Unai Simón reaches glory

Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simón won the Yashin Trophy as the world's best goalkeeper at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London.

Unai Simón was named the world's best goalkeeper, winning the Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d'Or ceremony held at London's Palladium Theatre. The Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper was the favourite for the award and the prediction proved correct. He collected the trophy alongside his family, girlfriend, Athletic president Jon Uriarte, and sporting director Mikel González.

Simón finished ahead of four other nominees: David Raya (Arsenal), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Matvey Safonov (Paris Saint-Germain), and Emiliano Martínez (Chelsea). He had finished second in last year's voting despite an exceptional 2024 that included winning the Euros with Spain, the Copa del Rey with Athletic, and the Zamora Trophy as La Liga's least-beaten goalkeeper.

The 27-year-old was a standout performer at this summer's World Cup in North America, conceding just one goal throughout the tournament and setting a new record for minutes without conceding (650 minutes), surpassing Walter Zenga's previous mark of 517 from Italy 1990. He was named the tournament's Golden Glove winner.