Arsenal star looks unrecognisable without his trademark beard in throwback pictures… but can you guess who the Gunners hero is?

A week on, Arsenal fans are still reeling from their dominant 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend, which reignited their Premier League title aspirations.

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard lived up to expectations, while Mikel Arteta’s tactics fooled the Reds in the Emirates.

Much praise was given to the quality of Arsenal’s attack, but their defense was the most impressive part of their campaign. No team has conceded fewer goals than the Gunners in the top flight this season.

And they limited the division’s second-best attack to an xG of just 0.37. Among Arsenal’s miserly back five was a crucial player who looks completely unrecognizable compared to his early days in football.

After starting out at local Catalan club UE Cornelia, he made the unusual move to then Championship team Blackburn Rovers at the age of 16.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have the best defensive record in the league and are considered by many to have the best defense overall

However, he had to wait until the 2014–15 season, while on loan at fifth-tier Southport, to make his first senior appearances.

“My story is not the story of a typical football player,” said the shot stopper told The Guardian last year.

‘It is the story of a boy who leaves his country alone at the age of 16 and makes his dreams come true: who eventually goes on to play for his national team, in the Champions League and for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and the world . ‘

After twenty appearances for the club, he returned to Rovers where he continued to impress – still without his trademark beard and with a larger frame than today.

In total, he made 98 appearances for Blackburn before securing a £3m move to upwardly mobile Brentford in 2019 as he looked to achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time ever.

That incredible rise came just two years later after a 2-0 win in the Championship Play-Off final against Swansea. The Spaniard would make 24 appearances for the Bees in his first Premier League campaign.

The goalkeeper looks noticeably different in his younger years without his trademark beard

He played a total of twenty games for the Conference League side, which finished the season in 19th place

His good performances also saw him make his debut for the national team in a 2-1 friendly win over Albania in March 2022.

The 28-year-old continued to stand out, not only with his goalkeeping qualities, but also with his ball-playing skills. Last summer he earned a move to Mikel Arteta’s side, dethroning the incumbent Aaron Ramsdale to great fanfare.

Although the Gunners are now just two points off the top of the table with the joint-best defensive record in the league, there have been very few dissenting voices over the introduction of David Raya.

Indeed, Raya, who made three appearances for Spain, has forged a path to the top that has been far more obscure than many of his peers, and his appearance has changed considerably since he first arrived on these shores over a decade ago.

“The path I have followed helps you appreciate things and shows that you can do it if you are determined.” He added to The Guardian.

David Raya has established himself as Arsenal’s No. 1 after coming on for Aaron Ramsdale last summer

“When you come from far away to the highest point, you become humble and focused, and you don’t stand still. I still haven’t reached my level. There is no ceiling; I want to believe that I can always be better.”

Raya has established himself as Arsenal’s undisputed No.1 after featuring in 18 of the side’s last 19 league games. His only absence was during the 1-0 win against parent club Brentford in November.

The goalkeeper has six clean sheets to his name in the league so far and has conceded an average of one goal per game this season. A figure that was only surpassed by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.