The Golden Shoe Gala will be held in a few weeks. In addition to the main trophy, various additional prizes will be awarded, including ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’. There are some surprising outsiders around for that price.
Just like the Golden Boot itself, the ‘Goalkeeper of the Year’ award is also awarded based on performance over one calendar year instead of one season. As a result, the top candidates who made a transfer in the summer have little chance of winning the final. And there are quite a few this year, not least Senne Lammens, Mike Penders and Anthony Moris.
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Cooseman’s favorite
And it will not be easy for the goalkeepers who only made waves in the current season to attract the vote. So guys like Kjell Scherpen, Marcos Peano and Nacho Miras. The same applies to goalkeepers who only played a limited number of matches due to specific circumstances. Genre Simon Mignolet, Nordin Jackers and Hendrik Van Crombrugge.
So it is mainly a matter of looking forward to the goalkeepers who performed at a high level in the Jupiler Pro League throughout 2025. This applies Colin Coosemans as the big favorite. The final piece has had a strong year as number one at RSC Anderlecht, where he has now become captain. He will undoubtedly get the necessary points on both sides of the language border.
Three big outsiders
But Coosemans has already made a few mistakes this season, last Friday against Charleroi. And so the outsiders must also be looked at. Davy Roef for example. Although he lost with AA Gent in the Champions’ Play-Offs, the final match often saved his team from much worse. Matthew Epolo is proving to be increasingly consistent at Standard. He will undoubtedly score well, especially among Walloon voters.
In addition, Tobe Leysen not be overlooked. The goalkeeper is one of the big bright spots at OH Leuven and was the absolute standout against La Louvière on Saturday. The fact that he plays for a ‘smaller club’ is not an advantage in the vote. It remains to be seen whether Leysen can score enough points to become Mignolet’s successor. Finally, Andreas Jungdal (Westerlo) and Leo Kokubo (STVV) also receive an honorable mention.
