Emiliano Martinez becomes the best goalkeeper of Qatar 2022!!!
In addition to the bigger prize of the FIFA World Cup trophy, an array of prestigious awards will also be handed out after the final at the Lusail Stadium on December 18.
A major one among them will be the golden glove award, which will be handed out to the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
The golden glove was introduced in 1994 and was initially named after Lev Yashin, the legendary Soviet keeper.
It was later renamed Golden Glove in 2010. The recognition is decided by the FIFA Technical Study Group, which assesses the goalkeeper’s performance throughout the tournament.
In Qatar 2022, there are four shot-stoppers who are serious contenders for the golden glove, going into the final stretch of the tournament.
Dominik Livakovic
A key part of Croatia’s glorious run into the final in 2018 was its goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, who saved four penalties in the shootouts for it.
Dominik Livakovic more than filled in for his predecessor, with spectacular performances against Japan in the round of 16 and Brazil in the quarterfinal. Just like Subasic, the 26-year-old keeper made four saves in the penalty shootout wins for his side.
Livakovic also leads the saves tally with 23 efforts, which also meant that he denied three goals than an average goalkeeper would have, based on post-shot expected goals.
Even though Croatia’s mighty run fell at the semifinal stage, Livakovic has a strong chance going of nabbing the golden glove prize.
Emiliano Martinez
A key figure in Argentina’s revival in recent years has been its man under the bar - Emiliano Martinez. The Aston Villa keeper has been up to it in Qatar with a string of sturdy performance, which has pushed the Albicelestes into the final.
Martinez’s presence has provided Argentina with a sense of calm and stability at the back. His significance was particularly accentuated during the shootout in the quarterfinal against Netherlands, when he denied Virgil van Djik from the spot first up, to put Argentina in the driver’s seat.
In the round of 16 too, Martinez made a crucial intervention, deep in the injury time, to preserve Argentina’s 2-1 lead against Australia.
Martinez will have one humongous challenge ahead of him in the form of France in the final and a solid performance should set him up nicely for the golden glove title.
Yassine Bounou
Morocco’s miraculous run into the semifinal of Qatar 2022 was aided by some spectacular performance by its No.1, Yassine Bounou.
Bounou was in tremendous form throughout the tournament, with his resilience shining brightest against Spain in the round of 16, when he helped his side keep a clean sheet, before going on to save two spot-kicks in the penalty shootout.
The Sevilla shot-stopper continued on his hot streak in the quarterfinal against Portugal, as he kept out a menacing attack with some stunning saves.
Before the semifinal, where he let in two goals, the only goal Bounou had conceded was an own goal, in the group stage fixture against Canada.
Hugo Lloris
French captain Hugo Lloris is a goalkeeper who has largely flown under the radar, despite leading his national side to the 2018 World Cup title.
A major reason for this has been his propensity to make errors at crunch moments, like the one he made against Croatia in the 2018 final. Thankfully for him, his gaffe didn’t matter as France had outscored its opponents to win the game.
In Qatar 2022, Lloris has acquired a veneer of security, with no particular instance of him erring. In fact, Lloris was at his dominant best against Morocco in the semifinal, where he denied at least two sure-shot goals in the second half, before holding on to a scratchy clean sheet, to take his side into the final for the second time running.
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