David Raya has proved he is the best goalkeeper in the world this season

David Raya continued his fine start to the season for Arsenal in his side's 2-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday night, and his outstanding performances so far this campaign have proved he is the best goalkeeper in the world.

The shotstopper was simply unbeatable against the Black Cats, thwarting them from the penalty spot as well as making key saves to keep the Gunners in the game and eventually go on to secure the three points.

Arsenal have been superb defensively in recent years, and while the formidable backline has received much of the credit, Raya deserves it too and his latest showing at the Stadium of Light, and throughout this term, have simply reaffirmed that he is the greatest 'keeper currently in world football.

David Raya has proved he is the best goalkeeper in the world

Raya came into the 2026/27 season has Mikel Arteta's firm number one choice in goal, off the back of three consecutive Golden Glove award wins in the Premier League, and with a title now to his name.

Since joining from Brentford in 2023, he has kept 71 clean sheets in 153 appearances and while the solid defence in front of him has taken a lot of the praise, his displays have also shown just how good he is and his latest performances have solidified him as the best goalkeeper in the world.

He has started in each of his side's first six games of the term, conceding just one goal and managing five shutouts across those matches. While his backline have performed well in each game, Raya has been key in securing victories.

Throughout the opening month of the season, he has faced 14 shots on target, saving 13 of those with a 92.9% save percentage. Morgan Rogers is the only player to beat him so far, with a strike in the Gunners' 2-1 win over Chelsea.

He has been outstanding in every appearance, but his best performance of the campaign so far came against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, not only due to his formidable presence between the sticks, but also how his actions influenced the result.

With the score goalless, Raya faced Enzo Le Fée from the penalty spot and with the Frenchman in good form after scoring from 12 yards against Brentford a week earlier, the odds were likely in his favour.

However, as the Spaniard faced a low effort to his left, he got down brilliantly to thwart the strike that looked destined to strike into the corner, and turn it onto a post before the danger was cleared.

That proved pivotal as just moments after, the Gunners launched an attack that ended in Bruno Guimarães unleashing a sensational strike from range that clipped the Black Cats' crossbar before hitting the back of the net, putting his side in front.

Raya then made another brilliant reaction to deny Nordi Mukiele an equaliser with the score at 1-0, and that was also crucial as it kept Arsenal's lead intact before they went on to grab a second with their own spot kick deep into stoppage time.

This is far from some sort of purple patch from the Spaniard, it's simply a continuation of his rise to becoming the world's best goalkeeper over the last three years.

Of course, there is plenty of debate around who actually is the greatest shotstopper on the planet with Emiliano Martínez, Joan García, Unai Simón, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Thibaut Courtois all among the best, but none currently seem to reach Raya's level.

This season alone, the five rivalling Raya for the top spot have just eight clean sheets combined, with García boasting the most with three to his name. It's easy to say the Arsenal number one is the best in terms of clean sheets, but even when it comes down to individual performances, he is a level above the rest.

Raya has a long way to go this season, but after equalling the record for most clean sheets kept in a single Champions League campaign with nine last season, he has his sights set on achieving more feats. Not only is he looking to achieve European success and retain the Premier League title, he is also eyeing up a fourth straight Golden Glove, with the aim of becoming the first to do so.

For now though, Arsenal fans can enjoy his performances and his displays at the start of the season have proved he is by far the best goalkeeper in the world currently. Even without being Spain's first-choice, his showings at club level have shown just how good he is.

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