7 Golden Glove Winning Goalkeepers in World Cup History: Is Your Favorite Among Them?

The last line of defense is a crucial position in football. Furthermore, in tournaments like the World Cup, the outstanding performance of a goalkeeper is a key factor determining a team's success.

Therefore, the World Cup awards the Golden Glove award as recognition for a goalkeeper's excellence throughout the tournament. This award for goalkeepers was first introduced in 1994, honoring the legendary Soviet goalkeeper, Lev Yashin.

However, in 2010, the award for goalkeepers was renamed the Golden Glove Award. FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) is responsible for selecting the winner based on the player's performance throughout the tournament.

Several renowned goalkeepers, such as Fabien Barthez, Oliver Kahn, and Iker Casillas, have won this World Cup award. Kahn (2002) remains the only goalkeeper to have won both the Golden Glove and the Golden Ball award in the same edition of the competition.

Below are seven goalkeepers who have been crowned the best in a World Cup edition.

| Year | Golden Gloves Winner | Matches | Goals Conceded | Clean Sheets |
|------|---------------------------------|---------|----------------|--------------|
| 1994 | Michel Preudhomme (Belgium) | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 1998 | Fabian Barthez (France) | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 2002 | Oliver Kahn (Germany) | 7 | 3 | 5 |
| 2006 | Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| 2010 | Iker Casillas (Spain) | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 2014 | Manuel Neuer (Germany) | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 2018 | Thibaut Courtois (Belgium) | 7 | 6 | 3 |

(read: Most 2022 World Cup Participating Countries are from Europe)