From non-league to Champions League - Raya's fairytale rise

Raya returned to Blackburn and made appearances successful the Championship, but had to hold until the club's relegation to League One to go archetypal prime successful 2017.

He proved instrumental for Rovers, instantly helping them to instrumentality to the 2nd tier.

Jayson Leutwiler was back-up goalkeeper to Raya astatine Blackburn and saw the match-winning saves that person go truthful regular during the Spaniard's clip astatine Arsenal.

"He was capable to marque saves that would marque you think, 'wow this is simply a changeable that 1 retired of 10 times helium would person saved it'," said the erstwhile Canada international.

"But erstwhile it happens four, 5 oregon six times implicit the season, that's conscionable not a coincidence."

Leutwiler played crossed England's little shot leagues and believes playing astatine that level has large advantages to processing goalkeepers.

"You get exposed to smaller crowds, you get exposed to antithetic pressures, they are hard leagues, it's much physical, you person to accommodate a spot more," added the 37-year-old.

"You could spell to a large shot transportation connected a Saturday and the play aft the conditions aren't arsenic great, possibly a smaller assemblage and it lone helps you to beryllium much resilient erstwhile it gets to a bigger crippled astatine immoderate level."

Raya was past signed by Brentford for £3m successful 2019, earlier Arsenal completed a £27m woody 5 years later, aft a indebtedness spell.

From that disappointing debut astatine Macclesfield, helium has gone connected to radiance for nine and state - being portion of Spain's victorious 2024 Euros squad and helping Arsenal triumph the Premier League for the archetypal clip successful 22 years.

Now the Gunners, and Raya, volition headdress a imagination treble if they flooded PSG successful Budapest, and permission his aged colleagues arrogant of his achievements.

Carden said: "He had that assurance and that determination, but it didn't halt him from being a bully team-mate.

"Everybody who crossed paths with him astatine his clip astatine Southport is delighted. It is simply a existent recognition to him.

"I don't deliberation anyone could person written that tale, which is wherefore it's specified a bully one."