One of the dilemmas for Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid this season has been the goalkeeping position.
The early injury of Thibaut Courtois forced the club to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga. The former Athletic Club starlet was the club’s number one for a large part of the campaign, until recently, with Andriy Lunin assuming the position.
Lunin has started five of the last six league matches for Real Madrid, keeping two clean sheets in the process.
Lunin: not eligible for Zamora trophy
Although Lunin was benched in the recent game against Alaves, it is safe to assume that the Real Madrid goalkeeper remains open and will be contested between the Ukrainian and Kepa.
However, a report from Diario AS has revealed that even if Lunin ends the season as Real Madrid’s number-one goalkeeper this season, he won’t be eligible for the Zamora trophy come May.
The prestigious Zamora trophy is even to the goalkeeper with the lowest ‘goals to game’ ratio in La Liga. However, in order to contest this trophy, a goalkeeper must play 28 games, with at least 60 minutes played in each game.
Lunin has featured in seven games this season so far, and if he plays in all of Real Madrid’s remaining league matches, he can only reach 27.
That means the Ukrainian international will not be able to contest for the trophy despite recording an impressive average of just 0.57 goals conceded per game this season.
To put things into perspective, Kepa has a goals-per-game ratio of 0.64. But since the Spaniard has already played 11 matches, he can potentially contest for the title if he plays just 15 more matches for Real Madrid this season.
But given how Ancelotti has left the position open this season, it is unlikely that either of these goalkeepers will be able to finish the season with 28 matches, leaving Las Palmas’ Alvaro Valles as the clear frontrunner to win the prestigious trophy.
