David Raya looks unrecognisable as throwback picture of Arsenal star resurfaces
Despite not playing five Premier League matches this season, David Raya is firmly in the race for the Golden Glove after slowly growing into life as Arsenal's first choice goalkeeper.
The Spaniard joined the Gunners on a season-long loan from Brentford in August. Arsenal paid £3million to complete the deal, which has an option to become permanent for £27m in the summer.
However, Raya had to wait over a month to make his first appearance in Arsenal colours as he replaced Aaron Ramsdale for their trip to Everton. The 28-year-old would later make his Champions League debut against PSV and has since cemented his place as the club's No.1 ahead of Ramsdale.
After a couple of rocky moments at the start of his Arsenal career, Raya has been a lot more assured in recent weeks, helping the Gunners to three successive victories. He is fourth in the race for the Golden Glove having collected six clean sheets from his 18 Premier League matches so far. Mikel Arteta's side boast the joint-best defensive record in the division, conceding just 22 times in 23 matches.
Raya is a well-known Premier League face in the year 2024, but his journey to the top hasn't been the traditional one, with his career getting off to a rather inauspicious start. After beginning his career at UE Cornelia, Raya made the switch to Blackburn when he was 16. He was sent out on loan to fifth-tier Southport for the first half of the 2014/15 season.
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And it's pictures of Raya at the non-leaguers that has left fans needing a double take. Long before he sported his dark and full beard, a young Raya was clean shaven, with a short buzz cut on top. But it was that time on Merseyside which set the building blocks for what would eventually become a career at the pinnacle of English football.
Having impressed at Southport, Raya returned to Blackburn in January 2015 and made two Championship appearances before the end of the campaign. Raya was second-choice behind Jason Steele throughout the next wo seasons, before establishing a place in the starting XI.
David Raya made 24 appearances for Southport (Getty Images)After relegation to League One, Raya helped guide Blackburn back to the second-tier at the first time of asking, featuring in all but one game as they won promotion. In 2019, Raya left Blackburn to join Brentford for a fee in the region of £3m having made 108 appearances for the club.
"My story isn’t the typical footballer’s story," Raya told The Guardian last year. "It's the story of a boy who leaves his country at 16, alone, and fulfils his dreams: who ends up playing for his national team, in the Champions League, and for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and the world."
David Raya in action for Arsenal (Getty Images)He added: "Everyone has to make their own path, hold on to the things they have lived. Those three months at Southport were among the best of my career because they taught me so much. It was like a taste of the real world. I was just about to turn 19.
“We trained at the local university. You took your kit home to wash, came with your bag, towel. I was used to that, I’d lived alone since I was 15, but it grounds you, teaches you not to take things for granted.
Raya played a major role in Brentford winning promotion to the Premier League in his second season as they beat Swansea in the play-off final at Wembley. Since making the jump to the top-flight, Raya has fruitfully adapted to the transition and he featured 161 times for the Bees before his move to Arsenal.
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