Goalkeeper of the Moroccan squad and the Saudi Club Al-Hilal, Yassine Bounou, has been shortlisted for the annual Ballon d’Or and Yachine trophies, organized by the monthly magazine France Football to reward respectively the best player and the best goalkeeper of the 2022-2023 season.

Bounou appears in the list of nominees for these two trophies, published Wednesday on the France Football website, following a special season marked by a historic fourth place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with the Moroccan squad and a Europa League title with his former Spanish club Sevilla FC, with a record of 47 games, 14 clean sheets and only 66 goals conceded.

Commenting on Bounou’s season, France Football highlighted that “his intuitions and his know-how during the penalty shootouts against Spain with Morocco in the round of 16 of the World Cup (0-0, 3- 0) and against AS Roma with Sevilla FC in the final of the Europa League (1-1, 4-1) have impressed.”

These two trophies are awarded by an international jury of specialized journalists, one representative per country (the first 100 in the latest FIFA ranking), based on three main criteria: individual and collective performances, the player’s class (including fair play) and their sporting career.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com