Kai Havertz Called Raya Underrated. He Has Now Won Three Golden Gloves in a Row.

Earlier this season, Kai Havertz sat in front of the cameras and said something that raised a few eyebrows.

“For me, the last two seasons, he has been doing great and he is the best keeper in the world,” he said, talking about David Raya. “I think he is still underestimated in the world of football. He is outstanding, he has saved us so many times and we are very glad to have him.”

At the time, some people pushed back. Best goalkeeper in the world is a strong claim. There are other names. Bono, Donnarumma, Courtois, Ederson. The debate felt open.

It does not feel as open anymore.

Raya finished the 2025/26 Premier League season with 19 clean sheets in 37 appearances and his third consecutive Golden Glove. He won it in 2023/24 with 16 clean sheets. He won it in 2024/25 with 13. Now 19, his best return at this level, in the season Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years.

Three seasons at Arsenal. Three Golden Gloves. Only Pepe Reina, Joe Hart and Ederson have done the same.

What the Numbers Actually Say

The 19 clean sheets are the headline but the context makes them more impressive.

Arsenal conceded just 26 goals across the entire 38-game campaign, the lowest in the division. Raya faced pressure consistently, not just in routine wins but in the tight matches that decided whether Arsenal would finally close the gap on the clubs above them.

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His save against Matheus Fernandes of West Ham in May became one of the defining moments of Arsenal’s title run. Point-blank range, instinctive reaction, the kind of save that wins championships. Arsenal went straight up the other end and Leandro Trossard scored. Without that save, the title conversation might have looked very different in the final weeks.

He also kept four consecutive clean sheets in the closing stretch of the season, exactly when Arsenal needed their goalkeeper at his best. That run of form came under the kind of pressure that reveals a goalkeeper’s character. Raya did not flinch.

Across all competitions, he kept 27 clean sheets in 49 appearances. That number includes Champions League matches, FA Cup ties and every league game. Over the course of a full season, that consistency is not something many goalkeepers in the world can match.

Where This Puts Him Historically

By winning the Golden Glove three consecutive times, Raya joins an exclusive group. Only Reina between 2006 and 2008, Hart between 2011 and 2013 and Ederson between 2020 and 2022 have achieved the same feat.

He is now one Golden Glove away from equalling the record of four, jointly held by Petr Cech and Joe Hart. If he delivers a comparable season next year, that conversation becomes real.

His nearest challenger this season was Gianluigi Donnarumma, who kept 15 clean sheets in his first campaign in English football after joining Manchester City. Donnarumma is an exceptional goalkeeper. The gap between him and Raya this season was four clean sheets.

Was Havertz Right?

When Havertz called Raya the best goalkeeper in the world, the instinct was to treat it as a teammate being generous. Loyal words from someone who sees him every day in training.

Looking at the full season now, the argument is harder to dismiss. A title-winning campaign. Three Golden Gloves. The lowest goals-conceded tally in the league. A save that may have single-handedly kept Arsenal’s title charge alive.

Whether he is the best goalkeeper in the world is a debate that will run as long as other elite goalkeepers keep performing at their own high levels. But the case Havertz was making at the start of the season looks considerably stronger at the end of it.

Raya will not be making those arguments himself. He keeps clean sheets. He lets the numbers do the talking.

This season, the numbers have said quite a lot.