Raya has become a key player at Arsenal (Image: PA)
Raya has become a key player at Arsenal (Image: PA)
David Raya has opened up about his start in English football with Rovers and how it prepared him for future success.
The goalkeeper moved from Spain as a youngster to join the Academy ranks at Ewood Park and went on to become a key figure in the first team.
Raya was snapped up by Brentford in 2019 and has spent the past couple of seasons at Arsenal, starting regularly for the Gunners.
This season, he played a big role as Mikel Arteta’s side finished second in the Premier League and reached the Champions League semi-final.
Raya has also become established on the international stage, winning 11 caps since his debut three years ago.
"I went [to Blackburn] twice before signing, first in 2011 on the Easter week for four days," he told Fozcast.
"We used to train and we played two games against Liverpool on Saturday and against Manchester City on the Sunday for the Under-15s or 16s.
"There were loads of players and it was like a trial game, that sort of thing. From my team, there were eight or nine kids, different ages. I went for four days and to see the Premier League which Blackburn were in then.
"I really enjoyed it, the training with the goalkeepers and training on grass. At home, we were on an astroturf. It was my first time properly on grass which was fantastic, a proper pitch.
"For a 15-year-old kid, training like that is a dream. Where I come from, I couldn't do that, we shared a full pitch with eight or nine teams.
“Changing from that to training in a facility, an Academy that was amazing was a shot of reality of how football was seen here and done.”
Moving to a different country as a youngster must have been daunting, but Raya decided it was a risk worth taking and never looked back.
"They liked me but I was 15 so I couldn't do anything by myself,” he continued. “I had to bring my family over if I wanted to sign. They said to come back when I was 16 in October.
Raya came through the ranks at Rovers and spent four years in the first team
Raya came through the ranks at Rovers and spent four years in the first team (Image: Clint Hughes)
"I went back for two weeks and really enjoyed it, training with the Under-18s and they signed me for the following July.
“Two weeks later, they wanted me in January so the adaptation was quicker and I started learning English and all that stuff.
"I spoke to my parents and they said, ‘Listen, you can always decide to move back home’. I decided to go and moved away at 16 years old.”
During his time in the Academy, the shot stopper spent time on loan at Southport to gain valuable experience in men’s football.
It was rather different than what he had been used to in the youth team but Raya insisted the loan spell had a big impact on his development.
“I always said the three months at Southport, they have been the best three months footballing-wise and the best three months of learning in my career. Incredible,” he recalled.
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“I look back, I was 18 turning 19 and I was used to playing for the Under-21s and without being cocky, I just felt the Under-21s was too small.
“It was no pressure. It was just tiki-taka with no pressure, no fans, no goal at the end of the season kind of thing because you couldn't get relegated, you couldn't get promoted.
“During the summer, I tried to speak with the goalie coach saying that I want to go out on loan, no matter the league, I wanted to go out on loan.
“I didn't care where. And the opportunity came because the goalie, I think, got injured and Southport just wanted me to go out on loan for one month.”
Raya’s first games at Southport were tough as he got used to his new-team mates and a different style of play.
But the goalkeeper kept believing in himself and eventually his hard work started to pay off on the pitch.
“It was so hard for me to adapt,” he explained. “The first three games, I was like a fish out of water because obviously that adaptation from Under-21s to proper football, men's football, it was very difficult.
“But then I knew what I was capable of doing in goal, so I never gave up and started to play more. Because you say three games and people think, ‘Oh that's three weeks out of the month’.
“No, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. I had three weeks left on my loan so after the first week, I started to integrate a little bit more with the group.
“The first game against Mansfield. I had been in the UK for nearly three years so my English was alright, not as good as it is now.
“I got chucked into the dressing room, not knowing anyone - the way we play, the name of the lads, which is critically important, at least the back four.
“I was trying to memorise the name and the second game, the same, it was very difficult for me to adapt.
“After the third game, I just got used to playing with these players and from there, it was just a massive change.”