Courtois edges out Martinez as IFFHS’s best goalkeeper of 2022

For the second time in his career, Real Madrid and Belgium National Team goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has won IFFHS’s Men’s World Best Goalkeeper award.

This year’s edition was tight. Courtois, who also won the award back in 2018, scored 125 points in the voting, which was just 15 more than World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez, who had 110 votes.

The gap after that was quite large, as Morocco’s Yassine Bounou scored 55 points and finished third place — earning the first ever top-3 appearance by an African goalkeeper.

“For the second time after 2018, Belgium’s and Real Madrid Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is the winner of IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper 2022 Award!” IFFHS announced on their website. “With 125 points, he has only 15 points more than Emiliano Martinez, Argentina’s World Cup 2022 winner (110 points). It was very tight between Courtois, winner of the Champions League and Martinez so impressive in Qatar. Morocco’s Yassine Bounou took place 3 on the podium with 55 points, becoming the first African Goalkeeper to enter in the World’s Top 3!

“Only Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Manuel Neuer (each 5 Awards ), Walter Zenga , José Luis Chilavert, Oliver Kahn (each 3 Awards) have more Awards now than Thibaut Courtois who has now 2 Awards like Peter Schmeichel.”