David Raya would be a very unlikely Footballer of the Year - but a very worthy one

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Considering their excellence or fallibility often decides the destiny of ultimate honours, goalkeepers get a pretty raw deal when it comes to individual awards. Only one, Lev Yashin in 1963, has won the Ballon D’Or and in English club football, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) has only given its top award to a keeper on two occasions.

Pat Jennings, while still at Spurs, was voted PFA Player of the Year in 1975-76 and a couple of years later, Peter Shilton took the accolade after conceding only 18 goals in 37 league appearances for title-winning Nottingham Forest. And that’s it.

The Football Writers Association (FWA) has given slightly more recognition to keepers - but not much more. Four have won the FWA Footballer of the Year in the award’s 77-year history - Bert Trautmann (1955-56), Gordon Banks (1971-72), Pat Jennings (1972-73) and Neville Southall (1984-85).

And when the FWA chairman, my Daily Mirror colleague John Cross, announces the 2025-26 winner, I would be surprised if a fifth keeper was added to the list. I don’t know. I have no idea. Honestly. Not a clue. But most bookmakers do not even have a keeper on their odds lists for the PFA award.

The bookies’ odds say Bruno Fernandes is favourite for the PFA award, followed by Declan Rice, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva and Rayan Cherki. But Arsenal's David Raya should be on that list, especially if he is as reliable in the Premier League run-in and the Champions League final as he has been all season.

Judging by those bookmakers’ odds, let’s say there is a five-man shortlist for end-of-season individual awards. You can find weaknesses in all the cases.

Fernandes. Has had a fantastic season and his assist record, in particular, is eye-catching. But, ultimately, has not led his side to a trophy.

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Rice. Hugely influential in Arsenal’s midfield, he has appeared to get a second wind but his numbers - in terms of goal contributions - could probably be better.

Haaland. It is hard to quibble with 36 goals in all competitions for Manchester City this season, but he had a spell of three goals in 13 Premier League matches.

Silva. For his fantastic nine years at the Etihad, the Portuguese midfielder deserves all the praise that comes his way but has been consistent rather than brilliant this season.

Cherki. He has shown his maverick talent over the past couple of months and is one of only a few Premier League players with a sense of adventure, but he took time to settle.

There are a few candidates but in Raya’s case, there are no caveats. Raya has kept clean sheets in 26 of the 48 games he has played for Arsenal this season. He has conceded only four goals in his 13 Champions League appearances.

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He is already guaranteed at least a share of the Premier League’s Golden Glove award, which honours the keeper with the most clean sheets in the competition. It is the third time in a row he has won it. And this is a keeper who, just over ten years ago, was having a spell on loan at non-league Southport.

There are varying accounts of who was the most influential voice when it came to Arsenal’s slightly surprising recruitment of Raya three years ago. He had worked with Arsenal’s goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana for a few months at Brentford.

But whoever gave it the final go-ahead made one of the best decisions in Arsenal’s recent transfer history. So, when the end-of-season individual awards are dished out, Raya would be an extremely unlikely winner… but an extremely deserving one.

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