Last update 20 June, 2026 by Alberto Llopis

He World Cup Gold Glove It is the award that recognizes the best goalkeeper of the World Cup. The champion goalkeeper doesn't always win, nor necessarily the one that makes the most stops. The goalkeeper who scores the tournament wins it: the one who supports his team, decides matches, dominates areas, appears on penalties or leaves an intervention that changes history.

The award has officially existed since World US 1994. First it was called Lev Yashin Award, in honor of the legendary Soviet goalkeeper, and from South Africa 2010 was renamed Gold Glove. FIFA confirms that the award is given from 1994 and that the last winner before the World Cup 2026 was Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, awarded in Qatar 2022.

Since then, only eight goalkeepers have won this award: Michel Preud'homme, Fabien Barthez, Oliver Kahn, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois y Emiliano Martínez. eight names, eight styles and eight different ways to change a World Cup.

What is the World Cup Golden Glove?

He Gold Glove It is awarded to the best goalkeeper of each World Cup. It is awarded by the FIFA technical group taking into account the goalkeeper's overall performance during the competition: stops, influence on the game, leadership, security, weight in decisive matches and performance in moments of maximum pressure.

Until 2006 The award was known as Lev Yashin Award. The name was not coincidental. Lev Yashin is considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in history and remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or, achieved in 1963. FIFA remembers Yashin as a figure who revolutionized the position, with more than 150 penalties stopped and around 275 career clean sheets.

From 2010, The award adopted the current name of Gold Glove, following the line of other individual World Cup awards such as the Ballon d'Or and the Golden Boot.

All World Cup Golden Glove winners

This is the complete list of official winners of the World Cup best goalkeeper award since its creation in 1994.

The official FIFA list includes these eight winners from 1994 until 2022. The historical records of World Cup awards also maintain the distinction between the World Cup stage Lev Yashin Award and the modern stage of Gold Glove.

Winners by country

Germany and Belgium are the countries with the most winners of the award, with two each. Italia, France, Spain and Argentina have one.

An important: five of the eight winners also won the World Cup. They did it Barthez in 1998, Buffon in 2006, Boxes in 2010, New en 2014 and Emiliano Martínez in 2022.

Michel Preud'homme, the first prize winner

The first goalkeeper to win the award was Michel Preud'homme, Belgium goalkeeper in the United States World Cup 1994.

Belgium didn't go far: lost in the round of 16 against Germany. But Preud'homme left a huge tournament on an individual level. It was safe, sober, decisive and conveyed the feeling of being above the competitive level of his team.

Your case demonstrates something important: The Golden Glove does not only reward the champion goalkeeper. Award the best goalkeeper of the tournament. And in 1994, although Brazil won the World Cup with Taffarel as a key piece, The chosen one was Preud'homme.

He was also the first winner of the then called Lev Yashin Award.

Fabien Barthez, the goalkeeper of France champion in 1998

Fabien Barthez won the award at the World Cup in France 1998. He was the goalkeeper of the first French world champion team.

France built its title with a very powerful defense. Con Lilian Thuram, Marcel Desailly, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Didier Deschamps and Barthez, Aimé Jacquet's team was a competitive machine. Barthez maintained five clean sheets and only conceded two goals in the entire tournament.

His World Cup had everything: highlights, personality, I play with my feet, authority and a very recognizable point of madness. Barthez was not a cold goalkeeper; He was a goalkeeper of character, able to live with risk and still transmit confidence.

The final against Brazil, with French victory 3-0, finished raising it. France won its first World Cup and Barthez remained one of the symbols of that generation.

Oliver Kahn, the goalkeeper who won the World Cup Ballon d'Or

Oliver Kahn did in 2002 one of the most impressive tournaments in memory of a goalkeeper. Germany reached the final of the World Cup in Korea and Japan with a competitive team, but not particularly bright. Kahn was his great support.

His performance was so high that he not only won the award for best goalkeeper, but also the World Cup Golden Ball 2002. He remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or at a World Cup. FIFA highlights it as a historical record: Kahn is the only goalkeeper who has been chosen as the best player in a World Cup.

The data sums it all up. Kahn was not only the best goalkeeper of the tournament; He was considered the best player in the World Cup above Ronaldo Nazário, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Miroslav Klose about Roberto Carlos.

Its ending, however, had a cruel image. His mistake allowed Ronaldo's first goal in Brazil-Germany. Brazil won 2-0, but that didn't erase his tournament. Kahn was the face of a Germany that went further than many expected thanks to its goalkeeper.

Gianluigi Buffon, the wall of italy 2006

Gianluigi Buffon won the Lev Yashin Prize in Germany 2006, the last World Cup before the award was renamed the Golden Glove.

Italy was world champion with a legendary defense and Buffon as the absolute boss of the area. The Italian goalkeeper kept five clean sheets and only conceded two goals in the entire tournament: an own goal against the United States and Zidane's penalty in the final.

His most memorable save came in the final against France, when he took a header from Zidane in extra time. It was a gigantic intervention at a limit moment. After, Italy won on penalties and Buffon closed the tournament as the best goalkeeper in the world.

Buffon represents classic goalkeeping brought to perfection: placement, highlights, leadership, emotional dominance and a natural authority that made his defenses better.

Iker Casillas, the Golden Glove of Spain in 2010

Iker Casillas won the Gold Glove in South Africa 2010, the most important World Cup in the history of Spanish football.

Spain started losing to Switzerland, but from there he built a path of survival. Casillas was decisive against Paraguay, where he stopped a penalty against Óscar Cardozo in the quarterfinals, and reached eternity in the final against the Netherlands with his save Arjen Robben.

That action is one of the most important in the history of Spain. Robben stayed hand in hand and Casillas took the shot with his foot. Without that stop, Iniesta's goal or the Spanish star's goal in Johannesburg probably wouldn't have happened.

Casillas maintained five clean sheets and lifted the Cup as captain. His Gold Glove was not just an individual award: It was the recognition of the goalkeeper who supported Spain in moments when possession football was no longer enough.

Manuel Neuer, the goalkeeper who changed the position

Manuel Neuer won the Gold Glove in Brazil 2014 and became the symbol of a new way of understanding goalkeeping.

Neuer not only stopped. He also defended away from the area, I anticipated long balls, He played like a modern libero and allowed Germany to defend with many meters behind them. His performance against Algeria in the round of 16 was the perfect example: He left the area again and again to cut off rival attacks.

The World Cup 2014 consolidated the figure of Librar. Other goalkeepers had already played forward before, but Neuer took it to a global level, in the greatest possible scenario.

Germany was champion after beating Argentina in Maracanã with a goal from Mario Götze in extra time. Neuer finished the tournament with four clean sheets and the Golden Glove. Reuters reported years after the German Federation dismissed him from the national team, describing him as a figure who changed the way goalkeepers played..

Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian giant in 2018

Thibaut Courtois won the Gold Glove in Russia 2018. Belgium was not champion, but finished third, the best result in its history in a World Cup.

Courtois was key in a Belgian team full of offensive talent, con Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and company. His most remembered match was the quarterfinal against Brazil., where Belgium won 2-1. In the last minutes, Courtois took a decisive hand against Neymar to avoid a tie.

His World Cup was a major exhibition, reflexes and safety. Courtois did not need to fly spectacularly in each action: many times he arrived because he occupied the space before anyone else.

with your prize, Belgium became the first country with two winners of the award, after Michel Preud'homme in 1994.

Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, the Qatar Golden Glove 2022

Emiliano Martínez won the Golden Glove in Qatar 2022 after a World Cup where his influence went far beyond statistics.

Argentina was world champion and the Drawing appeared in the moments where a goalkeeper becomes a legend. It was decisive in the shootout against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals, stopping the launches of Virgil van Dijk y Steven Berghuis. And in the final against France he made one of the most important saves in the history of the World Cup.: the hand in hand before Randal Cole Muani in the minute 120+3.

That stop changed the fate of the final. If Kolo Muani scored, France was champion. Martínez supported Argentina, took the game to penalties and then stopped the shot Kingsley Coman In the batch.

FIFA confirmed that Emiliano Martínez was chosen as the best goalkeeper of the World Cup 2022 by the FIFA Technical Study Group. He was also recognized months later as The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper 2022.

El Dibu was not just a goalkeeper of saves. He was a psychological goalkeeper: intimidation, personality, emotional reading of penalties and absolute faith in the biggest stage.

Golden Glove vs Lev Yashin Award: what is the difference

The difference is historical, non-sports.

The award recognizes the same: the best goalkeeper in the World Cup. What changed was the name. Until 2006 it was called Lev Yashin Award; from 2010 is called Gold Glove.

That's why, when talking about “World Cup Golden Glove winners”, Lev Yashin Prize winners are usually included as well., because they are part of the same historical line of the award.

Goalkeepers who made history before the Golden Glove existed

The Golden Glove is awarded from 1994. That means that many legendary World Cup goalkeepers couldn't officially win it..

Lev Yashin

Although the award was named after him, Lev Yashin He was never able to win it because the award did not exist during his time. He was the great goalkeeper revolutionary: sent, went out, ordered, anticipated and played with an authority unknown to his time.

Gordon Banks

Gordon Banks He was world champion with England in 1966 and protagonist of one of the most famous stops of all time: his intervention against Pelé in Brazil-England in Mexico 1970, known as “the stop of the century”.

Dino Zoff

Dino Zoff He was captain of Italy, world champion in 1982. Had 40 years and remains the oldest player to compete in and win a World Cup final. Guinness World Records maintains that record: Zoff played the final of 1982 con 40 years and 133 days and lifted the Cup as captain.

Sergio Goycochea

Sergio Goycochea He was the great Argentine hero in the Italian penalty shoot-outs 1990. He stopped decisive shots against Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals and against Italy in the semifinals. FIFA remembers him as one of the great protagonists of World Cup penalties.

Claudio Taffarel

Claudio Taffarel was key for Brazil in 1994, especially in the final against Italy decided by penalties. He did not win the prize because the chosen one was Preud'homme, but his name is linked to the fourth World Cup in Brazil.

Walter Zenga

Walter Zenga signed in Italy 1990 one of the best unbeaten streaks in World Cup history. If the Golden Glove had existed before, would have been one of the great candidates.

Which goalkeepers changed the history of the World Cup the most?

Not all Gold Glove winners had the same historical impact. Some made big tournaments; others directly changed the way we remember a World Cup.

If we talk about pure influence, Kahn, Casillas, Neuer and the Drawing they have a special place. Kahn led Germany to a final. Casillas changed the history of Spain. Neuer changed the job. Martínez changed a final in the minute 120.

The Golden Gloves who were also world champions

Five winners of the award were champions in that same edition:

The pattern is clear: when a team wins a World Cup, there is almost always a decisive goalkeeper behind. Goals may steal the headlines, but titles usually require an impossible stop.

Goalkeepers who won the Golden Glove without winning the World Cup

Three goalkeepers won the award without lifting the Cup:

The most striking case is Preud'homme, because Belgium fell in the second round. This shows that the prize does not depend only on the collective journey. If individual performance is extraordinary, A goalkeeper can win the award even if his team does not reach the final.

No goalkeeper has won two Golden Gloves.

Until now, No goalkeeper has won the World Cup Golden Glove twice..

This also speaks of the difficulty of the prize. World Cup cycles are long, Goalkeeper careers can be long, but repeating as the best goalkeeper of the tournament is extremely complicated.

Kahn did not repeat. Buffon did not repeat. Casillas did not repeat. Neuer did not repeat. Courtois did not repeat. El Dibu arrived at the World Cup 2026 as last winner, but the history of the award still does not have a two-time champion.

The Golden Glove and the saves that are worth a World Cup

The Golden Glove is not understood only with statistics. Clean sheets matter, but there are stops that weigh more than a board.

The stop of Casillas to Robben in 2010 It wasn't just any intervention.: It was an action that kept an entire country alive.

The stop of Buffon a Zidane in 2006 prevented France from taking the lead in extra time in a final.

The constant output of Neuer against Algeria in 2014 showed a new way to defend.

The stop of the Dibu Martínez and Kolo Muani in 2022 was, directly, a championship stop.

That's the difference between a good goalkeeper and a historic goalkeeper.: the good for; the historical changes the story.

Gold Glove, Golden Ball and Golden Boot: they are not the same

In the World Cup there are several important individual awards and it is advisable not to confuse them.

A goalkeeper can win the Golden Glove and also be eligible for the Ballon d'Or. The great example is Oliver Kahn, what in 2002 won both awards: best goalkeeper and best player in the World Cup.

Historical ranking of the most decisive Golden Gloves

1. Emiliano Martínez, Qatar 2022

By context, drama and direct weight in the title, The Golden Glove of Drawing is one of the most important in history. The stoppage of Kolo Muani and the shoot-outs against the Netherlands and France make it a unique case.

2. Iker Casillas, South Africa 2010

Spain won many games 1-0. In that type of World Cup, the goalkeeper is half a title. Casillas appeared against Paraguay, Germany did not mark him and Robben ran into him in the final.

3. Oliver Kahn, Korea-Japan 2002

His Germany reached the final because of its goalkeeper. He was so dominant that he won the Ballon d'Or at the World Cup.. Few goalkeepers have carried so much weight with a national team.

4. Gianluigi Buffon, Germany 2006

Italy defended like Italy, but Buffon was the final guarantee. His stop on Zidane in the final is worth a career.

5. Manuel Neuer, Brazil 2014

Not only did he win. Changed the standard of the modern goalkeeper. After Neuer, Many goalkeepers also began to be judged by what they did outside the area..

Frequently asked questions about the World Cup Golden Glove

What is the World Cup Golden Glove??

The Golden Glove is the award given to the best goalkeeper of the World Cup. FIFA grants it at the end of the tournament.

Since when has the Golden Glove existed??

The award has existed since the World Cup USA 1994. First it was called Lev Yashin Award and from 2010 is known as Gold Glove.

Who was the first Gold Glove winner??

The first winner was Michel Preud'homme, Belgium goalkeeper, in the World Cup 1994.

Who won the World Cup Gold Glove? 2022?

The winner of the World Cup Golden Glove 2022 was Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, Argentina goalkeeper. FIFA chose him as the best goalkeeper of the tournament after the Argentine title in Qatar.

Which Spanish goalkeeper won the Golden Glove??

The only Spanish goalkeeper to have won the Golden Glove is Iker Casillas, awarded at the World Cup in South Africa 2010.

Which goalkeeper won the Golden Glove and the Ballon d'Or in the same World Cup??

Oliver Kahn won the Lev Yashin Award and the World Cup Golden Ball 2002. He is the only goalkeeper who has been chosen as the best player in a World Cup..

Who has the most World Cup Gold Gloves??

No goalkeeper has won the award more than once.

Which country has the most Gold Glove winners??

Germany and Belgium are the countries with the most winners, with two each.

Did Lev Yashin win the Gold Glove??

No. The award did not exist when Lev Yashin played. The award was initially called the Lev Yashin Prize in his honor..

Is the Golden Glove always won by the champion goalkeeper??

No. Michel Preud'homme, Oliver Kahn and Thibaut Courtois won the award without being world champions.

The prize of the goalkeepers who hold World Cups

The World Cup Gold Glove is not just any award. It is the recognition of the goalkeepers who change tournaments, that endure impossible matches and that appear when a team is about to fall.

Preud'homme opened the history of the award. Barthez protected champion France. Kahn He was so dominant that he won the Ballon d'Or. Buffon He led Italy from sobriety. Casillas held the only World Cup in Spain. Neuer transformed the modern goal. Courtois took Belgium to its best World Cup. Y Emiliano Martínez left a stop worth a World Cup.

Strikers win covers. The goalkeepers win silences. and sometimes, in that exact second between the shot and the stop, they win world cups.

Sources consulted

• FIFA: World Cup Gold Glove winners and explanation of the award.
• FIFA: Emiliano Martínez, World Cup Gold Glove 2022.
• FIFA: Oliver Kahn, only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or at the World Cup.
• FIFA: Lev Yashin and his historical legacy.
• Guinness World Records: Dino Zoff, oldest player to compete in and win a World Cup final.
• Sergio Goycochea and his penalty shoot-outs in Italy 1990.