FCBARCELONA.CAT

18.05.2009 11:57

Valdés to recover Zamora

Roger Bogunyà

If Víctor Valdés plays no further part in this season’s League programme, he will win the Zamora Trophy for the second time. The Barça keeper sat out Sunday’s game in Mallorca.

With the league title in the bag, and the final in Rome still to come, Josep Guardiola said after the game at the ONO Estadi that many of his top players will not be playing any more league matches. That seems to include Víctor Valdés, who didn’t play in Mallorca, but was ever-present in the 35 previous outings.

Average of 0.89

Valdés conceded 31 goals in his 35 games, equating to an average of 0.89 goals a game. Second placed Andrés Palop (Sevilla) is on 1.03. Even if Palop kept clean sheets in his two remaining matches, his average would become 0.97, so he would not be able to catch up with Valdés.

Second time

Winning the Zamora is nothing new for Valdés. In the 2004/05 season, the year Barça won the first of two league championships under Frank Rijkaard, the keeper also had the best record in the competition, which was even better than what he has managed this season (0.71 goals conceded).

Pinto, another of Barcelona’s keepers, has also won the trophy. The Andalusian did it in the 2005/06 season playing for Celta, when he let in an average of 0.78 goals.

Beating historic keepers

Not many goalkeepers have had the honour of winning this award more than once. Some all-time greats like Zubizarreta (1986/87), Urruticoechea (1983/84), Artola (1977/78), Reina (1972/73) and Pesudo (1965/66) only collected the Zamora once. Ramallets has the finest record, for he had the best goalkeeping record in the top flight no fewer than five times, although he only won the Zamora twice, as it was only officially created in 1958/59, while Sadurní won it three times.