PHOTO CREDIT: Image 1 – Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy graphic / France Football | Image 2 – Cape Verde’s Vozinha – Photo: PunchNG / AFP / Getty Images
2026 Ballon d’Or: Three African Goalkeepers Make Yashin Trophy Shortlist
Three African goalkeepers have been named among the 10-man shortlist for the 2026 Yashin Trophy — the award for the Best Men’s Goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or.

Morocco’s Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), Senegal’s Édouard Mendy (Al Ahli) and Cape Verde’s Vozinha (Colo-Colo) were all included in the list announced by France Football on Tuesday.

They will compete with some of the biggest names in world football, including Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), David Raya (Arsenal), Joan Garcia (Barcelona), Unai Simon (Athletic Club), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) and Matvey Safonov (PSG).

The nominations are based on performances from August 2025 to July 2026, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The standout story is 40-year-old Vozinha. The Cape Verde captain was without a club during the World Cup but became one of the breakout stars of the tournament. He helped debutants Cape Verde hold eventual champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in the group stage and took Argentina to extra time in the Round of 32 before a 3-2 defeat.

His heroics saw him named in FIFA’s fan-voted World Cup Dream Team and his social media following exploded from under 50,000 to nearly 29 million. He later signed for Chilean giants Colo-Colo.

For Bounou, a former CAF Goalkeeper of the Year, and Mendy, former Chelsea Champions League winner, the nomination is further recognition of their consistency for club and country in Saudi Arabia.

SOURCE: Punch Newspapers – punchng.com/ballon-dor-2026-three-african-goalkeepers-nominated-for-yashin-trophy/
Source: PunchNG.com –