Barcelona ace Joan Garcia in prime position to claim the Zamora Trophy after injuries to rival goalkeepers – Report | OneFootball

Joan Garcia’s first season at FC Barcelona is starting to carry the shape of something even bigger than expected. Beyond the Spain call-up and the growing trust around him, there is now a very real chance that he could finish the campaign with the Zamora trophy in his hands.

According to SPORT, the recent injury problems affecting some of his main rivals have improved Joan’s position in the race for the award. The trophy goes to the goalkeeper with the best goals-conceded average, but only those who play at least 28 league matches of 60 minutes or more can officially qualify.

That qualification rule is important here. Joan has played 22 La Liga matches so far, so he still needs six more to become officially eligible, but his current numbers are excellent. He has 11 clean sheets in 22 league games, with around 0.68 goals conceded per 90 and 1,980 league minutes played.

Joan is right at the top of the race on average. He is, as is, leading the race ahead of Oblak and Courtois and with the injuries to the other two, it only further strengthens his case. If competitors miss matches or lose rhythm, Joan’s path becomes cleaner, provided he keeps playing and maintains his level.

Winning the Zamora in his debut season would be a huge statement, especially for a goalkeeper who arrived with pressure and had to replace a lot of certainty almost immediately. It took some courage for the 24-year-old to cross the Catalan divide and wear the Barcelona jersey.

Joan has single-handedly saved Barcelona in more than one game this season. Despite having a shaky and rotating backline in front of him, the Spaniard has been a beacon of consistency and constantly makes the impossible look routine.

The only caution is the eligibility threshold. Joan still has work to do before the race becomes fully official for him. But if he stays fit and keeps this level, Barcelona fans have every reason to believe he can finish the job.