David Raya Arsenal emotion has come through clearly after the goalkeeper admitted the Champions League final defeat left him “broken inside”.
The Arsenal goalkeeper spoke from Spain’s World Cup camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he is competing with Unai Simón and Joan García for the national team’s No.1 shirt.
His comments came in a fresh interview with The Guardian’s Sid Lowe, published on Saturday.
Raya reflected on the emotional swing from Arsenal’s Champions League heartbreak in Budapest to the club’s Premier League trophy parade.
The final defeat hurt because Mikel Arteta’s side had come so close to ending their long wait for European glory.
Raya Turns Arsenal Pain Into World Cup Perspective
The 30-year-old said the sight of supporters at the Emirates helped him regain perspective after a brutal night.
Arsenal had still won the Premier League title and made clear Champions League progress, giving Raya reason to believe they can return stronger next season.
That is the important Arsenal reading.
The pain has not disappeared, but Raya is already trying to frame it as part of the next step rather than a scar that stops the group moving forward.
His Spain situation adds another layer.
Raya did not start the opening draw against Cape Verde despite winning a third straight Golden Glove and helping Arsenal to the Premier League title.
Even so, he insisted competition between goalkeepers is healthy.
ReadArsenal has already looked at Arsenal’s World Cup watch around Gabriel Magalhães and Brazil, and Raya’s interview adds another international thread for supporters to follow.
For Arsenal fans, the interview is a reminder of how central Raya has become to Arteta’s side.
His response to club disappointment and international uncertainty suggests a player still carrying the hurt, but already using it as fuel for what comes next.
