Cape Verde hero Vozinha beaten to World Cup 2026 Best Goalkeeper in Sports Mole Readers' Awards

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon has been named as the best goalkeeper at the 2026 World Cup in the Sports Mole Readers' Awards.

The 29-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the starting XI of La Roja to those of a Premier League persuasion, given the excellent form of Arsenal hero David Raya during the 2025-26 season.

However, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente trusts Simon immensely and he continues to repay the faith of the boss, keeping seven clean sheets in eight World Cup appearances as his nation lifted football's biggest prize.

In fact, the Athletic Bilbao stalwart conceded just once across the entire month-long tournament in North America, picking up FIFA's Golden Glove award for his performances over the summer.

Unsurprisingly, Simon was also a popular choice for the best goalkeeper of the World Cup in our vote, collecting 42% of nominations, meaning that Cape Verde star Vozinha (34%) had to settle for second spot.

Making the final in consecutive editions of the competition, Argentina's Emiliano Martinez captured 14% of the SM vote, but was ultimately hindered by his side's failure to beat Simon's Spain in the showpiece match.