Unai Simón received the Yashin Trophy from Peter Schmeichel at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, and the audience responded with warm applause. Yet the goalkeeper who had just been recognised as the world's elite at his position spent his acceptance speech crediting everyone around him rather than celebrating his own achievement.
According to BBC Sport, Simón thanked his parents and brother, describing his girlfriend as an "oasis of tranquillity" and acknowledging childhood friends who remind him of the privilege he enjoys. He referenced 'la cuadrilla', the traditional Basque group of lifelong companions, whom he takes on holiday annually. His remarks extended to coaches and teammates, before turning to his youth academy mentor Koldo Asua, who passed away in 2021 and whose influence continues to shape his approach to the game.
The Spain and Athletic Club number one represents an unconventional superstar. He maintains a low public profile compared with other elite goalkeepers, and his position as Spain's first choice has faced periodic scrutiny, as has the decision to award him the Yashin Trophy. In an award ceremony that functions partly as a popularity contest, remaining understated can prove disadvantageous, yet his on-pitch performance provides a straightforward case for recognition—one that challenges those who regard the Premier League as the pinnacle of football.
Asua invested 13 years at Bilbao developing young Athletic Club players while helping them maintain family connections and academic pursuits alongside their football careers. Simón credited Asua with transforming his understanding of the game, emphasising that what endures is "the legacy one leaves when this is over"—being remembered as a principled person and reliable teammate.
Simón also acknowledged José Ángel Iribar, the 83-year-old former Spain and Athletic goalkeeper who remains an ambassador for the club. Iribar, who holds Athletic's all-time appearance record with 614 matches, wore black as a tribute to Lev Yashin, the legendary Russian goalkeeper known as the 'Black Spider'. Simón wears the same colour to honour Iribar. His parents received recognition for instilling values—respect for authority, work ethic, and loyalty to loved ones—that Athletic Club reinforced throughout his development.
Simón and Barcelona goalkeeper Cata Coll won the men's and women's Yashin Trophies at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony. Simón received 351 points in the voting, finishing 128 points ahead of runner-up David Raya, with Thibaut Courtois placing third. Two years earlier, he had finished second to Emi Martínez with 213 points, and the previous year he did not appear among the ten nominees.
How did Simón perform at the World Cup?
Spain's World Cup triumph saw Simón concede only a single goal throughout the entire tournament while maintaining seven clean sheets. He set a World Cup shutout streak of 650 minutes, surpassing Walter Zenga's previous record of 517 minutes from the 1990 tournament. His exceptional defensive record earned him the Golden Glove as the tournament's outstanding goalkeeper.
Following the World Cup, Simón reflected on his limited involvement in matches, remarking that
if my gloves could talk, they would say they have not worked as hard as other goalkeepers' gloves. Yet this apparent simplicity masks the trust his teammates place in him. Spain's system relies on his involvement in build-up play, making him integral to how the team functions rather than merely a last line of defence.
What achievements define his career?
Beyond his World Cup success, Simón has accumulated significant honours. He won the European Championship and Nations League with Spain, and in the 2023–24 season, he claimed the Zamora Trophy, awarded to the goalkeeper with the lowest goals-conceded-to-games ratio in La Liga. This Zamora Trophy was the first won by an Athletic Club goalkeeper since José Ángel Iribar in 1970. He became the first Spanish goalkeeper to win the Yashin Trophy.
Simón's path to prominence was neither straightforward nor inevitable. Born in Vitoria in 1997 and raised in the village of Murgia, he joined Athletic's academy at age 14. When Athletic sold Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea in 2018, Simón—a young goalkeeper recently returned from a loan spell at Elche—became the first-choice option almost by circumstance. An injury to backup Iago Herrerin and Alejandro Remiro's refusal to renew his contract accelerated Simón's return to Bilbao after just 20 days away. Many observers regarded him as a temporary solution, yet he established himself in the role and won the Under-21 European Championship with Spain a year later under coach Luis de la Fuente.
His development as a goalkeeper accelerated under Luis Enrique's guidance, who recognised his ability with the ball at his feet and provided patient coaching. Simón credits extensive analysis, training, and personal courage for his continued improvement. Even during the recent Nations League, de la Fuente publicly stated that Simón had endured unfair treatment for an extended period, yet the coach continued selecting him—a decision vindicated by his subsequent performances.
What drives his character?
Simón describes himself as shy around unfamiliar people and prefers to "stay away from the hustle and bustle", yet those who know him well report the opposite—he is warm and engaging with friends and neighbours. He abandoned social media after realising he was reading every comment written about him, allowing negative remarks to diminish his mood and positive ones to inflate it artificially.
A defining choice came in 2024 when Simón signed a contract extension with Athletic Club through 2029 with no release clause. He declared his ambition to become the world's best goalkeeper while remaining at the club.
I owe the life I have to Athletic, he stated. Athletic's Basque-only recruitment policy means Champions League football does not arrive every season, and individual accolades remain harder to secure, yet Simón has achieved the sport's highest individual honour for goalkeepers while wearing the club's colours.
His connection to his roots remains profound. As a child in his village, he assisted his grandparents in filling water jugs from a tanker when the community lacked piped water. During recent visits home, he has arrived in the same car he has driven for eight years, gathered local children, and organised informal matches for them. On the night of his greatest professional recognition, he devoted his moment to others rather than himself.
What happens next?
Spain are scheduled to host England in the Nations League on 15 November 2026, with Simón expected to retain his position as the team's number one. Athletic Club face Espanyol on 20 November 2026 in their next domestic fixture. Before that Nations League encounter, Simón maintains his place in the squad, with David Raya and Joan García waiting for opportunities to claim the number one shirt of the world's best national team.
