The Athletic editor's pick for Yashin Trophy: Courtois, Donnarumma and who else?

Who will win the men’s Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper? The Athletic editors give their picks

Burke: Thibaut Courtois was the outstanding goalkeeper in Europe last season.

He plays a pivotal part in Real Madrid’s ultimately unsuccessful La Liga title defence. His save percentage of 76 per cent over the past year is impressively high, particularly as he faces a disproportionate number of high-percentage goalscoring opportunities, such is the nature of Madrid’s front-footed attacking play and high defensive line.

Anka: Gianluigi Donnarumma is likely to win this. 

His performances for PSG in the knockout stages of the Champions League — particularly the semi-final against Arsenal — made all the difference for his side. The European Championship final four years ago gave the Italian a taste for breaking English hearts and he now seems to find an upper gear whenever he faces a Premier League side (which might explain why Manchester City have now signed him).

Raghuraman: Alisson and Courtois are two of the best goalkeepers in the world and would be worthy winners. 

Alisson would be my pick after saving 77 per cent of shots faced in the Champions League and Premier League while conceding nearly eight goals fewer than expected. His distribution remains among the best in Europe too, with a 79 per cent pass completion rate.

However, the Brazilian missed 14 matches across the two competitions, largely due to a hamstring injury. This award also often recognises match-defining brilliance in the Champions League, which Donnarumma showcased against Arsenal in the semi-finals and in the last-16 penalty shootout with Liverpool. He was also crucial to how PSG operated in possession, with clever passes over the top of teams, even if his overall distribution can be shaky.

Yann Sommer’s end to the season was brutal but he was crucial to Inter finishing second in both Serie A and the Champions League.

Stafford-Bloor: Sommer. 

Inter would not have got anywhere near the Champions League final without him.

Corrigan: Sommer conceded 11 times in his final three Champions League appearances last season, which would usually disqualify a goalkeeper from any individual award. 

But he actually increased his reputation during the semi-final against Barcelona with a string of spectacular saves in both games — from Yamal and Raphinha especially — to keep his team in what were two tremendously exciting games.

He could not really be blamed for any of PSG’s goals in the final, except maybe the last one on 86 minutes, by which time everyone’s focus had wandered, and the Switzerland international was a big reason why Inter got so far in the competition, conceding just once in the eight-match league phase.

Jones: Sommer deserves an award just for keeping that semi-final between Inter and Barcelona, a tie absolutely nobody wanted to end, going for as long as he did. 

He was vital in Inter reaching the final and would be a worthy winner of this award — but I suspect voters will struggle to get over the headline figure of five goals conceded in a Champions League final, which is understandable. Which leaves Donnarumma as the obvious choice.