This past world cup, hosted by Qatar, was one of the best out of the three World Cups I have witnessed in my lifetime. The games were filled with many comebacks and crazy goals, but also what stood out was the many great saves. Most of the games this year went to penalties, where the goal keeper would end up standing as the hero for saving many great shots. The three that stood out most were based on their performance entirely, their clutch gene, and the character. Here are the top three goalkeepers that stood out this world cup:

1)Emiliano Martinez

The Golden Glove winner was hands down the best of all the keepers in this world cup. Although it was a rocky start against Saudi Arabia, he still kept a clean sheet against two strong teams in Croatia and Mexico. One of the biggest games he played in was against the Netherlands in which he saved the first two pens, which would lead Argentina to victory and lead them to the semifinals. Martinez would also come up huge for his team in the World Cup Final by saving a shot from 10 feet away in regulation, which was the last chance for France in extra time. This save was a 1 v 1 against a more than capable striker, and was a crucial save to give his team a World Cup, it was even crowned as best save of the tournament. Martinez’ character was also one of the fan favorites by playing with  a dirty, enthusiastic character with dance moves after saves. This would be the 30 year old’s World Cup debut in which he leaves it being the best goalie in the tournament.

2)Dominik Livacović

One of the younger goalies in the tournament, the Croatian really showed why he will be a problem in the 2026 World Cup. Livacović would show why he was so good by putting his team on his back in penalty shootouts, but also making the big save at the big moment. Livacović’s best game would come against Brazil, where he would make tons of great saves –  including a save against a shot inside the box, as well as saving the first penalty shot by Brazil, which would give them the edge to win. He would do the same against Japan, in which we saved three pens – including a game winner – which would set them up against Brazil in the quarter finals. His performance would be truly remembered in Qatar as being the hero several times, and how his clutch gene was almost unmatched.

3)Yassine Bounou

To begin, Morocco as a whole looked to be a team that would not even win a game in the group stage. Many people, including myself, would think Morocco was a team that didn’t even belong in the tournament. However, Morocco would prove all the haters wrong by reaching the semi final round and coming in fourth place for the tournament. One of the players that would make this happen was Yassin Bounou. Bounou’s ability to not let up many goals, combined with his smart in game iq would pay huge dividends for Morocco. Keeping a clean sheet against Croatia, Portugal, and Spain would be the difference maker in most games and would keep his team alive. His best game came agsinst Spain, where he did not allow the Spanish to score on penalty shots.  After this performance, he proceeded to smile at the Spanish National Team. Bounou’s character and being able to not let up goals in huge situations would help his team greatly.