Qatar 2022 World Cup has offered the world, unarguably, the most intriguing edition of the FIFA World Cup tournament in history.
Against this background, it’s noteworthy to beam the spotlight on the most impressive goalkeepers who have brought leadership, energy and quality to their respective teams.
The Qatar 2022 semi-finals goalkeepers have demonstrated skill and guile so far with their stunning saves.
And as the four nations: Argentina, Croatia, France, and Morocco get set to battle it for a place in the final: here are stats, facts, and quotes about their ‘four fantastic’ stoppers.
Emiliano Martinez – Argentina
Age: 30
Caps: 24
Qatar 2022 clean sheets: 2
Qatar 2022 goals conceded: 5
Emiliano Martinez exudes a range of high-level technical attributes. His infectious charisma and visceral passion for La Albiceleste, have seen him emerge as a cult hero in his homeland.
This status was perfected during Argentina’s Copa America 2021 triumph. Martinez saved three penalties in their semi-final shootout victory – his incessant chatter seemingly unsettling Colombia’s spot-kick takers – before delivering a flawless display in a famous 1-0 final win over Brazil at the Maracana.
Martinez has stepped up to the mark again in Qatar. He brilliantly delivered a series of accomplished performances and provided stirring leadership as the last line of defence. He enhanced his reputation as a penalty specialist with fine saves from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in Argentina’s quarter-final shootout win over the Netherlands.
Stat
Martinez has only been on the losing side once in his 24 Argentina appearances – the 2-1 Qatar 2022 group-stage defeat to Saudi Arabia.
What you may not know:
Martinez is nicknamed ‘Dibu’ due to his supposed likeness to an animated character in an Argentine cartoon called Mi Familia es un Dibujo (My Family is Drawing).
Messi on Martinez:
Describing Martinez, Lionel Messi said, “Emi is a phenomenon. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”
Dominik Livakovic – Croatia
Age: 27
Caps: 39
Qatar 2022 clean sheets: 2
Qatar 2022 goals conceded: 3
Since 2018, Dominik Livakovic had been an enthusiastic supporter from the substitutes’ bench when Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic was the nation’s penalty-shootout hero in World Cup wins over Denmark and Russia.
Livakovic has taken up the mantle – and then some – at Qatar 2022. The Dinamo Zagreb player has starred in their knockout-stage victories on penalties over Japan and Brazil. Across the two shootouts, only three spot-kick attempts out of eight against Livakovic were scored.
Even aside from the penalty drama, Livakovic has arguably been Croatia’s standout performer at the tournament so far, having put together a highlight reel of outstanding saves.
Livakovic’s athletic interventions helped keep Brazil’s attacking superstars at bay throughout their gripping quarter-final. Indeed, his 11 saves were the most any goalkeeper has made in a World Cup contest since 2014.
Stat
Livakovic’s performance against Brazil saw him become just the 15th player in the history of the prestigious French sports newspaper L’Equipe to be awarded a 10/10 rating.
What you may not know:
Livakovic was the only player in Croatia’s quarter-final starting XI who plays his club football in his homeland.
Zlatko Dalic on Livakovic:
Dalic said, “Dominik is a fantastic goalkeeper and he is in top shape. He was the difference against Brazil. He was there to save us.”
Hugo Lloris – France
Age: 35
Caps: 143
Qatar 2022 clean sheets: 0
Qatar 2022 goals conceded: 5
The vastly experienced Hugo Lloris brings calm, authority and quality to a France squad boasting world-class talent in abundance. He has already made history at Qatar 2022, having overtaken 1998 World Cup winner Lilian Thuram as his country’s record appearance-holder.
The Tottenham Hotspur keeper achieved the milestone in France’s tense 2-1 quarter-final victory over England, during which his enduring quality was on show when producing eye-catching saves from club-mate Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham either side of half-time.
Lloris is aiming to become the first player ever to captain his team to consecutive World Cup triumphs.
Stat
Lloris has recorded 62 clean sheets in his 143 senior France appearances.
What you may not know:
Lloris’s younger brother, Gautier, plays professionally for Ligue 2 side Le Havre. Now 27, he was capped by France at the U-17 level.
Antoine Griezmann on Hugo Loris:
Describing Loris, Griezmann said, “Hugo is the heart and soul of our team. It is an amazing achievement [to break France’s caps record]. He’ll go down in history and I’m very proud of him.”
Yassine Bounou – Morocco
Age: 31
Caps: 50
Qatar 2022 clean sheets: 3
Qatar 2022 goals conceded: 1
A sensational shot-stopper, Yassine Bounou is one of this history-making Morocco team’s stellar names.
The Sevilla keeper has been nigh-on unbeatable at Qatar 2022, with Nayef Aguerd’s own-goal in the Atlas Lions’ 2-1 group-stage win over Canada the only time he has conceded.
Bounou’s penalty saves in their last-16 shootout success over Spain will live long in the memory, but his most spectacular stop came in their 1-0 victory against Portugal. Joao Felix’s venomous swerving drive looked destined to draw Fernando Santos’s team level later on, but the brilliant Bounou miraculously tipped the effort over the crossbar.
Stat
In March 2021, Bounou scored his first professional goal. The 6ft 4ins keeper clinically smashed in a 94th-minute equaliser for Sevilla in a La Liga clash at Real Valladolid.
What you may not know:
Bounou was born in Montreal, Canada to Moroccan parents. He moved to Casablanca aged three.
Jay-Jay Okocha on Bounou:
Describing Bounou, Okocha said, “From the body language of Bounou, you can see he trusts himself, he’s very confident. He believes in his ability.”
In the most dramatic fashion, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 semi-finalists dug deep into their reserves of resilience, courage, and self-belief to put themselves within two matches of record sporting memory
