Unai Simón
Goalkeeper · Athletic Bilbao · Spain
About Unai Simón
Unai Simón is a calm, ball-playing Basque goalkeeper who grew up in a village near Vitoria-Gasteiz and came through Athletic Club's academy to become Spain's number one, a World Cup winner and the 2026 Yashin Trophy holder.
Unai Simón's story
A Village Boy in Goal
Unai Simón Mendibil was born on 11 June 1997 in Vitoria-Gasteiz and raised in Murgia, a village in Álava. He has joked that he ended up in goal almost by accident, because he was too big or too lazy to be anywhere else. His mother insisted he never abandon his studies.
Leaving Home for Lezama
After a year with Aurrera Vitoria, he joined Athletic Club's academy in 2011 and lodged with a family near Bilbao, a move that was not easy. Javier Barbero, a former Alavés goalkeeping coach, had already singled out his competitiveness and drive to improve when Simón was 11.
From Basconia to the First Team
He made his Basconia debut in the 2014-15 Tercera División, moved up to Bilbao Athletic and spent a loan spell at Elche. Athletic recalled him in 2018 and five days later he made his La Liga debut in a 2-1 home win over Leganés. He took the number 1 shirt in 2019-20 and made La Liga's Revelation Team.
Youth Titles and Olympic Silver
He won the 2015 European Under-19 Championship as back-up to Antonio Sivera, then the 2019 Under-21 title. A silver medal followed at the Tokyo Olympics with Spain's under-23s, and Athletic paid tribute to him in October 2021.
Euro 2020: Error and Redemption
Against Croatia in the Euro 2020 round of 16 he could not control a long backpass from Pedri and it rolled in for an own goal, yet Spain won 5-3. He kept his place and Luis Enrique praised his mentality in recovering from the error.
Champion of Europe
He saved penalties from Lovro Majer and Bruno Petković as Spain beat Croatia in the 2023 Nations League final shootout, then started the Euro 2024 final as Spain beat England 2-1. Wrist surgery after that tournament kept him out for the first four months of the 2024-25 season.
World Champion with the Golden Glove
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 World Cup final on 19 July 2026. Simón conceded once in eight matches, kept a record seven clean sheets and went about 650 minutes without a goal against, winning the Golden Glove.
Did you know?
- 🎯 At the 2022 World Cup he saved Badr Benoun's penalty in the shootout against Morocco, although Spain still lost it 3-0.
- 🧤 At Euro 2020 he saved two penalties in the quarter-final shootout against Switzerland and was named Star of the Match, then saved Manuel Locatelli's penalty in the semi-final against Italy.
- 👨👩👦 His father is a Guardia Civil officer from the province of Zamora and his mother an Ertzaintza officer, the Basque police. His father, who filmed his matches, also introduced him to orienteering.
- 📚 He began studying physiotherapy and later switched to business administration, according to The Objective in July 2026.
- ♟️ He says he plays chess before matches, often with Spain team-mate Dani Olmo, and likes a breakfast of avocado on toast.
- 🚗 He has no tattoos and has driven the same modest car for eight years, according to Flashscore in October 2026.
- 🥇 He won the 2023-24 Zamora Trophy after conceding 33 goals in 36 league matches, 0.92 a game, and became the seventh Athletic goalkeeper to win it.
- 🏆 Athletic's 2024 Copa del Rey win ended a 40-year wait for a major trophy, but he watched from the bench as Julen Agirrezabala played the cup games. He had started the club's 2020 and 2021 final defeats.
- 🎙️ He has said he would rather face 60,000 people in a stadium than ten journalists.
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