How Spain's humble superstar Simon became world's best keeper

Peter Schmeichel handed Unai Simon the Yashin Trophy and the room applauded warmly. Then the world's best goalkeeper spent his time talking about everybody else. Simon thanked his parents and his brother. He thanked his girlfriend for being an "oasis of tranquillity", and the friends from home who remind him that "many of us in this room are privileged".

'La cuadrilla', the gang of lifelong friends that is a traditional part of Basque culture, has a WhatsApp group of its own, and he takes them on holiday every summer. Then he talked about a man who could not be in the room at last month's Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, but whose influence lives on - Simon's youth academy mentor Koldo Asua, who died in 2021. He stays away from the headlines and is relatively low profile when compared with some of the game's other goalkeepers. His position as Spain's number is regularly questioned - as was the decision to name him as the world's best.

Back to the award. Most acceptance speeches are lists of names. This one drew a portrait of a man, and it explains why the voters got it right.