Emiliano Martinez chases a third straight Yashin Trophy

Ten goalkeepers, one award and an Argentine who has gotten used to lifting it. Emiliano Martinez has been nominated for the Yashin Trophy, the award the Ballon d'Or organization hands out to the best goalkeeper of the season, and he's chasing something no one has ever pulled off: winning it three times in a row.

The Dibu took home the prize in 2023 and 2024, and now he's back in the running alongside a serious group: Yassine Bounou, Thibaut Courtois, Gregor Kobel, Edouard Mendy, Matvey Safonov, Vozinha and a trio that's no coincidence, the three goalkeepers who shared the net for Spain's title run at the 2026 World Cup: Unai Simon, Joan Garcia and David Raya.

One absence stands out. Gianluigi Donnarumma, who won the Yashin in 2025 after being a key piece of PSG's treble, was left off the list this time. His move to Manchester City didn't fully convince, as he mixed strong performances with shakier ones, enough to cost him his spot among the ten.

Martinez, on the other hand, arrives with a solid case. The season under review was his last wearing the Aston Villa shirt, and he closed it out in the best way possible: with the only team trophy of that stretch at Villa Park, the Europa League, and adding another World Cup final with the Argentina national team, his second in a row.

New home, same praise

After that chapter closed, a change of scenery followed. The goalkeeper who came up through Independiente's youth ranks was transferred to Chelsea for 7.5 million pounds (around 10 million dollars), a fee that looks small next to what he brings in experience and leadership to a squad that needed exactly that: a commanding presence between the posts.

He wasted no time earning the locker room's trust. His new manager, Xabi Alonso, didn't hold back with the praise as soon as he had him at his disposal.

Day to day we'll feel his presence because he has this charisma, this aura to influence and build a very positive connection with the rest of the team.Xabi Alonso

That line sums up pretty well what Martinez represents beyond the saves: a goalkeeper who commands respect, who shouts, who organizes. And now, wearing Chelsea's colors, he'll go after something no goalkeeper has managed since the Yashin Trophy began: a three-peat. The Ballon d'Or ceremony will tell whether the Dibu adds a third star to his personal collection or whether one of the other nine candidates ends his run.