Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has praised David Raya following his nomination for the FIFA Best Goalkeeper award.
Speaking to BestBettingSites.co.uk, Smith said the Spaniard has been an excellent addition to the Gunners’ squad and there is not much between Raya and Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma in terms of who would be most deserving of the accolade:
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“I think he’s one of the best keepers in the world. He’s in great form. He doesn’t make many mistakes at all. His reactions are razor sharp. And obviously, he’s brilliant with the ball at his feet. That’s one of the main reasons he was brought into the club. But it’s proven to be a shrewd signing.”
“Donnarumma, of course, he’s right up there. Such an imposing keeper, world-class. So, those two are certainly vying for the best keeper in the world title.”
Raya has won over all the doubters
There were plenty of fans and pundits who questioned the decision to sign the shot-stopper from Brentford in the summer of 2023.
At the time, Aaron Ramsdale had just had a very successful second season as the club’s number one, and not many felt a change in goal was needed.
However, after a nervy start, Raya has managed to silence any doubts and he is more than worthy of being Arsenal’s first choice between the posts.
You can nominate the Arsenal star for Best Goalkeeper
If you want Raya to win FIFA’s award, you will need to log in to their website and cast your vote. The other nominees are Gianluigi Donnarumma, Liverpool’s Alisson Becker, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer, Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer and Barcelona’s Wojciech Szczesny.
The voting closes on November 28th, so you don’t have long to make your vote count.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here