Spain's Unai Simón and Cata Coll have taken the men's and women's goalkeeper of the year honours at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, according to PM News Nigeria. Simón, who keeps goal for Athletic Bilbao and the Spanish national side, collected the men's Yashin Trophy, while Coll, Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper, received the equivalent women's award at Monday's event. The outcome hands Spanish football a double win in the goalkeeping categories on the same night.
Why it matters
Goalkeepers rarely take centre stage at an awards gala built around goalscorers, so a clean sweep by two Spanish shot-stoppers is a notable moment for the position and for the country's development pipeline. PM News Nigeria reports that the results underline Spain's strength in both the men's and women's games, with both players recognised for their work at club and international level.
For Simón, the trophy caps a run of individual recognition that has been building for several seasons. For Coll, it marks a rise to the top of the women's game while still competing for places in a deep Barcelona squad and a national team that has become a fixture in major tournaments.
The Yashin Trophy, named after the Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, was first handed out in 2019 to honour the world's best male goalkeeper, per PM News Nigeria. The women's goalkeeper award serves the same purpose on the women's side.
Simón adds Yashin Trophy to a growing collection
The Yashin honour is the latest entry on Simón's record. PM News Nigeria notes that he claimed LaLiga's Zamora Trophy in the 2023–24 season, an award given for the best goals-conceded record in the Spanish top flight. He was also part of the Spain squad that won the 2024 European Championship, where he played a significant role. Two years ago he finished as runner-up in the Yashin voting, making this year's win a step up from that near miss.
Accepting the award, Simón framed the prize as the product of support he has received over the course of his career rather than a purely personal achievement. According to PM News Nigeria, he credited his parents and his brother for instilling the principles and values that still guide him, and he also thanked his partner for the steadiness she brings to his life away from the pitch.
"I know that this is a very chaotic world and she brings some tranquillity to me," Simón said after receiving the trophy, as reported by PM News Nigeria.
That emphasis on the people around him fits a career spent largely at one club. Simón has been a fixture at Athletic Bilbao, and his international record now includes a major tournament title with Spain. The Yashin Trophy adds global recognition to a résumé that had previously been built mostly on domestic and national-team accomplishments.
Coll credits Spain's national team after women's award
Coll, who holds the starting goalkeeper role at Barcelona, said she was delighted to take the women's prize and to share the occasion with a fellow Spaniard. PM News Nigeria reports that she thanked Spain's national team for the chance to represent the country and for the part it has played in her development as a player.
"This may be an individual prize, but they always say you can't achieve these successes without everyone else involved," Coll said, according to PM News Nigeria.
Her comment points to the nature of goalkeeping itself, where individual performance is bound up with the organisation of the defence, communication across the back line and coordination with teammates. A keeper's clean sheets and highlight saves depend heavily on the structure in front of her, which is why Coll's acceptance speech leaned on the collective rather than the personal.
The award also reflects her standing at Barcelona, where she has held the first-choice spot, and her role within a Spanish national team that has become one of the strongest sides in the women's game.
A double night for Spanish goalkeeping
Having two Spanish goalkeepers collect the sport's top individual honours for their position on the same evening is a rare alignment. PM News Nigeria frames the result as evidence of the depth Spain has produced in the position across both the men's and women's games, with Simón and Coll each recognised for contributions at club and country.
The timing also places both players in a select group. Simón's win follows his runner-up finish in 2024, while Coll's arrival as a winner signals a shift in the women's category. For Barcelona, the night brought recognition for a keeper who anchors its back line; for Athletic Bilbao, it brought global attention to a player who has long been central to its defence.
Neither award changes a league table or a tournament result, but both carry weight in how goalkeepers are perceived in a sport that tends to reward goals. PM News Nigeria's report notes that the trophies were presented at the London ceremony on Monday, alongside the other Ballon d'Or categories.
What to watch next is how the two keepers carry the recognition into their club and international commitments, and whether the Spanish goalkeeping pipeline that produced both winners continues to deliver contenders in future Yashin votes.
