Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon made football history during La Roja’s 2026 World Cup Round of 32 clash against Austria. By keeping a clean sheet in Spain’s comfortable 3-0 victory, the Athletic Bilbao shot-stopper secured his team’s spot in the Round of 16 and cemented his legacy in World Cup lore.
This match marked Simon’s fourth consecutive clean sheet in the 2026 tournament. In total, it was his fifth World Cup clean sheet, adding to his shutout against Morocco in the 2022 Round of 16 (a match the Atlas Lions eventually won on penalties).
Breaking a 36-Year-Old World Cup Record
With this achievement, Unai Simon has now played the most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal in World Cup history, reaching 519 minutes. In doing so, he shattered the long-standing record of 517 minutes set by Italy’s legendary goalkeeper Walter Zenga during the 1990 World Cup.
Simon now joins an elite list of iconic goalkeepers who hold the longest consecutive clean sheet streaks in World Cup history, including:
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Peter Shilton (England)
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Sergio Romero (Argentina)
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Sepp Maier (Germany)
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Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)
Luis de la Fuente’s Golden Gamble
Simon’s spot as Spain’s number one for the 2026 World Cup was highly debated prior to the tournament, given the sensational form of David Raya and Joan García. However, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente maintained absolute faith in the Bilbao keeper, insisting he remain La Roja’s starting netminder across the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
