Why isn't Unai Simón among the Ballon d'Or top 30?

Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Yashin Trophy for best keeper despite not being nominated for the main Ballon d'Or award, highlighting the absence of goalkeepers from the top 30.

Unai Simón, Athletic Club's goalkeeper, won the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in recognition of an outstanding World Cup campaign. Playing for Spain's world champion side, he conceded just one goal across eight matches and was instrumental in the team's success.

However, the article highlights a striking paradox: despite being named the world's best goalkeeper, Simón was not included in the 30-player shortlist for the main Ballon d'Or award. The piece questions why goalkeepers are systematically excluded from the main voting, noting that among the 30 nominees there were 13 forwards, seven midfielders and ten defenders, but no goalkeepers.

The article points out that only one goalkeeper has ever won the Ballon d'Or outright—Lev Yashin of Dynamo Moscow in 1963—and that no keeper has appeared in the top 30 since 2014, despite players like Oliver Kahn, Gigi Buffon and Manuel Neuer finishing second or third in previous years. Simón's humble acceptance speech stood out as a rare moment of authenticity in an award ceremony often dominated by ego.