'Mr Safe Hands': The shot-stoppers redefining the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Ghana's Benjamin Asare. (Photo: Black Stars/X)

By Erick Kariuki
Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Asare has helped Ghana move to the brink of the knockouts. Vozinha turned Cabo Verde from debutants into believers. Mpasi gave DR Congo a chance in a game they spent most of the night defending. Room made history, leading Curaçao to their first-ever World Cup point.

For a tournament built on stars, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast becoming a World Cup for goalkeepers.

From Ghana’s Benjamin Asare to Cabo Verde veteran Vozinha, from DR Congo’s Lionel Mpasi to Curaçao’s record-breaking Eloy Room, some of the most memorable performances of the tournament so far have come from the men in gloves.

Take Asare. The Hearts of Oak shot-stopper who became the first Ghana Premier League goalkeeper to start a game for the Black Stars at a World Cup against England.

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Before Ghana’s draw with England, however, one African goalkeeper had already announced himself to the world in spectacular fashion.

Cabo Verde captain Vozinha in action. (Photo: FIFA World Cup/X)

That was Vozinha, the 40-year-old Cabo Verde captain who turned his World Cup debut into a personal highlights reel against Spain.

In a famous 0-0 draw, Vozinha produced seven saves, six of them from inside the box, and earned a 9.7 Sofascore rating as Cabo Verde stunned one of the pre-tournament favourites.

It was the kind of performance that can change a career and a country’s tournament in one night.

Lionel Mpasi in action against Colombia. (Photo: FIFA World Cup)

Then came Lionel Mpasi of DR Congo, who almost kept Colombia out on his own.

In the Leopards’ narrow 1-0 defeat, Mpasi repeatedly denied James Rodríguez, Luis Díaz and company before finally being beaten by Daniel Muñoz in the 76th minute.

From the match notes, Mpasi finished with eight saves, a performance that kept DR Congo alive far longer than the balance of play suggested they should have been.

And if there is one man who owns the title of Mr Safe Hands so far, it may be Eloy Room.

Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room. (Photo: Eloy Room/X)

The Curaçao goalkeeper produced one of the great World Cup goalkeeping displays in his side’s 0-0 draw with Ecuador, making 15 saves, a record for a 90-minute World Cup match according to Reuters. It was the kind of performance that does more than earn a point; it enters tournament folklore.

What links these performances is not just volume, but impact.

Asare has helped Ghana move to the brink of the knockouts. Vozinha turned Cabo Verde from debutants into believers. Mpasi gave DR Congo a chance in a game they spent most of the night defending. Room made history, leading Curaçao to their first-ever World Cup point.

At this World Cup, the forwards still get the headlines and the playmakers still get the applause. But more and more, the story of the tournament is being written by the goalkeepers who keep saying no.