Real Madrid goal keeper Thibaut Courtois has one eye on the World Cup after winning the 2022 Yashin Award.
🏆🙏🏻🤩 pic.twitter.com/zQVproFkzo
— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) October 17, 2022
Courtois became the first Spanish-based stopper to win the award, given to the best keeper in world football, after previous wins for Alisson and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
🏆 ¡TROFEO YASHIN 2022! 🏆
🧤 @ThibautCourtois 👏#ballondor | #TrophéeYachine pic.twitter.com/MP65PZKUj2— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 17, 2022
The Belgian international played a major role in Los Blancos march to La Liga and Champions League double in 2021/22 with a man of the match performance against Liverpool in the final in Paris.
The 2022 Yachine Trophy complete ranking! #TrophéeYachine #ballondor pic.twitter.com/NyuljF9mNM
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
Courtois kept 16 league clean sheets last season, and conceded 36 goals in 29 games, but he lost out in the Zamora Trophy race to Sevilla’s Yassine Bounou.
THIBAUT COURTOIS IS THE 2022 YACHINE TROPHY WINNER!@realmadrid#TrophéeYachine #balondor pic.twitter.com/llvIhMm1iz
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
His joint high return of five Champions League shut outs was a major factor in Real Madrid’s drive towards European glory and the 30-year-old hinted that success in Qatar would cap an incredible 12 months.
THIBAUT COURTOIS IS THE 2022 YACHINE TROPHY WINNER!#TrophéeYachine #ballondor pic.twitter.com/xRpkyaQkLI
— Ballon d’Or #ballondor (@francefootball) October 17, 2022
“I want to thank my teammates at Real Madrid, belonging to this team is incredible”, as per reports from Diario AS.
“Last season was incredible, and it’s an honour to win this trophy for the first time, taking into account the great keepers out there.
“We lost against France in 2018; I hope to do better in Qatar. We have a great team with Kevin de Bruyne, and others, and we hope to play an important role at the World Cup.”
Belgium have been drawn in Group F for the 2022 World Cup, alongside Canada, Morocco and 2018 finalists Croatia.
Images via Getty Images