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Aston Villa centre-back Diego Carlos has backed Brazil's Alisson Becker to pip Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Glove.
A number of Villa players were asked who would take home the Golden Glove in Qatar. Carlos, who twice made Brazil's bench in November 2020 during their 2022 World Cup qualifiers, replied (h/t official club Twitter account):
"The Golden Glove, I like my country, Alisson [Becker]."
Perhaps Carlos didn't get the memo. Jan Bednarek, Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Sanson, Matt Cash, Leon Bailey, Cameron Archer, and Ezri Konsa all picked Martinez when asked the same question.
Club comradery prevailed over national allegiance for six of the aforementioned players. Konsa, Ramsey, and Archer picked Martinez over their countryman, Jordan Pickford, while Frenchman Sanson picked the former Arsenal goalkeeper over Hugo Lloris.
Bednarek and Cash, meanwhile, are traveling to the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Poland, yet they picked the Argentina goalkeeper over Wojciech Szczesny. Robin Olsen was indecisive with his answer and said it would be between Alisson and the Aston Villa shot-stopper.
Alisson is expected to start in goal for manager Tite's team over Ederson Moraes of Manchester City. The former AS Roma goalkeeper has been in wonderful form for the Reds this season despite the club's slow start in the Premier League.
He has kept seven clean sheets in 20 games across competitions while Liverpool sit sixth in the table with 22 points from 14 league games. Real Madrid and Belgium star Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove award in the 2018 edition for Belgium.
No Brazilian goalkeeper has ever won the award in the history of the FIFA World Cup. Sergio Goycochea, meanwhile, is the only Argentine to have won it, doing so when he shared the award with Costa Rica's Luis Gabelo Conejo in the 1990 edition.
Martinez, meanwhile, fancies his country's chances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to the presence of Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi expects Brazil to be among Argentina's main competitors for 2022 FIFA World Cup
Messi believes that Brazil, France, and England will be three of the favorites to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup alongside Argentina.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) playmaker told the [South American Federation CONMEBOL [h/t Eurosport]:
"If I have to put some above others I think Brazil, France and England are a little bit above the rest. But the World Cup is so difficult and so complicated that anything can happen."
Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986 during Diego Maradona's heyday. Brazil, meanwhile, have won the competition a record five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002).
