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imago-sport-1085112860.jpgPRESSE SPORTS
Loai Mohamed
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A paradox that sparks debate: did the Ballon d'Or wrong David Raya after his brilliance with Arsenal?

Originals
Analysis
D. Raya
U. Simon
Czechia vs Spain
Czechia
Spain
UEFA Nations League A
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Liverpool
Arsenal
Premier League
Athletic Bilbao vs Real Sociedad
Athletic Bilbao
Real Sociedad
LaLiga
Spain
Czechia
England

73 goals did not stop him from winning: how Simon turned the Ballon d'Or calculations upside down

The numbers may seem enough to settle the debate over the world's best goalkeeper, but the Ballon d'Or race has proven that the picture cannot always be reduced to goals conceded or clean sheets.

David Raya enjoyed an exceptional season with Arsenal. Unai Simon pulled off something historic with Spain. From that contrast a paradox emerges, and with it a question: did the vote do justice to the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper, or did Raya deserve the award for what he produced in London?

At the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday evening, Simon settled the competition for the best goalkeeper award, surpassing Raya and eight other nominees: Morocco's Yassine Bounou, Belgium's Thibaut Courtois, Spain's Joan Garcia, Switzerland's Gregor Kobel, Argentina's Emiliano Martinez, Senegal's Edouard Mendy, Russia's Matvey Safonov and Cape Verde's Vozinha.

Compare the two goalkeepers' numbers across the season, though, and the question marks pile up. Raya was one of Arsenal's standout performers on their march towards the Premier League title, while Simon conceded a greater number of goals with his side.

  • Raya: exceptional numbers in the title-winning season

    David Raya stood tall as Arsenal ended a 22-year wait for the Premier League title, turning in a remarkable season of saves and clean sheets.

    The 31-year-old Spain goalkeeper played 37 league matches. He kept 19 clean sheets, the most of any goalkeeper in the division, and conceded just 26 goals, fewer than one per game.

    His influence stretched beyond the domestic game. Raya also played a key part in Arsenal's run to the Champions League final, where they lost on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain.

    Across 14 matches in Europe, he kept nine clean sheets and conceded only five goals, a rate of 0.35 per game.

    Raya featured in neither the FA Cup nor the League Cup, yet still finished the season with 51 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions. He kept 28 clean sheets and conceded 31 goals, at a rate of 0.60 per game.

  • Simeone: less convincing numbers with Bilbao

    Unai Simon's numbers at Athletic Bilbao, meanwhile, don't stand up to Raya's at Arsenal, at least when it comes to goals conceded and clean sheets.

    The 29-year-old played 37 La Liga matches last season. He kept just six clean sheets and conceded 54 goals, an average of 1.4 per game.

    In the Champions League, Simon featured in eight matches. He shut out the opposition only twice and shipped 14 goals, an average pushing two per game.

    Barcelona also put five past the Bilbao keeper in a single Spanish Super Cup clash. That took his total to 46 appearances across all competitions, 73 goals conceded, an average of 1.5 per match.

    Set those figures against Raya's and the edge belongs firmly to the Arsenal goalkeeper, on goals conceded and clean sheets alike. But the raw numbers don't tell the full story.

  • Saves reveal the other side of the comparison

    Comparing goalkeepers means weighing the pressure each one faces, not just the goals conceded or clean sheets kept.

    Arsenal tend to dominate the ball against most of their opponents in the Premier League and the Champions League, which can cut down the chances reaching Raya's goal. Athletic Bilbao endure longer spells of pressure against certain sides, and that puts Simon through a different kind of examination.

    Numbers from SofaScore tell part of the story. Raya made 60 saves in the league and stopped 70% of the shots he faced. In the Champions League his tally climbed to 36 saves at an 88% success rate.

    Simon, by contrast, saved 100 shots in La Liga and kept out 65% of those aimed at his goal. He managed 24 saves in the Champions League, with a success rate of 63%.

    These figures show Simon faced more shots in the league, while Raya edged ahead on save percentage across both competitions. The gap in matches played and the nature of the chances each keeper dealt with still matters, though. A single number can't be trusted to settle the argument.

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  • World Cup: the trump card in the Simeone file

    The clubs' numbers hand Raya a clear advantage in several respects. But look at how the two goalkeepers fared with the Spanish national team, and the choice of Simon starts to make sense.

    Simon played in all eight matches Spain contested at the 2026 World Cup, helping them to the title for the second time in their history. Raya watched from the bench, left there by coach Luis de la Fuente.

    Seven clean sheets in eight games. One goal conceded. Just 10 saves made. The Athletic Bilbao keeper collected the Golden Glove as the best goalkeeper at the World Cup.

    Winning the title was only half of it. Simon also set the longest streak in World Cup history without conceding, shutting out opponents for 650 consecutive minutes.

    That run stretched from his last two matches in the 2022 edition to the first six and a half matches at the 2026 World Cup. Belgium finally ended it with their goal in the quarter-finals.

  • Has the World Cup settled the Ballon d'Or race?

    The comparison reveals a clear paradox. Raya came out on top in a number of statistical metrics during the club season, particularly in goals conceded and clean sheets. Simón, though, held a card that is hard to ignore: his role in Spain's World Cup triumph, plus the Golden Glove award and a historic streak in the tournament.

    That international achievement may have tipped the scales in Simón's favour among the journalists casting votes, despite the striking numbers Raya posted with Arsenal.

    So does that mean Raya was wronged? The numbers alone do not settle it. They highlight his superiority in important areas, yet they do not negate the weight of international honours when you judge a goalkeeper's season.