Yassine Bounou Competes for "Best Goalkeeper" Award
Moroccan international Yassine Bounou has been nominated for the "Yashin" award for Best Goalkeeper in the World for 2026, following the announcement of the nominees by "France Football." This nomination keeps the Moroccan goalkeeper among the prominent names globally in his position.
Bounou's nomination comes after an impressive season with his club Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and the Moroccan national team, where he delivered strong performances during the 2026 World Cup finals, participating in all six matches played by the "Atlas Lions," totaling 570 minutes.
Bounou was a key presence in all of Morocco's matches during the World Cup, solidifying his status as one of the standout players on the national team, contributing to the "Atlas Lions" reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament.
The Moroccan goalkeeper is considered one of the key figures in the national team's history in recent years, having been a crucial part of the historic achievement of the "Atlas Lions" in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, when the team became the first African side to reach the semi-finals in World Cup history.
Bounou has also gained valuable experience in European and Saudi clubs, notably shining with Sevilla in Spain, where he won the UEFA Europa League, before moving to Al Hilal, where he continued to be among the shining names in the football world.
Bounou is vying for the Yashin award for the fourth time, having previously been nominated on three occasions, reflecting his consistency over the years among the world's best goalkeepers. The official website of the Ballon d'Or award confirms that Bounou has received three nominations for the award prior to the 2026 edition.
The competition appears open for the Moroccan goalkeeper in the 2026 edition, with notable names including Belgium's Thibaut Courtois, Argentina's Emiliano Martínez, and World Cup champion with "La Roja" Unai Simón. Bounou's new nomination adds further representation for Moroccan football in the Ballon d'Or awards, as he has become one of the most prominent representatives of the African continent in global individual competitions in recent years.
