Unai Simón in 2026: Net worth and Salary, Age, Wife, Stats, Transfer values, and FAQs

Net Worth and Salary

Our estimate puts Unai Simón's net worth between 22 million and 25 million dollars. That is a figure built from accumulated career earnings rather than any disclosure, because he has never published his finances and no player at this level does.

The salary side is easier to pin down. Public salary databases put his gross pay at roughly 8.33 million euros a year, which works out to about 160,000 euros a week, with performance bonuses of around half a million on top. His deal runs to June 2029, and there is close to 25 million euros left on it.

Two things shape that total. The money is recent, since he was on a three-figure weekly wage at the start and only reached elite pay after becoming first choice for club and country. And he has left money on the table: Real Madrid and Inter were watching him years ago, and staying in Bilbao almost certainly cost him a bigger deal elsewhere.

On top of wages he takes national team match fees and tournament bonuses, plus a small set of endorsements including a glove deal with Reusch and a relationship with Adidas. He is not a heavy commercial operator, and having no social media at all limits what he can sell. Some published estimates put him nearer 12 million dollars because they count only what is visible.

Age

Unai Simón was born on June 11, 1997. He is 29 years old as of August 2026 and turns 30 in June 2027.

He turned 29 during the opening week of the World Cup, close to the ideal age for a keeper. Goalkeepers tend to peak between 28 and 34, so on current form another two major tournaments is realistic. His contract runs until he is 32.

Parents

Both of his parents worked in law enforcement, which is unusual enough that it comes up in almost every interview he does. His father, Daniel Simón, originally from the province of Zamora, served in the Guardia Civil. His mother served as an officer in the Ertzaintza, the Basque Country's regional police force.

He is openly uncomfortable with how much attention this gets. He has said he dislikes discussing his private life and worries that his parents' professions get misread, describing them as jobs like any other. He has also rejected the popular theory that his calm goalkeeping is somehow inherited from police work, saying his upbringing and their careers are two separate things.

What is clear is that they backed his football early. He started at Aurrera Vitoria in his home city, and it was his parents who moved him to Athletic's academy at Lezama once it was obvious he was good enough.

Wife

This is the section where a lot of pages about him invent things, so here is the accurate position: Unai Simón has no publicly confirmed wife. He is not known to be married.

He has been with the same partner for several years and Spanish media have reported on it, but he has never named her. The public glimpses are few. She was on the pitch after Spain won Euro 2024. He mentioned spending a 2024 holiday with his girlfriend while recovering from surgery, and in 2025 said part of what kept him in Bilbao was having family, friends and his partner close by. That is roughly all he has volunteered.

The privacy is deliberate and goes further than his relationship. He has no social media at all, having deleted his accounts after realising early on that he was reading too much into both criticism and praise. For a player blamed publicly for high-profile errors, that reads less like aloofness than self-preservation.

If you find a page naming his wife with confident detail, treat it as fabricated until he says so himself.

Goalkeeper

Simón is a one-club man in an era that barely has any. He joined Athletic at under-14 level, came up through Lezama, played 63 games for the B team, and had one loan to Elche in 2018 that he cut short and came home from.

His opening came when Chelsea paid a world record fee for Kepa Arrizabalaga in 2018. Athletic suddenly had no first-choice keeper, and Simón made his LaLiga debut in the opening fixture of the 2018/19 season against Leganés under Eduardo Berizzo. He has been the number one at San Mamés ever since.

The style explains why he divided opinion for so long. Spain play out from the back, which needs a keeper who will take the ball under pressure in his own six-yard box and pass through a press. When that goes wrong, as against Croatia at Euro 2020, it goes wrong in the most visible way possible and the keeper wears it alone. His managers kept picking him because they valued the distribution more than they feared the errors.

At the World Cup the patience paid off. He was not only stopping shots there. He came off his line constantly and attacked crosses, which is what a high defensive line requires.

Stats

The 2026 World Cup was the best individual goalkeeping tournament by a Spaniard in living memory, and possibly the best defensive campaign by any World Cup winner.

Seven clean sheets, the most ever recorded by a goalkeeper at a single World Cup.

One goal conceded across eight matches, the fewest ever by a side that went on to win the tournament. The only goal came from Charles De Ketelaere in the quarter-final against Belgium.

A save percentage of 91.7, the highest of any keeper in the competition.

A run of 650 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, breaking Walter Zenga's record from the 1990 tournament. The streak began after Japan scored against Spain in Qatar in 2022 and stretched across two World Cups.

A clean sheet in the final itself, a 1-0 win over Argentina in extra time in New York on July 19, 2026.

The club record is less spectacular but solid: well over 250 first-team appearances across eight seasons with more than 80 clean sheets. His best domestic year was 2023/24, when he kept 16 clean sheets, won the Zamora Trophy, helped Athletic win the Copa del Rey and was nominated for the Yashin Trophy.

He passed 70 Spain caps during the World Cup. One caveat on the season totals: a wrist injury kept him out from July to November 2024 and he had an Achilles problem in early 2023, so his appearance figures are uneven. That is time out rather than decline.

Transfer Values

His market value sits at around 22 million euros, with the various trackers spread between roughly 20.7 million and 25.3 million. Note that this is a different thing from net worth: it is what the market thinks a club would need to pay Athletic, not money he owns.

Our reading is that this figure is about to look out of date. It was set before the World Cup, and a Golden Glove winner at 29 with seven clean sheets in a winning campaign does not stay valued at 22 million for long.

The complication is that none of it may matter. When Simón signed his extension in May 2024, Athletic deliberately left out a release clause, which was a direct response to what happened with Kepa in 2018. Under his previous deal he would have been available for 50 million euros. Now there is no number a club can simply trigger. Athletic hold every card, and a selling price only exists if they decide to name one.

He has also given no sign of wanting to go. He came through the academy, has said he does not want to uproot his life in Bilbao, and passed on the obvious move once already. Any interested club is negotiating against a player who does not want the transfer.

Frequently Asked Questions About Unai Simón

1. How old is Unai Simón?

He is 29 years old, born on June 11, 1997 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. He turns 30 in June 2027.

2. What is Unai Simón's net worth in 2026?

Our estimate is 22 million to 25 million dollars, based on accumulated career earnings. He has never disclosed his finances, so every figure including ours is an estimate, and some run lower.

3. How much does Unai Simón earn?

Roughly 8.33 million euros gross a year, about 160,000 euros a week, plus bonuses of around half a million and Spain match fees.

4. What is Unai Simón's market value?

Around 22 million euros, with trackers spread between roughly 20.7 and 25.3 million. That was set before the World Cup and is likely to rise.

5. Did Unai Simón win the World Cup?

Yes. Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the 2026 final in New York on July 19, 2026, and he kept a clean sheet in the match.

6. Did Unai Simón win the Golden Glove?

Yes, he was named the best goalkeeper of the 2026 World Cup after conceding one goal in eight matches.

7. How many clean sheets did Unai Simón keep at the 2026 World Cup?

Seven, which is the most ever kept by a goalkeeper at a single World Cup.

8. What record did Unai Simón break at the World Cup?

He went 650 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, passing Walter Zenga's record from 1990. The run stretched across two tournaments.

9. Who scored the only goal against Unai Simón at the 2026 World Cup?

Charles De Ketelaere of Belgium, in the quarter-final. It was the only goal Spain conceded in the entire tournament.

10. Is Unai Simón married?

No. There is no publicly confirmed marriage. He has a long-term partner but has never named her or discussed the relationship publicly.

11. Who is Unai Simón's girlfriend?

He has never identified her. Spanish media report he has been with the same partner for years, and she appeared with him after Euro 2024, but he keeps her name private.

12. Who are Unai Simón's parents?

His father, Daniel Simón, is from the province of Zamora and served in the Guardia Civil. His mother served as an officer in the Ertzaintza, the Basque regional police force.

13. Where is Unai Simón from?

He was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz and grew up in the village of Murgia in the province of Álava, in the Basque Country.

14. When does Unai Simón's contract expire?

June 30, 2029. He signed the extension in May 2024.

15. Does Unai Simón have a release clause?

No, deliberately. Athletic left it out after Chelsea triggered Kepa Arrizabalaga's clause in 2018. His previous deal had a 50 million euro figure in it.

16. Is Unai Simón leaving Athletic Club?

There is no indication of it. He has no release clause, he came through the academy, and he has said he does not want to move away from his life in Bilbao.

17. How many caps does Unai Simón have for Spain?

More than 70. He passed that mark during the 2026 World Cup and has been Spain's first choice across three major tournaments.

18. What trophies has Unai Simón won?

The 2026 World Cup, Euro 2024, the 2023 Nations League, the 2019 Under-21 Euros and the 2015 Under-19 Euros with Spain, plus the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España with Athletic.

19. Has Unai Simón won the Zamora Trophy?

Yes, in 2023/24, for the best record in LaLiga. He kept 16 clean sheets that season and was nominated for the Yashin Trophy.

20. Why was Unai Simón criticised in the past?

Spain ask their keeper to play out from the back under pressure, which occasionally produces very visible errors. The Croatia mistake at Euro 2020 is the one most cited. His managers kept picking him for his distribution.

21. Why does Unai Simón have no social media?

He deleted his accounts after realising early in his career that he was paying too much attention to both criticism and praise. He has described it as protecting his own state of mind.

22. Has Unai Simón had injuries?

Yes. A wrist injury kept him out from July to November 2024, and he had an Achilles problem in early 2023. Both explain the gaps in his season appearance totals.

23. Who is better, Unai Simón or David Raya?

Raya has won a Premier League Golden Glove and Joan García won the LaLiga equivalent, but Luis de la Fuente picked Simón as Spain's number one for the World Cup and the Golden Glove settled the argument for now.