Simón: "My Gloves Had a Vacation" – Spain's Keeper Credits Defense After World Cup Glory

Unai Simón won the Golden Glove as the World Cup's best goalkeeper, but immediately deflected the praise toward his defenders. "My gloves didn’t really have to work hard," the Spaniard admitted after the final. "If they could talk, they’d say they had a vacation compared to other keepers’ gear." Simón made just ten saves across the entire tournament – none in the decisive match, where Spain overwhelmed Argentina 20-2 in shots, with zero on target. His counterpart Emiliano Martínez, meanwhile, made 11 saves in that single game. The only goal Spain conceded came from Belgium in the quarterfinal. After that, La Roja shut out both France and Argentina, silencing all-time top scorers Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi. "It’s all down to my teammates," Simón insisted. "They made sure we won and kept our goal safe." Spain broke their own defensive record from 2010, when they conceded two goals. This time it was just one. Watching from the MetLife stands were Iker Casillas, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos – heroes of that earlier triumph.