2026 Ballon d’Or shortlist makes history with no goalkeepers included

For the first time since the introduction of a shortlist system in 1995, no goalkeeper has been named among the final nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or.

The omission means Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper in football history to have won the prestigious award. The former Soviet Union international claimed the Ballon d’Or in 1963, but no goalkeeper will follow him this year.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, 2026 is only the third edition in the award’s history in which goalkeepers have been absent from the final ranking. The other two occasions came in 1967 and 1968.

All goalkeepers were eliminated from the shortlist ahead of the 70th Ballon d’Or ceremony, which is due to take place in London on 26 October.

The absence is notable given the performances of several leading candidates during the period under consideration. Spain and Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon was not selected despite conceding only once in seven appearances at last summer’s World Cup.

However, Spain’s defensive strength limited the number of occasions on which Simon was required to make decisive interventions, a factor that appears to have worked against him in the voting.

His international team-mate David Raya was also left out, despite an outstanding season with Arsenal. Raya helped the club win the Premier League and reach the Champions League final, but paid the price for spending the World Cup as Spain’s substitute goalkeeper.

Emiliano Martinez, the Argentina and Aston Villa goalkeeper, was another high-profile omission. Martinez reached the World Cup final and won the Europa League with his club, yet he did not make the 30-player Ballon d’Or shortlist.

The decision comes after Martinez finished 15th in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking and 18th in 2024.

Gianluigi Donnarumma, now of Manchester City, was also absent from the nominees. Donnarumma finished ninth in the 2025 Ballon d’Or standings after playing a central role in Paris Saint-Germain’s historic campaign.

His omission was influenced by Italy’s failure to qualify for the most recent World Cup, according to the assessment reflected in the shortlist.

The complete exclusion of goalkeepers has also added uncertainty to the race for the Yashin Trophy, the award formerly referred to as the prize for the best goalkeeper of the season.

In each of the previous two editions, only one goalkeeper appeared among the Ballon d’Or nominees: Martinez in 2024 and Donnarumma in 2025. Their inclusion effectively revealed the Yashin Trophy winner before the ceremony, reducing the suspense that usually surrounds that award.

With no goalkeeper included in this year’s final 30, the identity of the next Yashin Trophy winner will remain separate from the Ballon d’Or shortlist and the competition is expected to retain more of its usual intrigue.

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