In a London evening delayed by the city’s traffic, Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simón stepped onto the Ballon d’Or stage with the game’s leading individual prize for a goalkeeper in his hands, completing an extraordinary international year for Spain and the Bilbao side.
The gala began 45 minutes later than scheduled because of congestion in the English capital, but Simón’s recognition was emphatic. The Murgia-born goalkeeper was named the world’s best in his position after a campaign defined by Spain’s World Cup triumph across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Simón had finished second in the 2024 vote, behind Argentina’s Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez. This time he overcame a field that included Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Arsenal’s David Raya, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and Martínez, now at Chelsea.
A World Cup record behind the award
Spain’s run to the World Cup lifted Simón’s case far beyond club football. He won the tournament’s Golden Glove after conceding only once, with Belgium scoring in the quarter-finals.
That solitary goal came after a remarkable sequence of clean sheets. Simón went 650 minutes without conceding at the tournament, passing the long-standing World Cup record set by Italy’s Walter Zenga, whose unbeaten stretch reached 517 minutes at Italia ’90.
The new mark sets a daunting standard, and the Ballon d’Or honour gives Athletic a major individual success alongside Simón’s achievements with the national team. For a goalkeeper raised in Álava and established in Bilbao, the London award is the latest landmark in a year that has carried Spain to world champions.
