7M - Unai Simon Sets Historic World Cup Clean Sheet Record

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon has etched his name into football history by setting the record for the longest clean-sheet streak in FIFA World Cup history. The Athletic Club shot-stopper reached 519 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal, surpassing the previous global record of 517 minutes set by Italy's Walter Zenga during the 1990 tournament. Along the way, Simon also eclipsed the former Spanish national record of 476 minutes, which was held by Iker Casillas across the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Simon's remarkable milestone spans two editions of the tournament. The streak began at Qatar 2022, where he kept a clean sheet through 120 minutes of play against Morocco in the Round of 16, following 39 unbeaten minutes at the end of the group stage match against Japan on December 1, 2022. He carried this defensive dominance into the 2026 World Cup, adding 360 shutout minutes by keeping clean sheets in all four of his appearances against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, and Austria.