Unai Simón, the Athletic Bilbao and Spain goalkeeper, was crowned the world's best goalkeeper at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London on Monday.
Simón saw off nine other leading goalkeepers to claim the prize: Yassine Bounou (Morocco, Al-Hilal), Thibaut Courtois (Belgium, Real Madrid), Joan García (Spain, Barcelona), Gregor Kobel (Switzerland, Dortmund), Emiliano Martínez (Argentina, Chelsea), Édouard Mendy (Senegal, Al-Ahli), David Raya (Spain, Arsenal), Matvey Safonov (Russia, Paris Saint-Germain) and Vozinha (Cape Verde, Colo-Colo).
The 2026 World Cup triumph did most to earn him the honour. Simón started every game as Spain's first choice on their way to glory.
He also picked up the Golden Glove as the tournament's best goalkeeper, conceding just one goal across eight matches.
Lifting that trophy was not enough for the Athletic Bilbao stopper. He set the longest streak in the tournament's history without conceding, keeping a clean sheet for 650 consecutive minutes. The run stretched from his final two matches at the 2022 World Cup through the first six and a half games of the 2026 edition.