This FIFA Ballon d’Or 2019 performance is different from previous years, with the emergence of a new award category named Yashin Trophy. France Football as the organizer gave special appreciation through the nomination as a special stage for all goalkeepers in the world.
Naming the award was inspired by the figure of the legendary Russian goalkeeper, Lev Yashin. The goalkeeper nicknamed “The black spider” which is the first and only goalkeeper who has been able to win the Ballon d’Or trophy to date. Not surprisingly, his actions and achievements he had made, made himself labeled as a role model figure who was culted throughout the world goalkeeper.
Maybe Yashin never won the World Cup. But he became part of the golden generation of the Soviet Union in winning the 1960 European Cup title. One more fact that confirms that he deserves appreciation as the world’s best role keeper. His ability to withstand penalties made him so respected and because of that he was nicknamed “The black spider” because of his jumping ability in dispelling penalties.
Not only that. Yashin was the one who introduced the style of hitting the ball in the air. Yashin also often uses his feet to block opponents’ shots, which is an awkward goalkeeper in the 1950s. “Yashin broke all the rules available for the goalkeeper,” said Dynamo Moscow coach at the time Mikhail Yakushin in his memoir about Yashin as written by Russia Beyond. With an attractive style that also lives up to its name today.
Over time, football changed the demands of the best goalkeeper more than “just” the famous Lev Yashin. Shifting the paradigm of football as a territorial game into a game that emphasizes ball possession requires the goalkeeper not only acts as a passive player. Increased game intensity makes player bait options limited. The goalkeeper with wide visual-spatial options as well as his position free from guard puts his role as the real eleventh player.
The goalkeeper’s must kick the ball far ahead was slightly modified. The principle of territorial football teaches that playing bait on one’s own defense increases the chance of being broken. On the other hand possession football requires that a team as long as possible control the ball wherever it is to increase chances of scoring.
These factors require an effective solution in the form of increasing demands for expertise for the best goalkeeper in the modern world. Not only defensive ability, offensive attributes such as accuracy of bait and vision of the game must be inherent in a goalkeeper. Maybe for coaches like Jose Mourinho that is not important. For him goalkeepers should be goalkeepers. Passive people in offensive games but the main pillars in the defending phase.
But all the new attributes of the modern goalkeeper are a must for Pep Guardiola. Don’t be surprised if Pep also popularized the role of ball playing goalkeeper. The figure of the goalkeeper who is adept at playing the ball, not just brushed off the ball.
The perspective of the functional aspects of the goalkeeper and the optimization of his role are still subjective. On the other hand, the fact that the 3 best goalkeepers Yashin Trophy 2019 confirms that the modern goalkeeper is really the eleventh player.
The first Yashin Trophy winner this year, Alisson, has an accuracy rate of 87.6%, a good number for a goalkeeper. The average bait per game is 23.5 where 2.9 of them are gastric lures. Second place, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, has an 86.5% pass accuracy this season. The average pass in one match is 27.2, 5.8 of which are gastric lures. Don’t ask the same thing in the third rank of Yashin Trophy 2019. Ederson Moraes. The main goalkeeper Pep Guardiola’s team, Manchester City. Successful bait accuracy reaches 87.7%. The average bait per game is 24.3, where 5.1 of them are gastric lures. Ederson is known as the best modern ball playing goalkeeper with the accuracy and vision of the bait that is able to break the tight pressing of the opponent in order to smooth the Pep-style ball mastery strategy.
ASL
