Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy - the Ballon d’Or award given to the best goalkeeper in the world.
The nomination comes after Martinez impressed for both club and country in the 2022/23 campaign. He played a key part in Villa’s qualification for the Europa Conference League and was the hero for Argentina in the World Cup.
Martinez came out victorious in two penalty shoot-outs over the tournament, including in the final against France, following a dramatic 3-3 draw after extra time. The 31-year-old has already been named as the best men’s goalkeeper in The Best FIFA awards back in February, and now has the chance to add to his accolades.
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He has been included in a list of 10 nominees, alongside the likes of Manchester City’s Ederson, Manchester United’s Andre Onana and Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. The winner of the award will be announced when the ceremony takes place on October 30, 2023.
Martinez returned to the starting XI for Villa in Sunday’s Premier League loss against Everton, after missing the last two-and-a-half games in all competitions with a small injury. He has now joined up with his Argentina teammates for games against Ecuador and Bolivia over the current international break.
The goalkeeper joined Villa from Arsenal back in 2020 in the search of more first team football, and has not looked back since. He has made a total of 116 appearances in Claret and Blue, keeping 41 clean sheets.
