David Raya’s move to Blackburn Rovers in 2012 suddenly became a subject in the Spanish media.
That was mentioned in an interview the goalkeeper gave to Cadena SER at the weekend. With his current side Brentford beating Manchester City, they went to speak to him about his current good form and what’s to come with his presence in the World Cup.
Raya was very young when he left Spain, as he moved from Cornella’s academy to join Blackburn Rovers’ U18 squad. So now he was asked why he switched to England when he was still underage.
“In 2012, Blackburn were in the Premier, it was a great team, an opportunity that I couldn’t miss and I could experience English football like that, which is very attractive and goes further. For me, the Premier is the best league in the world,” Raya told Cadena SER.
“The first time I was called up was a pride, a dream that every player has since childhood. Representing your country is a dream come true. It was taken by surprise because in Spain nobody knew of my existence unless people saw the Premier League and followed all the games. There is the work I did at the beginning of the season. I’m very satisfied to be at the national team and in the World Cup”.
Raya belonged to Blackburn Rovers between 2012 and 2019, despite a loan spell he had at Southport. He had 108 appearances for the Rovers, with 130 goals conceded and 32 clean sheets.
It was in 2019 that the goalkeeper moved to Brentford on a €3.35m deal, and that’s where he drew the national team’s attention, with his first call-up only taking place in March this year.
