In football culture, goalkeepers often occupy a unique realm. While goalscorers dominate the headlines with late match-winners, every team knows that championships are built on the foundation of a solid goalkeeper. Yet fans frequently ask: can a goalkeeper actually win the Ballon d'Or? 

The Rule: Is a Goalkeeper Eligible?

The answer is unequivocally yes. Nothing in the official rules prevents a goalkeeper from claiming the sport's highest individual honor.

Article 2 of the official rules clearly states: 

The Ballon d'Or honors the world's best male and female football players, regardless of league or nationality.

Position plays no role in official eligibility, opening the door for players in every area of the pitch. In theory, any player can win.

What does history say? 

The Legendary 1963 Winner

Despite eligibility for all positions, history has seen only one goalkeeper win the Ballon d’Or: Soviet legend Lev Yashin in 1963. Representing Dynamo Moscow and the Soviet Union, the man dubbed the "Black Spider" produced a magnificent campaign that redefined goalkeeping.

During the 1963 Soviet league season, Yashin displayed an impenetrable defense by conceding just 6 goals in 27 matches for Dynamo Moscow. Amassing 73 points in the Ballon d'Or voting to finish ahead of Gianni Rivera and Jimmy Greaves, Yashin cemented a strong legacy: over six decades later, he remains the sole goalkeeper to claim this prize. 


Recent Decades: Near Misses on the Podium

In modern times, several elite goalkeepers have come close to repeating Yashin’s achievement. 

In 2006, Gianluigi Buffon (2006) came very close to becoming the second goalkeeper ever to win the Ballon d'Or. Following Italy's triumphant World Cup victory in Germany, the Juventus legend finished as runner-up in the 2006 Ballon d'Or voting, securing an impressive second place behind teammate Fabio Cannavaro.
The Italian shot-stopper would go on to become the most-nominated goalkeeper in Ballon d'Or history with 11 nominations across his illustrious career, cementing his legacy as one of football's greatest ever keepers. 

The wait for a second goalkeeper winner continued. In 2014, Manuel Neuer, the German Bayern Munich legend, staged one of the most remarkable modern goalkeeping campaigns. Coming off a World Cup victory in Brazil where he popularized the sweeper-keeper style, Neuer finished third in the 2014 Ballon d'Or voting with 15.72% of the votes, finishing just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Recently, goalkeeper nominations have become more frequent: Emiliano Martínez secured back-to-back nominations in 2023 and 2024, while André Onana and Yassine Bounou also made the 2023 shortlist.

Some even reached the top 10. Thibaut Courtois finished 7th in 2022, and Gianluigi Donnarumma secured 9th place in the 2025 Ballon d'Or ranking after accumulating 172 points. 


Goalkeeper Nominations in history

Since its creation in 1956, 75 different goalkeepers have been nominated for the Ballon d'Or, accumulating 175 nominations. This number appears impressive, but in reality it represents 0.08% of the total nominations (2259).

Goalkeepers with the most nominations:

  1. Gianluigi Buffon: 11 (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2017)

  2. Lev Yashin: 10 (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)

  3. Iker Casillas: 8 (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)

  4. Rinat Dasaev: 7 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988)

  5. Peter Shilton: 6 (1977, 1978, 1980, 1985, 1987, 1989)

  6. Dino Zoff: 6 (1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982)

  7. Manuel Neuer: 5 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)

  8. Fabien Barthez: 5 (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004)

  9. Peter Schmeichel: 5 (1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999)

  10. Oliver Kahn: 4 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003)

The Goalkeeper of the Year Trophy

Recognizing this disparity, a dedicated award was established in 2019 to celebrate goalkeeping excellence: the Goalkeeper of the Year trophy, historically named the Yashin Trophy. Brazilian star Alisson Becker of Liverpool became the inaugural winner of the award in 2019.

This Year's Nominees: Who Will Be Crowned?

The race for this year's Goalkeeper of the Year awards features an elite group of nominees across both men's and women's football.

The 10 nominees for the Men's Goalkeeper of the Year are:

The 5 nominees for the Women's Goalkeeper of the Year are:

With world-class performances at both club and international levels over the past year, who will be crowned as the best Goalkeeper of the Year in London?