Chattanooga (Tennessee) [US], June 14 (ANI): Spain goalkeeper David Raya has welcomed the competition for the national team’s number one spot at the FIFA World Cup 2026, saying the battle with Joan Garcia and Unai Simon can only help raise standards within the squad.
Raya, who has established himself as one of the Premier League’s top goalkeepers with Arsenal, is competing with Barcelona’s Joan Garcia and Athletic Club’s Unai Simon for a place in coach Luis de la Fuente’s starting lineup ahead of Spain’s Group H opener against Cape Verde on Monday.
While Simon remains the favourite to start after playing a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, Raya said the rivalry among the three goalkeepers is healthy and beneficial for the team.
“[We take the debate] with total naturalness,” Raya told reporters at Spain’s training base in Chattanooga, according to ESPN. “There’s always been a lot of competition, with the goalkeepers we have.
“We try to push each other to be better, and make the manager’s job a bit more difficult to choose. We’re here to help each other. Whoever plays the first, second and third games will do the best they can,” he added.
Spain’s preparations for the tournament saw Garcia start in a 1-1 draw with Iraq before Simon returned for a 3-1 win over Peru, with Raya featuring in the second half of that match.
The 30-year-old acknowledged that much of the discussion surrounding Spain’s goalkeeping situation has centred on Simon and Garcia, both of whom play in LaLiga, while Raya has spent most of his career in England.
“It’s normal that in the media, with Joan and Unai in LaLiga, there’s a debate,” Raya said. “I have been away [from Spain] for a very long time. I remember the first time I came to the national team, people asked who I was … I’m trying to make it hard to the manager to decide.”
Raya moved to England in 2012 and followed an unconventional route through Blackburn Rovers, Southport and Brentford before joining Arsenal. Despite spending more than a decade abroad and making his Spain debut only in 2022, he said representing another country was never an option.
“No, it has never gone through my head,” he said. “I feel Spanish. I always wanted to play for Spain, and I never thought about it.”
Spain will face Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia in Atlanta before concluding their Group H campaign against Uruguay in Guadalajara. (ANI)
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