5 best goalkeepers in the FIFA World Cup
The six-week-long 2022 FIFA World Cup has come to an end, and it has been made evident who the better teams were. Starting on November 20, 32 teams vied for glory at the prestigious tournament in Qatar. Each team brought its best players and they represented their teams as best as they could.
In every tournament, the man guarding the posts is one of the most important members of every team. A good goalkeeper may be the difference between success and failure for a team in a tournament like the World Cup. This article will take a look at five goalkeepers who have made a name for themselves in the past six weeks with their performances in Qatar.
Without further ado, here is a list of the five best goalkeepers in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
#5 Jordan Pickford (England)
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been one of the best in his position at the World Cup in Qatar. The Everton man was one of the front-runners to win the tournament's Golden Glove award for his efforts.
Pickford started all of England's matches in the tournament as they fell to a quarter-final elimination, losing to France. The 28-year-old was in his second World Cup edition and kept three clean sheets in five games. Only against France and Iran did the former Sunderland goalkeeper concede any goals in the Mundial.
Pickford made a total of seven saves in his five matches in the tournament. He was impressive for the Three Lions in their run to the quarter-finals.
#4 Wojciech Szczesny (Poland)
The best player in the group stages, Wojciech Szczesny was one of the tournament's standout performers between the sticks. The Poland goalkeeper performed brilliantly for his country as they crashed out in the Round of 16 stage.
Szczesny was the preferred choice in goal for Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Juventus man kept two clean sheets in four appearances for his country in the tournament. Most notably, he saved a penalty each against Saudi Arabia and Argentina in the group stage. Only France and Argentina were able to breach his goal in the tournament.
Szczesny made a total of 23 saves across his four appearances in the competition. The experienced goalkeeper played a pivotal role in leading his country to the knockouts before they crashed out to France.
#3 Yassine Bounou (Morocco)
Canada-born Yassine Bounou was unarguably one of the best goalkeepers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He was in goal for the tournament's surprise package, Morocco, as they finished in fourth place after a historic run.
Bounou managed to keep three clean sheets in six appearances for Morocco as he played in all but one of their matches. The Sevilla goalkeeper delivered several quality performances for his country in Qatar. His best performance, arguably, was against Spain in the Round of 16 where he saved three penalties in the shootout.
Bounou helped Morocco keep clean sheets against Croatia, Spain, and Portugal, three of the best sides in international football. The 30-year-old was one of Mundial's revelations due to his performances for Morocco.
#2 Dominik Livakovic (Croatia)
In 2018, Danijel Subasic was important to Croatia's historic run to the final. This year, Dominik Livakovic took on the role perfectly and arguably outperformed his predecessor on the biggest stage of all.
Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Livakovic kept two clean sheets in seven appearances at the World Cup to lead his side to a third-place finish. He showed his class in both in-game situations and penalty shootouts. He saved a total of four penalties in shootouts in the tournament, equalling the record set by Subasic in 2018.
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25 saves
4 shootout saves
3 clean sheets
2 MOTM awards
Dominik Livaković is the leading Golden Glove contender after a tournament to remember. 🇭🇷 🧤 https://t.co/bBmFl7R9Xv
Livakovic made 25 saves from 31 shots he faced, preventing 80% of the shots he faced from going into the net. The 27-year-old made an incredible 11 saves in the match against Brazil before going on to save one penalty in the shootout.
#1 Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Argentina's Emiliano Martinez was the best goalkeeper of the World Cup. The Aston Villa ace played a key role in his country's run to victory in the tournament in Qatar.
Martinez was awarded the tournament's Golden Glove award as he kept three clean sheets in seven appearances. The 30-year-old had a number of top-notch performances in Qatar, but his shootout heroics against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and France in the final stood out for many.
He saved the first two Dutch efforts from Virgil Van Dijk and Steven Berghuis to set the tone for a win. He also denied Kingsley Coman in the final.
Martinez had to make only seven saves in the tournament but has made a few vital ones. His last-ditch save to deny Garang Kuol in the closing moments of the Round of 16 helped Argentina overcome Australia's challenge. He also pulled off a stunning save to deny Randal Kolo Muani in the closing stages of the final.