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Rabat – Moroccan international and Sevilla FC goalkeeper Yassine Bounou has featured as a finalist in the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of 2022.
Bounou is nominated for the award along with Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez.
The award recognizes “the most outstanding performers in the men’s game from the period of 8 August 2021 to 18 December 2022,” according to FIFA.
The FIFA award winner will be announced on 27 February at a ceremony in Paris.
A panel of experts selected five players to be nominated for The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award.
An international jury composed of men’s national coaches, football journalists, and fans voted on FIFA’s official website and chose the three finalists from the initial list.
Bounou gained popularity with his impressive 2022 World Cup performances and his constant heroics with Sevilla.
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Bounou made international headlines with his stellar performances for Morocco, as he made seven crucial saves during his playing time at the tournament.
“The 31-year-old made two wonderful penalty saves in Morocco’s round of 16 shoot-out success over Spain and also shone as his team shocked Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals,” FIFA said while describing Bounou as an “instrumental part” of Morocco’s history-making.
Last month, The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) ranked its top ten goalkeepers for 2022. Morocco’s Bounou secured the third spot with 55 points, becoming the first African goalkeeper to enter the top three of the prestigious global ranking.
In May 2022, Bounou made history by becoming the first African Arab, as well as the first Sevilla FC goalkeeper to win the Zamora Trophy.
Read Also: Yassine Bounou First African in IFFHS’ Top 3 of World Goalkeepers
