“W e’re the villains, there to stop the goals that football lives off,” Unai Simón remarks. If that’s the case, then he is the ultimate antagonist, the goalkeeper in a World Cup largely defined by offensive talent. With just five minutes remaining in the first half of Spain’s match against Portugal in the last 16, history was poised to be made, albeit in silence. In this instance, nothing happened, and that suited Simón just fine.
As the 40th minute approached, Spain’s goalie extended his remarkable streak to 560 minutes in World Cup play without conceding a goal, a record spanning seven matches dating back to Ao Tanaka’s goal for Japan in Qatar. In their previous round against Austria, he had surpassed Walter Zenga’s record of 517 minutes and now eclipsed Switzerland’s 559-minute mark accumulated over 14 years across three tournaments in 1994, 2006, and 2010. The subsequent minute saw Nuno Mendes strike the crossbar, yet Simón remained unyielding, with Mikel Merino netting the only goal of the match.
Recently, Simón expressed his past doubts about the value of his role, describing playing in goal as occasionally “Sod it, I’ll say it: we have the best goalkeepers at the World Cup,” The headlines often belong to others, particularly the successful ones: the “They’re very clearly favourites,” was his alone. Throughout the year, he has been at the heart of the discussion, especially with Athletic Club struggling and facing competition from David Raya, considered the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, and Joan García, the top keeper in La Liga. “The first thing we have to do, is score.” Simón asserted just days ago.
However, for Luis de la Fuente, the issue was never debatable, regardless of external chatter. Having coached Simón through youth ranks while securing numerous titles—including the under-19 and under-21 Euros, Olympic silver, the Nations League, and Euro 2024—they share a familial bond. Now, Spain appears to have rediscovered its identity, with Simón etching his name in history. No other nation has ever advanced to the sixth match of a men’s World Cup without conceding.
This Friday, Spain will face Belgium in the quarter-finals in Los Angeles. “Against Portugal we’ll face more shots. Hopefully not, but I’m sure we will,” Thibaut Courtois noted as a throng of microphones surrounded him at the LA Galaxy’s training facility in Carson. “The important thing for a goalkeeper, something I place a lot of importance upon and that Unai defines very well too, is the ability to prevent rather than save,” Until now, no one has achieved that. In fact, they have struggled to even register a significant shot against the European champions, managing only 15 in the group stage, with just three on target. Austria failed to register a single shot on target.
Against Cape Verde, Spain allowed a mere 0.3 xG. Against Saudi Arabia, it dropped to 0.14, while Uruguay and Austria recorded 0.2 and 0.32 respectively. “Stop them getting to you: coming out for a high ball, covering defensively, intercepting low crosses. Those things might not get reflected in the stats but they’re vital for a goalkeeper. That’s key: prevent the chance coming in the first place. That’s been a key in this World Cup for us.” Simón said, accurately predicting the challenge ahead. Roberto Martínez expressed satisfaction at the difficulties he posed to Spain, but the results were still limited: 10 shots, just two on target, and an xG of 0.58. Simón recorded two saves, raising his tournament total to six. Among the remaining keepers in the World Cup, only Emiliano Martínez has made fewer saves, having conceded four goals in the last two matches alone.
“The record says more about the team than it does about me,” says García, Simón’s backup. “When I watch him, my heart rate doesn’t change,”
This also speaks to a broader narrative. If Simón is the villain, he is not alone in this quest. What do you call a group of villains? A selección? “It doesn’t seem like he’s 19, the way he takes on responsibility is enviable,” insists Simón. He is not the only player who has logged every minute on the pitch; Marc Cucurella and Pau Cubarsí have also done so, while Aymeric Laporte has only missed a minute. In front of them, Rodri, who took some time to find his rhythm, has been exceptional in the last two matches, having missed just three minutes.
Cubarsí has particularly stood out. Amid the spotlight on Lamine Yamal, who has captured attention, it is the other teenager who has been most impressive. Hailing from the small village of Estanyol, with around 200 inhabitants, he is the son of a carpenter with a family business that has flourished for four generations. Cubarsí is the second youngest player to debut for Spain, while Yamal holds the record as the youngest. On the day Cubarsí made his debut for Barcelona, he and Lamine Yamal were younger than Robert Lewandowski combined.
From the outset, Cubarsí exhibited something unique. “Pau and Aymeric are a luxury: they fit the idea we have, they bring the ball out, they filter passes, and they have presence: they’re very complete,” remarked Xavi Hernández, then coach of Barcelona. De la Fuente awarded him his Spain debut, opting against taking him to the Euros, believing it was slightly premature; however, that composure is evident now. “A footballer is not just a footballer because of his quality; there are 1,000 other elements too. Technically you can be very good but [young players] wouldn’t be as good if they didn’t have an emotional control of the situation; that’s what truly makes the difference, what means a 19-year-old plays like he’s spent a lifetime there. And we know the importance of having someone near to give you serenity in key moments when you could lose it. There’s a magnificent balance between them. Between all four [defenders].” Simón observes. Cubarsí has achieved a remarkable 96% pass completion rate from 449 passes, with a significant portion directed forward—34 of his 71 passes against Portugal advanced into the opponent’s half. He also recorded 19 recoveries and completed 23 defensive actions, matching a record for rapid clean sheets set by Paolo Maldini.
“We all attack and we all defend,” says De la Fuente. “Spain are very aggressive in the press,”
Indeed, all 11 players share this ethos. “It’s about denying their defenders time, not letting them think, making sure when they have to make decisions they do it under pressure,” Dani Olmo states. While García acknowledges that Spain’s structure isn’t as adventurous as Barcelona’s, the approach begins with their forwards—a shared belief. It is certainly not defensive in the conventional sense: during the match against Austria, full-backs Cucurella and Pedro Porro combined for one goal and two assists.
While tougher challenges lie ahead, it’s notable that Spain’s opponents have not only struggled to reach Simón’s goal but have often found themselves far from it. “If you can keep a clean sheet, it’s a guarantee that a good result is coming.” Courtois warned.
“It’s about denying their defenders time, preventing them from thinking, ensuring that when they must make decisions, they do so under pressure,” insists striker Mikel Oyarzabal. Merino adds: “If we can maintain a clean sheet, it’s a guarantee of a favorable outcome.”
In 2010, en route to winning the World Cup, Spain didn’t concede a goal during the knockout stage; Iker Casillas achieved four consecutive matches without allowing a goal, a record that Simón, the villain of this narrative, has now surpassed.
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