Ukrainian football stars Dovbyk and Lunin nominated for prestigious awards: Golden Ball and Lev Yashin Prize
Photo: France Football
Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk has been nominated for the "Golden Ball–2024", making him the first Ukrainian player since Andrii Shevchenko to be included in the list of contenders. Additionally, Ukrainian Andriy Lunin, a goalkeeper for the Real Madrid club, has been nominated for the title of the best goalkeeper in 2024.
France Football, which presents the award, reports this.
As stated, the award named after Lev Yashin, the Soviet goalkeeper who won the Ballon d'Or, is given to the top goalkeeper of the year.
Together with Andriy Lunin, who will present Real Madrid FC and the national team of Ukraine, the following will compete for the award:
- Diogo Costa (Porto),
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG),
- Gregor Kobel (Borussia D),
- Mike Magnan (Milan)
- Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia),
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)
- Unai Simon (Athletic),
- Yann Sommer (Inter)
- Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns).
Photo: Reuters
During the 2023/24 season, Andriy Lunin emerged as a key player for Real Madrid. With Thibaut Courtois injured, the Ukrainian seized the chance to shine and became the team's starting goalkeeper. Lunin's strong performances contributed to "Real" winning the Champions League and claiming the title of Spanish champions. The Ukrainian appeared in 31 matches and kept a clean sheet 12 times across all competitions.
At the same time, Andriy Lunin lost his place in the starting line-up after Thibaut Courtois's return. Carlo Ancelotti's coaching staff trusts the Belgian star. The Ukrainian did not appear on the field in the new season of La Liga.
In turn, Ukrainian forward Artem Dovbyk is also competing for the 2024 Ballon d'Or.
Photo: Reuters
Last season, the football player played for the Spanish team Girona. He quickly adapted to the top league and became the top scorer in La Liga with 24 goals.
In the summer of 2024, the Ukrainian player left the Spanish team and joined Italian Roma. Dovbyk has played in 3 matches for the Romans but has yet to make a significant impact.
Aside from having a successful season with his club, the Ukrainian cannot really claim any success on the international stage. Artem Dovbyk didn't score a single goal at Euro 2024, and the Ukrainian national team finished 4th in their group and failed to advance to the playoffs.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for October 28 in Paris. On that same evening, the recipient of the Golden Ball, the top team of the year, the best coach of the year, and the best goalkeeper, among others, will be revealed.
Artem Dovbyk is the first Ukrainian to compete for the Golden Ball since Andriy Shevchenko.
Photo: France Football
It's worth mentioning that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are not included in the list of nominees for the Golden Ball. This marks the first time since 2003 that one of them has not been competing for the title of best football player of the year.
