Spain secured their place in the World Cup last 16 with a solid 3-0 victory over Austria. However, beyond the team’s triumph, the final moments of the match marked a historic moment that has rewritten the record books of world football.

The clock showed 89 minutes. At that exact moment, Unai Simón reached 518 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal at the World Cup and officially became the goalkeeper with the longest clean sheet run ever recorded in the tournament.

The goalkeeper, who was nominated for the Yashin Trophy in 2024, surpassed a record that had seemed impossible to break, leaving behind the 517 minutes set by Italy’s Walter Zenga at the 1990 World Cup. It took 36 years for another goalkeeper to surpass that figure.

The last player to score against Unai Simón at a World Cup was Japan’s Ao Tanaka in the group stage of Qatar 2022. Since that match, Spain’s goal has remained completely unbreached.

Unai Simón’s run without conceding a goal:

  • 39' vs Japan (2022)

  • 120' vs Morocco (2022)

  • 90' vs. Cape Verde (2026)

  • 90' vs. Saudi Arabia (2026)

  • 90' vs. Uruguay (2026)

  • 90' vs. Austria (2026)

Unai Simón also broke the national record

With his current run, Unai Simón has also surpassed the 476-minute unbeaten streak previously held by Iker Casillas. The legendary national team captain had set this record during the most glorious era of Spanish football.

Casillas was Spain’s go-to goalkeeper at World Cups. His record remained unbroken for years thanks to his outstanding performances at South Africa 2010, where Spain were crowned world champions, and Brazil 2014.

A place amongst the goalkeeping legends

This new record places Unai Simón at the very pinnacle of World Cup history. By breaking the 517-minute barrier, the Spanish national team goalkeeper has reshuffled a podium that had remained unchanged for decades.

With this change, and the Spanish goalkeeper now in first place, the new all-time top three goalkeepers with the longest unbeaten runs at the World Cup are as follows:

  1. Unai Simón (Spain): 519 minutes

  2. Walter Zenga (Italy): 517 minutes

  3. Peter Shilton (England): 500 minutes

The result of a strong defence

This individual record is no fluke: it reflects the impressive collective solidity demonstrated by the Spanish national team. So far in this World Cup, ‘La Roja’ have kept a clean sheet.

Reaching the round of 16 without conceding a single goal provides a huge confidence boost for the rest of the tournament. In short tournaments such as the World Cup, defensive solidity often makes the difference between success and elimination.

How far will Unai Simón’s unbeaten run go in this World Cup?

So far, his performance has been flawless.