List of FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Winners 1930 to 2022

The FIFA World Cup Golden Glove is awarded to the top goalkeeper of the tournament. This prize highlights the competitor with the highest skill level in goal throughout the entire contest. It is not a matter of player’s popularity or team’s reputation. It is all about made saves, maintained consistency, and contributions during decisive moments.

The prize was launched during the 1994 World Cup. It had the name of Lev Yashin Award, a tribute to the great Soviet keeper. In 2010 FIFA made it official by changing the name to Golden Glove Award. Since then, it has been one of the most acclaimed individual awards for goalkeepers at the World Cup.

Unlike goals’ awards, the Golden Glove is granted by the FIFA Technical Study Group, not through fan voting.

How the Golden Glove Is Decided

The Golden Glove is a trophy for the goalkeeper who has demonstrated the best overall performance throughout the tournament. This is dependent on clean sheets, shot-stopping, claiming the area, saves from penalties, and making the right choices under pressure.

In case two goalkeepers have the same performance, FIFA has a tiebreaker system to resolve the situation. The goalkeeper who belongs to the team that advanced the farthest in the tournament is given preference. If the deadlock persists, the number of saves made is then looked at. Minutes played could also be considered if necessary.

Prior to 1994, FIFA never awarded a Golden Glove. But at each tournament, a goalkeeper from the All-Star Team was chosen. These goalkeepers are mostly considered as unofficial winners for the purpose of historical records, and they are still included in the extended lists.

FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Winners List

Year	Goalkeeper	Country
2022	Emiliano Martínez	Argentina
2018	Thibaut Courtois	Belgium
2014	Manuel Neuer	Germany
2010	Iker Casillas	Spain
2006	Gianluigi Buffon	Italy
2002	Oliver Kahn	Germany
1998	Fabien Barthez	France
1994	Michel Preud’homme	Belgium
1990	Sergio Goycochea / Luis Gabelo Conejo	Argentina / Costa Rica
1986	Jean-Marie Pfaff	Belgium
1982	Dino Zoff	Italy
1978	Ubaldo Fillol	Argentina
1974	Sepp Maier	West Germany
1970	Ladislao Mazurkiewicz	Uruguay
1966	Gordon Banks	England
1962	Viliam Schrojf	Czechoslovakia
1958	Harry Gregg	Northern Ireland
1954	Gyula Grosics	Hungary
1950	Roque Máspoli	Uruguay
1938	František Plánička	Czechoslovakia
1934	Ricardo Zamora	Spain
1930	Enrique Ballestrero	Uruguay

All FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Winners

Modern Golden Glove Winners (1994–2022)

The golden gloves modern era kicked off in 1994. Since then, the award for the best goalkeeper has been given to eight players.

The first award ever was won by Michel Preud’homme in 1994 while he played for Belgium. He was 35 and only allowed two goals in four matches making Belgium reach the Round of 16 with two clean sheets.

In 1998, Fabien Barthez was the winner of the Golden Glove during his very first World Cup participation. He let only two balls go past him in seven matches and thus heavily contributed to the success of France, the tournament’s host, winning it.

The World Cup of 2002 was a stage where Oliver Kahn gave an outstanding exhibition of a goalkeeper’s performance. He was so dominating that he even kept five clean sheets and brought Germany to the final. That year, he also won the Golden Ball becoming the first and only keeper to win both awards.

In the 2006 World Cup, Gianluigi Buffon took home the award after allowing just two goals in seven games. The Italian team then went on to claim the World Cup and Buffon’s reliability was one of the decisive factors that made it happen.

The Best Goalkeeper award of 2010 was won by Iker Casillas who captained Spain to their first-ever World Cup title. He was the one who kept five clean sheets and saved a crucial one-on-one situation during the final.

In 2014, Manuel Neuer redefined the role of a goalkeeper. His sweeping style and calm distribution helped Germany win the World Cup, while he also recorded four clean sheets.

The 2018 Golden Glove went to Thibaut Courtois. Despite Belgium finishing third, his performances, especially in the knockout stages, stood out. He conceded six goals in seven matches.

In 2022, Emiliano Martínez won the award after a dramatic tournament. He made three penalty saves and played a decisive role in Argentina’s World Cup victory.

Goalkeepers Before the Golden Glove Era

FIFA selected goalkeepers for the All-Star Team of the tournament during the period of 1930 to 1990. Their performances are considered to be the best of the respective tournament besides their recognition.

Among those, Gordon Banks in 1966, Dino Zoff in 1982, and Jean-Marie Pfaff in 1986 are the most memorable ones. Both Sergio Goycochea and Luis Gabelo Conejo were awarded in 1990.

These players may not have been given the official Golden Glove trophy but their contributions nevertheless remain a part of the World Cup saga.

The Golden Glove highlights how important goalkeepers are at the World Cup. While goals win matches, saves keep teams alive. Many Golden Glove winners played decisive roles even when their teams did not win the tournament.

This award proves that individual excellence in goal is valued just as much as attacking brilliance.

                                               

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