Jakarta, ThedailyID — Unai Simón was named the Golden Glove winner after helping Spain lift the FIFA World Cup 2026 trophy with a 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New York on July 19.
The award capped the biggest achievement of the 29-year-old goalkeeper’s career, adding a World Cup title to an already impressive collection of honors.
Simón first gained international success by winning the UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Spain in 2015. Later, he helped the country win the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2021.
At club level, the Athletic Bilbao academy graduate became the team’s first-choice goalkeeper in 2018 after Kepa Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea and Iago Herrerín suffered an injury.
Moreover, Simón earned his first senior call-up for Spain in September 2020 under former head coach Luis Enrique.
He made his international debut against the Netherlands in November 2020. Since then, he has established himself as Spain’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper.
After Luis de la Fuente replaced Enrique, Simón retained his starting role. The coach had previously worked with him during Spain’s successful youth national team campaigns.
In addition, Simón helped Spain win UEFA Euro 2024 before leading the country to World Cup glory two years later.
He also lifted the 2023–24 Copa del Rey with Athletic Bilbao, adding another major domestic trophy to his career.
During the FIFA World Cup 2026, Simón kept seven clean sheets in eight matches, the most by any goalkeeper in a single World Cup edition.
Furthermore, he went 650 minutes without conceding a goal across 12 World Cup appearances and finished the tournament with a 90% save percentage, making 10 saves.
Those performances earned Simón the Golden Glove award as the tournament’s best goalkeeper.
