David Raya has undergone a staggering transformation since his horror on-field injury long before he helped Arsenal reach the Champions League final
David Raya gestures on the pitch
David Raya looks vastly different nowadays compared to his younger years(Image: Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)
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David Raya has the chance to win the Champions League almost eight years after suffering a sickening facial injury. The Arsenal goalkeeper is one of the first names on the teamsheet for the Gunners' European final against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.
Raya, 30, has enjoyed a fairy-tale journey in football, having even played at non-league level with Southport, but endured a horror moment in his career during his time with Blackburn Rovers. Raya was involved in a dangerous collision with then-West Brom striker Jay Rodriguez during a match in 2018 that left him hospitalised and needing to undergo reconstructive surgery.
The Spaniard had to wear a protective mask for two weeks upon his return. Years on from the injury, fans realised the dramatic change in his look thanks to a post on X two years ago. It showed a side-by-side comparison of Raya at 29 and when he was 19 with many commenting on the stark difference between images.
Users on the social media platform posted comments such as "what a glow up" while others joked he even looks younger after the surgery, as they said: "Broke his nose and he aged backwards."
Despite the harrowing on-pitch scenes after the collision, Raya opted to delay the surgery until the end of the season with the injury turning out to be less serious than first thought.
The goalkeeper opened up about the brutal experience when speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph in November 2018. He explained: "It's not impeding me to breathe or anything and if I had the surgery now [during that season], I would be out for six to eight weeks."
Then-Rovers manager Tony Mowbray described how Raya's team-mates felt when seeing the extent of his injury at the time. Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "The players were feeling sick with what they saw.
David Raya playing for Blackburn Rovers against Swansea City v Blackburn Rovers in 2018
David Raya made 108 appearances for Blackburn Rovers(Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)
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"He is in hospital. The bone at the top has been pushed into the skull almost and the nose is sort of hanging off really. The players could not look at it, it was that bad."
Rodriguez - who now plays for Wrexham - later admitted he felt "gutted" about his role in the incident. He said: "It's not nice to see. I was chasing the ball, I tried to get out of the way but I've caught him with the top of my foot.
David Raya walks off the pitch wearing a protective mask
The Spaniard suffered the brutal injury during his time at the Championship side(Image: 2018 CameraSport)
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"I've been told he's gone to hospital and I'm gutted about that." Raya has come on leaps and bounds since then and last week became a Premier League champion for the first time after Arsenal's 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
He also captured his third Golden Glove award in a row with 19 clean sheets to his name - four more than second-placed Gianluigi Donnarumma. Raya can cap off a glittering season at the Puskas Arena on Saturday with the Gunners hoping to become the seventh English team to win the Champions League.
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