THE FIFA BEST GOALKEEPER AWARD was taken home by Thibaut Courtious as the Belgian international swept aside the competition at the ceremony in London on Monday night.

The 26-year-old was delighted to see his performances in the Premier League for Chelsea and at this year’s World Cup for Belgium have been recognised.

He said, “I am really proud, I had a good year with Chelsea and in the World Cup I was in my best form so I really enjoyed it. A lot of people vote for in including experts who appreciate your quality and talent.”

Courtois kept 15 clean sheets for Chelsea during the 2017/18 season and his fantastic performances for Belgium in the World Cup in Russia saw him awarded with the Golden Glove.

The Belgian international beat some tough competition to win the FIFA award with Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris and Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel in contention.

Lloris captained France to the World Cup, while keeping four cleans sheets in four games on the way to the final – the Spurs keeper also managed to keep 15 clean sheets last season.

Schmeichel also produced some outstanding performances for Denmark at the World Cup saving 91 percent of shots he faced and he also saved three penalties in the Round 16 match against Croatia.

The shot-stopper also set a new record for being unbeaten for Denmark, as he went 572 minutes without conceding.