Borussia Dortmund star Gregor Kobel finished 10th in the final rankings for the 2026 Yashin Trophy, which was awarded to Athletic Bilbao and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Kobel was the only BVB representative at the recent Ballon d'Or program, though he didn't attend the ceremony in London on Monday per se, as Dortmund were scheduled to play Werder Bremen the following day.
The Swiss international's chances were anyways slim, given the strong competition from the Spanish contingent, but to see him finish last among the final nominees was startling, nevertheless.
For one, Kobel registered the most number of clean sheets in the Bundesliga last season with 15, which also equaled Dortmund's club record, previously achieved only by long-time custodian Roman Weidenfeller.
His shotstopping skills played a vital role in helping the BVB achieve a second-place finish in the league after conceding the least amount of goals (34) too. Kobel capped off a fine individual campaign with 92 saves in 34 games, but Dortmund's underwhelming campaign overall means the odds were stacked against him.
Even then, Emiliano Martinez (5th) finished higher than Kobel primarily on the grounds of a strong World Cup campaign with Argentina as the goalkeeper otherwise posted average numbers with Aston Villa last season, conceding 39 goals in 32 Premier League games and keeping just eight clean sheets.
Vozinha, too, was a beneficiary of a breakout campaign with debutants Cape Verde at the North American showpiece, making a series of vital saves, especially against Argentina in their Round of 32 fixture and was ranked sixth in the Yashin Trophy list.
Arsenal star David Raya, crucial to their league trophy success last season, came in at second while Real Madrid star Thibaut Courtois finished third. PSG's Matvey Sofonov (4th), Barcelona's Joan Garcia (7th), Al-Hilal's Yassine Bounou (8th) and Al-Ahli's Edouard Mendy (9th) were the other players who made the cut into the top 10 nominees.
This also marks Kobel's second entry into the top 10 nominations for the best goalkeeper award, having previously made the cut in 2024 wherein he finished 10th once again with a meager 20 votes. The vote share for the 2026 edition of the prize is yet to be released even though the final rankings have already been announced.
With five clean sheets in seven Bundesliga appearances, the Dortmund custodian is already having another fine campaign with the side. A trophy or two at the end of it should definitely boost his chances for next year.
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