David Raya went from playing non-league and returned from facial reconstruction to become Arsenal hero with wonder save

ARSENAL fans' hearts were successful their mouths erstwhile Atalanta's Mateo Retegui appeared odds-on to header a rebound location from his saved penalty.

But, leader of the hr David Raya, 29, pulled disconnected the most epic of treble saves to guarantee the Gunners ended up unscathed successful their Champions League opener successful Bergamo.

Just 10 years ago, the Spain international was turning retired for non-league Southport.

However, it was a infinitesimal astatine Blackburn that would specify the shotstopper's unthinkable courageousness and bravery.

It was an incidental that could have, ultimately, enactment an extremity to Raya's vocation earlier helium would go No1 astatine the Emirates.

In a collision with West Brom's Jay Rodriguez astatine the Hawthorns, the erstwhile Brentford goalie suffered a superior face-altering injury.

Medics rushed to the transportation to springiness him oxygen, arsenic helium laic stricken connected a stretcher.

He was instantly hospitalised, wherever helium was treated for his injury.

Former Blackburn brag Tony Mowbray revealed the sickening grade of the stroke successful his post-match interview.

'His chemoreceptor was astir pushed into his skull'

Speaking to BBC Sport, Mowbray revealed: "The players were feeling sick with what they saw.

"He is successful hospital. The bony astatine the apical has been pushed into the skull astir and the chemoreceptor is benignant of hanging disconnected really. The players could not look astatine it, it was that bad."

Baggies guardant Rodriguez was arsenic arsenic shocked and revealed helium was devastated astir what happened.

He said: "It's not bully to see. I was chasing the ball, I tried to get retired of the mode but I've caught him with the apical of my foot. 

"I've been told he's gone to infirmary and I'm gutted astir that."

Luckily, Raya's wounded was little superior than archetypal feared.

When helium returned, helium wore a protective disguise for 2 weeks.

He did person to person chemoreceptor reconstruction surgery, but waited until the extremity of the season.

At the time, Raya told the Lancashire Telegraph: "It's not impeding maine to respire oregon thing and if I had the country present [during that season], I would beryllium retired for six to 8 weeks.

"I deliberation it's the close determination to wait, adjacent though my chemoreceptor isn't the same.

"It tin hap to anyone, it tin hap with a header to a centre-back, truthful that won't alteration my benignant of play oregon anything."

Non-league start

Before Raya's determination to North London was completed this summertime successful a £27million deal, helium was plying his commercialized successful the little leagues.

Raya joined Blackburn erstwhile helium was conscionable 15 from 3rd tier Spanish broadside UE Cornella for the meagre interest of conscionable £10,000.

For the 2014-2015 season, helium was loaned retired to non-league Southport to easiness their relegation fears from the Conference Premier astatine that time.

"He was a young goalkeeper close down the pecking bid astatine Blackburn," ex-manager Gary Brabin said.

"You're thinking, 'is helium going to beryllium experienced capable for this relegation battle?' Because you request beardown characters.

"A caller manager comes in, the squad is bottommost of the league and a batch of people's heads were down and they were considering what's next. But that wasn't the lawsuit with David. He was an unbelievable character, assured and bubbly and it was beauteous to provender disconnected that and dispersed it among the squad. It was a large squad spirit.

"It was his feet that truly impressed me. The mode David was truthful confident, we played a batch much shot connected the crushed than different teams astatine our level and we rapidly got retired of those bottommost 4 places. He was integral to that due to the fact that of however bully helium was.

"We felt harmless having him astatine the backmost and it wasn't conscionable keeping the shot out, helium was starting our play. He was our starting constituent and it was palmy for us."

Establishing himself

By the 2017-18 season, 6ft Raya established himself arsenic Rovers No1.

His quality connected the ball, arsenic good arsenic his cat-like reflexes propelled his broadside to promotion from League One to the Championship.

One happening that stood retired amongst his peers were the size of his hands.

Former subordinate manager astatine Rover, Steven Drench, who Raya erstwhile called his mentor, besides revealed however the aboriginal Prem keeper stood retired amongst his peers.

"The happening astir David is he's not your mean 6ft 4in, 6ft 5in goalkeeper and he's been warring against that stereotype," Drench told Sky Sports.

"So, helium has to person that small spot much spring, powerfulness and athleticism.

"You person to beryllium capable to marque those saves that would beryllium top-drawer saves. But the mode helium moves astir the extremity and the mode helium plays with his feet makes him the all-round package.

"When helium made a save, we'd ever gag that he'd rotation connected his bum and spell the different way. I didn't privation to instrumentality that distant from him due to the fact that helium could screen the extremity that quickly.

"You spot immoderate of the saves helium makes now, he's redeeming the shot 2 oregon 3 yards past his station due to the fact that his feet are that quick. He's that agile and almighty that erstwhile helium does instrumentality that step, he's covering much of the goal. He's making hard saves look very, precise easy.

"And if you ever conscionable him, helium has hands similar shovels, they're massive."

It's those shovels Ollie Watkins and now Mateo Retegui tin attest thwarted their extremity efforts.