Arsenal’s David Raya reflects on UCL heartbreak and Spain’s keeper role
Arsenal shot-stopper David Raya has opened up about the emotional rollercoaster of losing the Champions League final, following the Gunners’ anticlimactic end to the 2026 season with a penalty shootout loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Budapest, Hungary.
In an interview with The Guardian at Spain’s World Cup training camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the custodian reflected on his checkered career, moving from fifth-tier football played in front of tiny crowds to a Champions League final in Budapest before a sold-out stadium of over 60,000 fans.
Raya, whose meteoric rise has taken him from League One to Europe’s biggest club stage and now to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, detailed the painful reality of missing out on European club football’s ultimate honour.
Losing the UCL
“The thing is that when you lose a Champions League final, when you get there for the first time in 20 years and then you lose on penalties, it destroys you inside,” the goalkeeper admitted. “I left there with my head held high because of the work we had done all year, but I was broken inside because we were so, so, so, so close,” he recalled.
He also described how difficult the following days were, noting that he only gained a better perspective on their achievement after returning home to celebrate reclaiming domestic glory with Arsenal’s first Premier League title in over two decades.
“You don’t know when you will play another one or even if you will play another one,” Raya said. “When I went home, I was broken. We stayed in Budapest overnight and traveled the next morning. That night was very, very hard. The following morning, too. But then you reach the Emirates Stadium, you see the fans, and that lifts you. When you come out on the bus with the Premier League trophy and see all the people and what it means to them, you realize what you have done.”
Competition in Spain’s national team
Shifting focus to international duty, Raya opened up about the fierce competition within the Spain squad. Despite his stellar exploits at the club level, where he captured the English Premier League Golden Glove, Raya has had to contend with a place on the bench for La Roja.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente elected to start Athletic Club’s Unai Simón between the sticks for their World Cup opener against Cape Verde. Simón has locked down the No. 1 spot for six years now, leaving Raya and Barcelona’s Joan García to play second fiddle.
“Some look for a debate or a headline, but competition is good,” Raya stated gracefully. “Sure, it’s different with goalkeepers because only one can play. But we work together every day and we’re close. We help each other. The position is in very good hands, whoever plays. You come with an open mind and try to help—whatever your role. I am very competitive, but I always respect what the manager asks.”
