Background and career
Unai Simón Mendibil (born 11 June 1997) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team.
Simón has spent his entire club career with Athletic, developing with their youth academy, farm team and reserves and making his senior debut in 2018, amassing 200 appearances by 2025.
After featuring for Spain at various youth levels, Simón made his senior international debut in 2020. He played at the UEFA European Championship in 2020 and 2024, and the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and 2026; at Euro 2024, he featured in all but one match as Spain won the tournament, and at the 2026 World Cup he conceded just one goal (against Belgium) in eight matches, winning the Golden Glove award as his country again finished as champions. For his 2026 efforts, he was awarded the Yashin Trophy, recognizing the world's best goalkeeper.
