Unai Simón, the Athletic Club and Spain goalkeeper, has won the 2026 Yashin Trophy as the world’s best goalkeeper, receiving the honour for the first time in his career.
The announcement came during the Ballon d’Or ceremony at the London Palladium, recognising his pivotal role in Spain’s World Cup triumph amid strong competition from leading club and international goalkeepers.
Simón enjoyed an exceptional tournament, keeping seven clean sheets in eight appearances—a record for a single World Cup edition—and conceding just one goal throughout the competition.
The Spanish goalkeeper completed his campaign with another clean sheet against Argentina in the final, which Spain won 1-0 after extra time to claim their second world title following their first triumph in 2010.
Simón prevailed over a shortlist featuring Thibaut Courtois, Joan García, David Raya, Yassine Bounou and Emiliano Martínez, alongside Édouard Mendy, Gregor Kobel, Matvey Safonov and Vozinha.
The Athletic Club goalkeeper succeeds Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, the 2025 winner, joining an honours list that also includes Alisson Becker, Courtois and Martínez since the award was introduced in 2019.
The 29-year-old adds the individual prize to his growing collection of honours with Spain, having helped win the 2023 UEFA Nations League and EURO 2024 before completing that international treble with the 2026 World Cup.
