Unai Simón up for Yashin Trophy

Athletic Club shotstopper Unai Simón is one of the ten nominees for the 2024 Yashin Trophy, the most prestigious award in goalkeeping.

After an incredible season in which Unai won the Copa del Rey with Athletic, Euro 2024 with Spain and LaLiga's Zamora Trophy for keeper with least average goals conceded, our no.1 will be one of the favourites to win the accolade in Paris on October 28. France Football, the creators of the Ballon d'Or award, have been handing out the Yashin Trophy to the world's best goalie since 2007.

The Athletic Club goalkeeper will compete for the award against Diogo Costa (FC Porto), Gianluigi Donarumma (PSG), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia CF), Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Yann Sommer (FC Inter Milan) and Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns).

The trophy, named after 'The Black Spider', the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d'Or, has been won five times by Iker Casillas (from 2008 to 2012, three times by Gianluigi Buffon (2007, 2016 and 2017) and Manu Neuer (from 2013 to 2015), twice by Thibaut Courtois (2018 and 2022), and once by Alisson Becker (2019), Gianluigi Donarumma (2021) and Emiliano Martinez (2023).

Our club legend Jose Angel Iribar was a huge fan and friend of Lev Yashin, wearing a black jersey in the Russian's honour. Unai Simón's nomination is a huge source of pride and a well-deserved award for both himself and all those who work in goalkeeping training at Lezama.
 

*In the photo, Ricardo Zamora, Jose Angel Iribar and Lev Yashin ‘The Black Spider’ are in the centre circle at the old San Mames.