The 2022 FIFA World Cup will see some of the planet’s best Goalkeepers in net for their respective countries in Qatar, with players like Manuel Neuer (Germany), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium), Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico), and Hugo Lloris (France) still getting it done.
We’ve looked at the Golden Ball and the Golden Boot, so now let’s examine the Golden Glove Award, including the past winners, the betting odds, as well as make our prediction as to who wins this prestigious award.
These Golden Glove Betting odds are available at FIFA World Cup sportsbooks, like Bovada, in addition to all of the usual soccer bets.
The most important handicapping thing to mull over with the Golden Boot is current form and fitness, the Defenders in front of the GK, and like the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, how far you really think a team can progress in the World Cup.
What is the Golden Glove Award?
The Golden Glove is an award given to the best Goalkeeper of the FIFA World Cup tournament. The award originated in 1994 and was called the Lev Yashin Award after the late Soviet Goalkeeper but was renamed to the Golden Glove in 2010.
How do you determine who is the top GK in a Tournament?
The World Cup has little subjectivity in the Golden Glove and utilizes a FIFA Technical Study Group which analyzes the Goalkeepers in the tournament for the duration of the competition.
Goalkeepers can also win the performance-based and media-picked Golden Ball Award. Germany’s Oliver Kahn did just that in 2002 when his team took the World Cup Trophy back to Deutschland.
Germany has always had great GKs on its Roster and current Goalkeeper and former Golden Glove winner Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) has a legitimate shot at becoming the first player to ever win the Golden Glove twice.
The Golden Glove is one of three FIFA World Cup awards handed out after the World Cup ends with the aforementioned Golden Ball and the Golden Boot (leading Goal scorer) also being given out to players in the now 32-team field.
These goalkeepers were brick walls for their teams at their respective FIFA World Cup 🧤🧱
Can Thibaut Courtois win the Golden Glove in two consecutive FIFA World Cups? pic.twitter.com/lXqZpzKpsM
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 15, 2022
FIFA Men’s World Cup Golden Glove, Lev Yashin Winners
- 2018 Russia: Thibaut Courtois, Belgium
- 2014 Brazil: Manuel Neuer, Germany
- 2010 South Africa: Iker Casillas, Spain
- 2006 Germany: Gianluigi Buffon, Italy (Lev Yashin Award)
- 2002 South Korea/Japan: Oliver Kahn, Germany (Lev Yashin Award)
- 1998 France: Fabien Barthez, France (Lev Yashin Award)
- 1994 USA: Michel Preud’homme, Belgium (Lev Yashin Award)
2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Winner Betting Odds
- Alisson, Brazil +400
- Thibaut Courtois, Belgium +600
- Manuel Neuer, Germany +700
- Hugo Lloris, France +800
- Emiliano Martínez, Argentina +800
- Unai Simón, Spain +900
- Jordan Pickford, England +1000
Who will win the @FIFAWorldCup Golden Glove? The odds are in favor of the Brazilian goalkeeper #Alisson (18.2%), followed by Thibaut #Courtois from @realmadrid with 16.7%.#Qatar2022 #football pic.twitter.com/iqMEQaeaDi
— Football Benchmark (@Football_BM) November 10, 2022
Alisson, Brazil 4/1
Alisson (Liverpool) is 30 years old now, and like Manuel Neuer (6-4), Thibaut Courtois (6-7), and Guillermo Ochoa (6-0), Alisson is tall (6-3) and covers a lot of space with a big wingspan. One problem though may be high-scoring games as Brazil may allow more knowing they can score.
Clean Sheets will matter in this award, and Alisson is the favorite in this Futures market, but there just isn’t any value at 4/1 as he would have to be perfect. Just because A Seleção are tournament favorites, doesn’t mean that their GK will be the best in the tournament.
Thibaut Courtois, Belgium 6/1
Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid) won the Golden Glove in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, but he will be asked to do a lot more on this aging Belgium team which may be making its last shot at international glory with the Red Devils Golden Generation.
With a great attack led by Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Dries Mertens, Belgium will be a tough out in Qatar, but it just seems the Red Devils Defense isn’t on the same level as France, Argentina, Denmark, and Uruguay, and Germany.
In international play, Belgium hasn’t registered a Clean Sheet since March 29, so expecting Courtois to be Superman and carry this questionable team is quite an ask. FIFA has the Belgians ranked incredibly high, but it’s hard to see Courtois and Belgium surviving until the Semifinals.
Manuel Neuer, Germany 7/1
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) may be four years older than he was at the last World Cup, but the 36-year-old Goalkeeper for the German national team is still the most important player on this Roster. He is the reason why the DFB-team have a legitimate chance at winning the FIFA World Cup.
The Sweeper Keeper has won trebles and is easily among the 10 best players in Soccer history. Along with fellow German Oliver Kahn, winner of the Golden Glove and the Golden Ball in 2022, is one of the three best GK’s in history. Neuer has won 28 trophies with Bayern Munich.
Hugo LLoris, on the LGBTQ+ captain armband: 🗣 "I have my personal opinion. When we welcome strangers in France, we often want them to comply with our rules and requirements. I will do the same in Qatar. I have to show respect for that." 🏳️🌈 pic.twitter.com/Nji2RNExKU
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 15, 2022
Hugo Lloris, France 8/1
Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur) led Les Bleus to the World Cup win in Russia in 2018, and this is a team that can make another deep run and possibly repeat. Albeit, no team has won back-to-back World Cups since Brazil accomplished that rare feat back in 1958 and 1962.
With Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappé, France has legitimate candidates for the Golden Glove, the Golden Ball, and the Golden Boot.
Emiliano Martínez, Argentina 20/1
Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) isn’t as well-known as Neuer, Courtois, or Lloris, but this
Mar del Plata native is a product of the Argentinian youth system and will be getting his shot to make a name for himself on the world stage in Qatar these next 30 days.
Martínez could have a breakout World Cup and win the Golden Glove award, especially if the Defense is sound and Dibu does his job in goal. He will certainly be hard to score on but is just as experienced (30 years old) and tall (6-5) as the other elite GK’s who are favorites to win this award.
Fans of Aston Villa (EPL) already know how good Martínez is. In his first year with the club, he set a new EPL record with 15 Clean Sheets. Argentina and Lionel Messi can be confident throwing bodies forward on the attack knowing that Dibu is back there in goal, holding things down.
BREAKING – @adidas GOLDEN GLOVE – Manuel Neuer wins the @adidas Golden Glove #WorldCup – pic.twitter.com/R1YcF1nvO0
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 13, 2014
2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Predictions
The Golden Glove rewards the top Goalkeeper in the tournament and it may be one of the last two winners. Courtois or Neuer, that wins this year again. Or maybe favorite Alisson or Martínez lead their CONMEBOL sides to glory and end up the winner in this Futures betting marketplace.
The defenses in front of the Goalkeepers will matter, but getting far in the tournament, not letting in any easy goals, and performing well on any potential Penalty Kicks will all come into play in determining who can win the FIFA World Cup Golden Glove Award in Qatar.
Neuer is my pick here as it seems he may be able to go through the group stage fairly unscathed, especially if he can shut down Spain, and then help Germany make a run in the Knockout Stage. Rust never sleeps. And Maneul Neuer never ages.
