In contrast to a few of Europe’s different main leagues, LaLiga has a devoted award that’s handed out every season to the most effective goalkeeper, or a minimum of the one who concedes the fewest targets. The Zamora Trophy was first established by the newspaper Marca in 1958, however keepers from each Spanish prime flight season because the very first in 1929, have additionally since been recognised as recipients.
The document for Zamora Trophy wins by a person goalkeeper is 5, with three gamers having reached that mark. The present developments and statistical patterns counsel that document is prone to be surpassed by an lively LaLiga keeper, with Jan Oblak and Thibaut Courtois already boasting eight Zamora Trophies between them.
What’s the Zamora Trophy?
The Zamora Trophy is without doubt one of the predominant particular person LaLiga awards handed out on the finish of every season. It goes to the goalkeeper with the bottom “targets conceded per recreation” ratio.
Gamers should have appeared in a minimal variety of video games to be thought-about, presently set to twenty-eight matches (with 60 minutes or extra in every) for a 38-match season. That threshold has moved all through the a long time, based on the variety of groups in LaLiga.
It takes its title from Ricardo Zamora, extensively considered as the primary nice Spanish goalkeeper. Taking part in for Espanyol, he was the keeper with the most effective ratio within the inaugural 1929 season. He was additionally the primary participant to complete with a “targets conceded per recreation” common of lower than 1.00, managing the feat twice for Actual Madrid within the 1931/32 and 1932/33 campaigns.
On uncommon events, two keepers have ended with the identical common. In such instances, the award is shared with each gamers thought-about winners of the trophy.
Zamora Trophy winners – Which keepers have received the award probably the most?
Antoni Ramallets (Barcelona) – 5 wins
Whereas within the early years of the Primera Division, the Zamora Trophy was not but an official award, Deportivo La Coruña’s Juan Acuña successfully turned the primary participant to surpass Zamora, with 4 wins between 1942 and 1951. His document didn’t final lengthy although, with Barcelona’s Antoni Ramallets the dominant goalkeeper within the Fifties.
The Zamora Trophy had formally been established by the point of his back-to-back victories in 1958/59 and 1959/60. That took the Spain worldwide’s tally to 5 wins, a document that has not been surpassed since.
The Barcelona-born keeper additionally received LaLiga on six events together with his hometown membership, with whom he continued to characterize till his retirement in 1962.
Victor Valdes (Barcelona) – 5 wins
It might take greater than 50 years for one more goalkeeper to match the 5 Zamora Trophy wins of Ramallets. Maybe fittingly, it was a Barcelona participant who equalled the document, with Victor Valdes claiming his fifth and closing Zamora Trophy within the 2011/12 marketing campaign.
Whereas he performed throughout an period principally remembered for Barca’s attacking brilliance, Valdes was the keeper with the most effective document for targets conceded in LaLiga throughout all 4 of Pep Guardiola’s seasons on the helm. That made him the primary man to win the Zamora Trophy in 4 successive years.
He conceded simply 16 targets in 32 matches within the 2010/11 marketing campaign. Beforehand, solely Depor’s Francisco Liaño throughout the 1993/94 season may higher that, with a median of 0.47 targets conceded per recreation.
Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – 5 wins
It wouldn’t take lengthy for the four-year successful streak of Valdes to be matched. The rise of Diego Simeone’s defensively-minded Atletico Madrid aspect within the 2010s, helped guarantee there was an Atleti recipient in six of the seven seasons between 2012/13 and 2018/19.
Thibaut Courtois was in objective for the primary two, whereas Jan Oblak reeled off 4 wins on the spin on the finish of the last decade, a run that was solely damaged by Coutrois, now plying his commerce throughout city for Actual Madrid, within the 2019/20 season.
Oblak’s successful streak additionally noticed him match Liaño’s all-time document of simply 18 targets conceded in 38 matches in a LaLiga marketing campaign. The Slovenian received the Zamora Trophy once more throughout the 2020/21 season and is effectively positioned to assert an outright document sixth title this time period.
Juan Acuña (Deportivo La Coruña) – 4 wins
As well as, two males have received the Zamora Trophy on 4 events. Throughout a higher-scoring interval in Spanish soccer, Juan Acuña was a four-time recipient, regardless of not averaging below 1.20 targets conceded per recreation in any of his successful seasons.
The Depor keeper completed with the most effective common throughout the 1941/42 and 1942/43 campaigns. Seven years would cross earlier than he’d end with the most effective LaLiga goalkeeper stats once more, however Acuña achieved one other double triumph in 1949/50 and 1950/51.
Santiago Cañizares (Celta Vigo, Valencia) – 4 wins
Probably the greatest goalkeepers and most vibrant characters in LaLiga throughout the Nineties and 2000s, Santiago Cañizares was a four-time Zamora Trophy winner.
His first title got here with Celta Vigo throughout the 1993/94 season. That was the final time the trophy was shared, with each Cañizares and Depor’s Liaño averaging 0.83 targets conceded per recreation, with the Galician sides each very robust to interrupt down that yr.
Regardless of transferring to Actual Madrid within the mid Nineties, Cañizares is finest recognized for his time at Valencia. He received the Zamora Trophy thrice in 4 seasons between the 2000/01 and 2003/04, selecting up the award in every of Valencia’s title-winning campaigns below Rafa Benitez throughout the interval.
Most Zamora Trophies – All of the goalkeepers with 3+ wins
| Zamora Trophy wins | Successful seasons | |
| Antoni Ramallets | 5 | 1951/52, 1955/56, 1956/57, 1958/59, 1959/60 |
| Victor Valdes | 5 | 2004/05, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 |
| Jan Oblak | 5 | 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21 |
| Juan Acuña | 4 | 1941/42, 1942/43, 1949/50, 1950/51 |
| Santiago Cañizares | 4 | 1992/93, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2003/04 |
| Ricardo Zamora | 3 | 1929, 1931/32, 1932/33 |
| Gregorio Blasco | 3 | 1929/30, 1933/34, 1935/56 |
| Jose Vicente Practice | 3 | 1960/61, 1962/63, 1963/64 |
| Salvador Sadurni | 3 | 1968/69, 1973/74, 1974/75 |
| Luis Arconada | 3 | 1979/80, 1980/81, 1981/82 |
| Juan Carlos Ablanedo | 3 | 1984/85, 1985/86, 1989/90 |
| Thibaut Courtois | 3 | 2012/13, 2013/14, 2019/20 |
In complete, 12 totally different gamers have received the trophy on three or extra events, with Antoni Ramallets, Jan Oblak and Victor Valdes the joint document holders for probably the most Zamora Trophy wins, with 5 every.
Whereas tactical approaches and the standard of the crew’s defence clearly additionally has a huge impact on the eventual recipient, the record of gamers on three Zamora Trophy wins does embody among the all-time nice goalkeepers in LaLiga historical past.
Ricardo Zamora clearly options in that record and whereas footage from that period is extra restricted, together with his title fairly actually on the trophy, his legacy will most definitely stay on, almost definitely for so long as there may be soccer on this nation.
Luis Arconada is one other three-time Zamora Trophy winner who’s extensively considered one of many nice Spanish goalkeepers. The Actual Sociedad legend was the primary man to win the award in three successive seasons, between 1979/80 and 1981/82, with La Actual additionally successful LaLiga in two of these years.
Extra lately, Thibaut Courtois stands out as one of many modern-day LaLiga goalkeeping greats. Whereas his 2018 transfer to Actual Madrid, ensured his unpopularity at Atletico the place two of his three Zamora Trophies had been received, a gradual stream of main home and European honours have cemented the Belgian’s standing as among the finest goalkeepers of his technology.
At 32, Courtois nonetheless has time so as to add extra Zamora Trophies to his assortment. Other than Courtois and Oblak, Unai Simon and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are the one different lively LaLiga goalkeepers to have received the trophy, with each males recipients on one event.
#Zamora #Trophy #winners #record #LaLigas #goalkeeping #greats