Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (Colo-Colo) finished 6th in the 2026 Yachine Trophy, ahead of Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal, 8th) and Édouard Mendy (Al Ahli, 9th). Unai Simón (Athletic Club) won the trophy, presented on Monday 26 October at the London Palladium.
The 2026 Yachine Trophy ranking, unveiled on Monday 26 October at the ceremony at the London Palladium, places Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha in 6th. At 40, the Colo-Colo keeper becomes the first African in the ranking, ahead of Morocco’s Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal), 8th, and Senegal’s Édouard Mendy (Al Ahli), 9th. The trophy was presented to Spain’s Unai Simón, of Athletic Club, according to Afrique-sur7.
The ranking crowns a standout year for Vozinha, whose performances during the tournament drew attention. Named man of the match after Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain on 15 June, he then held Argentina to extra time in the round of 16 on 4 July. The voters, journalists from the top 100 FIFA nations, voted on the period from 3 August 2025 to 19 July 2026.
Simón on top, Vozinha first African
Spain’s Unai Simón (Athletic Club) wins the 2026 Yachine Trophy, reports Afrique-sur7. Behind him, Vozinha establishes himself as the first African representative in the ranking, ahead of Bounou and Mendy.
The voters placed the Cape Verdean in 6th. Bounou is 8th, and Mendy 9th.
Bounou and Mendy, contrasting fortunes
The 2026 ranking shows different trajectories for the other two African goalkeepers. Yassine Bounou had finished 3rd in the Yachine Trophy in 2023. This year, the Al Hilal man from Morocco drops five places from that peak.
Édouard Mendy, for his part, had reached 2nd place in 2021. But the Senegalese at Al Ahli was then absent from the top 10 in 2023, 2024 and 2025, before reappearing in 9th position this year.
Since the trophy was created in 2019, no African goalkeeper has won it. Vozinha’s 6th place is the best position by an African in 2026.
A sharply rising profile
Beyond the ranking, Vozinha saw his profile soar during the tournament. His Instagram account went from around 50,000 to nearly 30 million followers, according to Afrique-sur7.
At the end of July, Colo-Colo signed him until December 2027.
The next milestone for African goalkeepers will be the African Ballon d’Or and the CAF Awards 2026.