Despite being just 23 years old, Unai Simón exudes the confidence of a goalkeeper who has been at the top of his game for many years. At times, it is hard to remember that Simón only made his Athletic Club debut two years ago.

Born in Victoria, Alava, natural born shot-stopper Simón arrived at Lezama in 2011-12 when he was 14 years old and proceeded to make his way through the ranks at Athletic.

Apart from being a strong physical presence between the sticks and making acrobatic saves, Simón is also perfectly capable of playing out from the back as he possesses fantastic ability with the ball at his feet.

His rise to the first team was unorthodox. Due to difficult circumstances, Simón had to cut short a loan spell with Elche FC and return home. He made his LaLiga debut under then coach Eduardo Berrizo against CD Leganés in the opening fixture of the 2018-19 campaign.

In 2019-20, he was one of Athletic Club’s standout performers. A string of quality performances and important saves propelled him into the spotlight. He also came third in that season’s Zamora Trophy, behind Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak.

His form has been rewarded twicefold: On August 20, 2020 he signed a five-year-contract extension with Athletic and received his first call-up to the Spanish national team.

Since his first appearance, Simón has played 48 matches, conceding 47 goals and keeping 16 clean sheets.