Ter Stegen in the shake up for the Zamora trophy
The Zamora trophy remains a real goal for FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen after keeping a clean sheet on Monday in the win over Real Sociedad at the Estadi Olímpic. The equation is simple to retain the award he won last season: the German international has to keep three more clean sheets in the three remaining fixtures for Barça and hope that Athletic Club keeper Unai Simón concedes two goals in three matches.
Goals from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha against the txuri-urdin not only helped the blaugranes to victory but also helped Ter Stegen in his Zamora crusade. La Real keeper Remiro is another candidate for the trophy but conceding twice on Monday saw his average rise to 1.03 per game (34 goals in 33 games).
Neck and neck with Unai Simón
The clean sheet for the goalkeeper from Mönchengladbach came on the day he made his 410th appearance for the club, with only Víctor Valdés having made more. This season he has conceded 26 goals in 25 appearances, an average of 1.04 per game. To be eligible for the Zamora, a goalkeeper must make a minimum of 28 appearances so the German has to play in the last three games of the league campaign. If he can keep clean sheets then he will end with an average of 0.93 goals conceded per game.
The current leader in the race for the award is Athletic Club keeper Unai Simón with an average of 0.97 after conceding 33 goals in 34 appearances. If the Spanish international can keep clean sheets in two more games, or concede one in the last three, then the trophy would be his with an average of 0.92 per game. The Basque shot stopper, however, knows that if he does not play again this season then Ter Stegen could pip him to the award with a possible 0.93 per game.
Valencia's Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is also up there in the mix on 1.06 per game after conceding 35 goals in 22 appearances - three games without conceding would being his average down to a possible 0.97 per game. So, plenty to decided in what remains of the 2023/24 race for the Zamora with Marc ter Stegen very much back in contention for a second consecutive victory.
