5 goalkeepers who deserve to win the Ballon d'Or this year
In a game where strikers take all the limelight, goalkeepers are the silent heroes, and are critical to a team's success. They do the tough job of keeping the opponents at bay, but are often overlooked.
When FIFA announced the 30-man shortlist for Ballon d'Or in October 2017, there were only 3 goalkeepers compared to 15 forwards, showing the popularity of strikers in world football.
Lev Yashin was the only goalkeeper ever to have won the Ballon d'Or (in 1963) since its inception in 1956, evidencing the fact that goalkeepers are often robbed of the credit they deserve.
We have seen and known some of the greatest goalkeepers like Oliver Kahn, Peter Schmeichel, Edwin van der Sar, Gordon Banks and David Seaman, who have never won this coveted award.
We saw some great performances by goalkeepers over the last 12 months and some of them deserve utmost recognition.
That being said, let's see the 5 goalkeepers who deserve to win the Ballon d'Or this year:
#5 Keylor Navas (Real Madrid)
One of the unsung heroes of Real Madrid's success in 2016/17, Keylor Navas played a starring role in Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League and La Liga title this year. The 30-year-old struggled during his initial Madrid days, but has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.
He was the key player in Costa Rica's successful 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. He was also named in the three-man shortlist for "Goalkeeper of the Year" at the 2017 FIFA Awards, only to lose out to Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon and Bayern Munich shot-stopper Manuel Neuer.
He may not be the most celebrated goalkeepers in the world right now, but his on-field performances and the huge success with Real Madrid and Costa Rica makes him a worthy candidate.