In London, Athletic Club’s colours have travelled with one of their own. Unai Simón, the goalkeeper from Murgia who came through the academy at Lezama, attended the Ballon d’Or gala with club president Jon Uriarte and football director Mikel González as he emerged as the leading contender for the Yashin Trophy.
The news from the club
Simón is in contention for the award recognising the world’s best goalkeeper, a landmark moment for both the player and the Bilbao club whose academy has shaped his career.
Uriarte described the nomination as an exceptional achievement, stressing the long route Simón has taken from his early days in Athletic’s youth system to the international stage.
“It is tremendously good news and very difficult to achieve,” the president said. “Unai entered our academy at a very young age and has progressed as both a footballer and a person. To have reached this point, with the possibility of winning the prize for the best goalkeeper in the world, is extraordinary.”
He added that the recognition belonged first to Simón, whom he said had earned every step of his rise, but also reflected well on the coaches who have worked with him. Uriarte also highlighted the delight of José Ángel Iribar, Athletic’s legendary former goalkeeper known as Txopo, and the wider support among the club’s followers.
For Uriarte, Simón’s place among football’s elite carries a broader message in a game often dominated by clubs with global recruitment networks. Athletic can pursue the highest standards while remaining faithful to its identity, he said, defending its red-and-white colours.
González likewise placed the goalkeeper’s candidacy in the context of his years at Lezama. He said Athletic offers a route towards both team honours and individual distinction, and argued that Simón was fully deserving of the trophy.
“He deserves it more than anyone,” González said. “The squad has that level, and this is also a collective recognition because it comes through his team-mates. He has done everything required. Hopefully he wins it.”
For Athletic, the London evening is therefore more than an individual nomination: it is a visible reward for a goalkeeper’s development in Bilbao and for a club still determined to make its own path matter on the European stage.
