Spain arrived at this World Cup with three of the finest goalkeepers in the world. Arsenal’s David Raya and Barcelona’s Joan García had both been outstanding for their clubs throughout the season, inspiring considerable confidence. Yet when it came to making his final decision, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente placed his trust firmly in Athletic Club’s Unai Simón. And what a return Simón has given for that faith.
Spain won the World Cup for the second time by defeating Argentina, and goalkeeper Unai Simón was rewarded with the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament after marshalling La Roja’s goal with near-flawless authority. His performances throughout the competition were as close to perfect as a goalkeeper can hope to produce.
The statistics tell the story clearly. Simón featured in all eight of Spain’s matches and conceded just one goal across the entire tournament. Beyond keeping Spain’s net intact throughout the group stage, he also produced a series of outstanding saves against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the knockout rounds. The only goal Spain conceded came in the quarter-final against Belgium — and even then, it could hardly be attributed to any error on Simón’s part, arising instead from a set of unfortunate circumstances.
Across his eight matches, Simón’s SofaScore rating dropped below seven on only two occasions — once against Austria, a match in which he was barely tested, and once against Belgium, when he conceded that solitary goal. In every other match, his performances were simply exceptional.
The reason Unai Simón is considered one of the finest exponents of the modern goalkeeper role is written into his style of play. He is what the modern game calls a true sweeper-keeper — a goalkeeper who does not merely guard his goal line but actively comes off it to help organise his team’s defence and contribute to the build-up of attacks.
Simón possesses all the attributes demanded of the modern goalkeeper — he is dynamic, technically assured on the ball, quick to read opposition tactics, and, perhaps most importantly, consistently finds himself in the right position at precisely the right moment. Even when pressed aggressively by opposing forwards, he remains composed, making smart decisions about when to clear and when to pass. In the final against Argentina, however, Simón was rarely troubled. With Lionel Messi kept effectively quiet throughout the match, Spain’s goalkeeper enjoyed a relatively quiet evening in front of goal.
