Inglewood: Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón etched his name into World Cup history after keeping a clean sheet in his side's 3-0 victory over Austria on Thursday, setting a new record for the longest scoreless streak by a goalkeeper in the tournament.
The 29-year-old has now gone 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal across the past two World Cups, surpassing the previous record of 517 minutes set by Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga during the 1990 World Cup.
Simón has recorded four consecutive clean sheets at the current tournament as Spain progressed to the Round of 16 without conceding a single goal.
Despite not being among the competition's most high-profile goalkeepers, Simón has been a key figure behind Spain's disciplined defence. Spain have faced only four shots on target throughout the tournament, with Austria failing to seriously test the Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper despite registering five attempts.
"I feel proud of him", Spain head coach Luis De La Fuente said. "I feel like he is a member of my family. I'm very happy for him."
Simón has been Spain's first-choice goalkeeper for much of the past five years, holding off competition from David Raya and Joan García, both of whom enjoyed outstanding club seasons.
His long-standing relationship with De La Fuente has been central to his international success. The pair first worked together when Spain won the UEFA Under-19 European Championship in 2015 before reuniting with the senior national team after De La Fuente's appointment in 2023.
Under De La Fuente, Spain have lost just one competitive match in 37 outings and are unbeaten in their last 35 matches, excluding a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final. During that period, Spain have won the 2023 UEFA Nations League, the UEFA Euro 2024 title and have now reached the World Cup knockout stage without conceding.
Simón's record-breaking run began late in Spain's 2-1 defeat to Japan at the 2022 World Cup. He then kept a clean sheet against Morocco before Spain were eliminated in a penalty shootout. His shutout streak has continued throughout the current tournament, with only Uruguay managing more than one shot on target against Spain.
"(Simón) played a very big role in the victory, but it's not just about individuals", De La Fuente said after the win over Austria. "It's about the whole group coming together for that defensive effort".
During the match against Austria, Simón also surpassed the Spanish World Cup record previously held by Iker Casillas, whose scoreless streak spanned the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
His performances have ensured he remains Spain's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper despite the presence of Raya, who recently helped Arsenal win the Premier League and reach the UEFA Champions League final, and García, one of Europe's most highly rated young goalkeepers.