In brief
After leaving Brentford, David Raya has emerged as one of Arsenal’s best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, pictures of him taken several years ago reveal that he appears very different now.
Raya needed surgery after suffering a serious injury while playing for Blackburn Rovers.
For Arsenal, David Raya has proven to be a wise business move. After an outstanding first season at the Emirates, the Spaniard, who had originally signed on a season-long loan, became a permanent member of the team in the summer transfer window of 2024.
Mikel Arteta’s desire to retain the goalkeeper is understandable given his significant contribution in 2023–24, during which he preserved 20 clean sheets in 41 games. Raya was one of the Premier League’s greatest goalkeepers, but things weren’t always going his way.
Actually, if the goalie hadn’t had the mental will to recover from a terrible injury he sustained while playing for Blackburn Rovers, his career would have taken a very other turn. In fact, it was so awful that he now has a very different appearance.
Raya’s Blackburn facial injury
Reconstructive surgery was necessary for the custodian.
The Spaniard’s appearance has changed, as anyone who has followed Raya’s career for a long time would have noticed. This is because of an event that happened during Blackburn’s 2018 Premier League matchup with West Bromwich Albion.
The custodian suffered a broken nose after colliding with goalscorer Jay Rodriguez during the 1-1 game outcome. Many others on the pitch couldn’t bear to look at the horrific injury. Raya was sent to a hospital right away because of the extent of the injury, which required her to use an oxygen mask.
According to the Daily Mail, Rovers manager Tony Mowbray made clear at full time how serious the injury was:
“What they witnessed made the athletes feel ill.
“He’s in the hospital. The nose is actually hanging off, and the upper bone has been nearly forced into the skull. It was so awful that the players were unable to look at it.
Rodriguez, who has had stints at Southampton and Burnley, felt terrible about his involvement in the incident even though it was entirely unintentional. He said:
It’s not pleasant to observe. I tried to move aside while I was chasing the ball, but I ended up catching him with the top of my foot. I’m devastated to hear that he’s been admitted to the hospital.
Remarkably, Raya was not excluded for a considerable amount of time. Upon his comeback, the Catalan native had to wear a protective mask, but he managed to postpone reconstructive surgery until the end of the season.
The Spain international acknowledged that he had no intention of allowing it to affect his goalkeeping style, despite his first fear of the worst. The Lancashire Telegraph heard him say:
“It can happen to anyone, it can happen with a header to a centre-back, so that won’t change my type of play or anything.”
Raya decided to postpone his surgery since he would have lost up to eight weeks of play if he had decided to have it done right away after the injury. The former Brentford player displayed admirable bravery by getting back in goal within two weeks of the accident since he didn’t want to stay out for so long. He has become Arteta’s number one in north London because to this kind of character.
Raya’s Career so Far
Arsenal star has gone from the non-league to the Premier League
Raya has had a difficult route to the Premier League, but he is currently among the best goalkeepers in the English top flight, if not the entire globe. In 2014, the Spaniard was playing non-league football for Southport United before to becoming a regular at Blackburn.
He gained much-needed experience from the loan transfer; according to Gary Brabin, his manager at the time, early worries about his lack of experience were promptly allayed once he experienced senior game.
“It was wonderful to feed off of his incredible character, which was full of confidence and vivacity, and to share it with the rest of the squad.” There was a strong sense of teamwork.
“What truly struck me were his feet. We played a lot more football on the pitch than other teams at our level because David was so self-assured, and we moved up out of those bottom four spots very fast. Because of his skill, he was essential to it.
He has continued to grow since then, playing in the Premier League for both Brentford and Arsenal. His will to succeed is demonstrated by his ability to bounce back from such a terrible accident and achieve such heights, which will serve him well in the years to come.
