Casablanca – Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón has won the 2026 Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on Monday, while Moroccan international Yassine Bounou finished eighth in the rankings.
The 29-year-old Athletic Club goalkeeper received the award for the first time in his career, becoming the first Spaniard to win the distinction since its introduction in 2019.
Simón succeeds Italy’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, who claimed the award in 2025, and adds another individual honor to a career that has already brought him major international success.
His victory follows an exceptional summer with Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he played a central role in the national team’s second world title.
The Spanish goalkeeper kept seven clean sheets in eight matches and conceded just one goal throughout the tournament. The goal came during Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Belgium.
His seven clean sheets established a new record for a single World Cup, surpassing the previous mark of five shared by several goalkeepers, including Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon and Spain’s Iker Casillas.
Simón also received the tournament’s Golden Glove award after helping Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final on July 19.
His international career has included three major titles under coach Luis de la Fuente: the UEFA Nations League in 2023, the European Championship in 2024, and the World Cup in 2026.
He had previously finished second in the 2024 Yashin Trophy voting behind Argentina’s Emiliano Martínez.
Bounou maintains his place among world’s leading goalkeepers
Morocco’s Yassine Bounou was also among the ten finalists for the 2026 award following another successful campaign with Saudi club Al-Hilal and the Moroccan national team.
According to statistics published by the Ballon d’Or organizers, the 35-year-old goalkeeper recorded 30 clean sheets in 58 appearances during the 2025–26 evaluation period and conceded 41 goals.
At international level, Bounou remained Morocco’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 2026 World Cup, where the Atlas Lions reached the quarterfinals under head coach Mohamed Ouahbi.
One of his most important contributions came in Morocco’s Round of 32 encounter with the Netherlands. With the match tied 1-1 after extra time, Bounou saved Crysencio Summerville’s penalty before Ismael Saibari converted the decisive spot kick to send Morocco through.
He subsequently kept a clean sheet in Morocco’s 3-0 victory over Canada in the Round of 16, before the Atlas Lions’ campaign ended with a 2-0 defeat against France in the quarterfinals.
The Moroccan goalkeeper is no stranger to the Yashin Trophy rankings. He finished ninth in 2022 before reaching third place in 2023, following Morocco’s historic World Cup semifinal appearance and his UEFA Europa League triumph with Sevilla.
Bounou returned to the rankings in 2025, when he finished fifth.
Established by France Football in 2019, the Yashin Trophy is named after legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, who remains the only goalkeeper to have won the men’s Ballon d’Or, in 1963.
Previous winners include Alisson Becker, Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martínez, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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