after the UEFA Champions League final on June 10.

Manchester City's win over Inter Milan saw the end of an action-packed season, which essentially means players eyeing the Ballon d'Or award cannot do much else to affect their chances.

Lionel Messi was believed to be making a beeline for a record-extending eighth title after he led Argentina to a World Cup victory in December last year.