The Yashin Trophy, awarded to the best goalkeeper in world football over the reference period, went to two players whose seasons gave them the clearest claims to the prize. Unai Simon of Athletic Bilbao claimed the men’s award and Cata Coll of Barcelona took the women’s equivalent at Monday’s ceremony at the London Palladium.
Unai Simon: A World Cup Winner Between the Posts
Unai Simon’s case for the Yashin Trophy was built across two competitions. At club level, the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper produced a consistent season that reflected the organisation and defensive solidity that has defined the Basque club under their current setup. But it was the World Cup that elevated his candidacy beyond debate.
Simon was Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper throughout the 2026 World Cup, and his performances across the tournament contributed directly to a Spain side that conceded sparingly on their way to winning the title. A goalkeeper who wins a World Cup with his national team and keeps clean sheets in the knockout rounds makes an argument that statistical peers elsewhere cannot match. The Yashin Trophy voters recognised that.
At 29, Simon has reached the peak of his powers. His distribution, his command of the penalty area, and his shot-stopping have all developed into a package that represents the modern goalkeeper at its best. The Athletic Bilbao number one is a product of the club’s famously strict Basque-only recruitment policy, which makes his emergence as a world-class keeper a source of particular pride for a club that has always done things differently.
Cata Coll: Barcelona’s Quiet Excellence
Cata Coll’s case on the women’s side was similarly rooted in collective success. Barcelona’s dominance of women’s football in 2025-26 produced a roster of individual nominees, and the club’s goalkeeper was among them. Cata Coll’s performances throughout the season reflected a goalkeeper who has grown steadily into one of the most reliable in European women’s football.
Her win continues a pattern of recognition for Barcelona’s goalkeeper position at these awards, a reflection of how consistently the Spanish club has produced and developed top-level goalkeeping talent. It is worth noting that Cata Coll appeared in the men’s rankings earlier in the ceremony, placed 15th, an unusual cross-category recognition that underlines the unusual quality of her season.
The Yashin Trophy and Goalkeeper Recognition
The Yashin Trophy has been awarded since 2019, created alongside the restructuring of the Ballon d’Or to recognise positions that the main vote has historically undervalued. Named after Lev Yashin, the Soviet goalkeeper widely considered the greatest to have played the position, it carries genuine prestige within the goalkeeping community.
Simon’s win is a recognition of Spain’s collective excellence at the World Cup filtering down to its individual components. Without a goalkeeper performing at his level, a World Cup title is difficult to achieve. The voters have acknowledged that truth in awarding him the prize.
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