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

A week on and Arsenal fans are still basking in the afterglow of their dominant 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend that revived their Premier League title hopes.

Goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard did the job as Mikel Arteta’s tactics confounded the Reds at the Emirates.

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

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

After starting out at local Catalan club UE Cornelia, he moved to then-Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers at the age of 16.

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

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

“My story is not the typical footballer’s story,” the shot stopper told The Guardian last year.

‘It is the story of a boy who leaves his country at 16, alone and fulfills his dreams: who ends up playing for his national team, in the Champions League and for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and the world. ‘

After playing 20 games 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 £3million move to a promoted Brentford in 2019, as he sought promotion to the Premier League for the very first time.

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

The goalkeeper looks remarkably different in his younger days without his trademark beard

He made a total of 20 appearances for the Conference League side as they finished the season in 19th place

With his great displays, he also made his debut for the national team in a 2-1 friendly win over Albania in March 2022.

The 28-year-old still continues to stand out not only with his goalkeeping skills but also with his ball-playing ability, and the 28-year-old earned a move to Mikel Arteta’s side last summer, bringing incumbent Aaron Ramsdale off the bench, for much furore.

Although the Gunners now sit just two points off the top of the table with the joint best defensive record in the league, there are precious few dissenting voices for the introduction of David Raya.

Raya, who was capped three times for Spain, actually charted an uncharted path to the top than many of his peers and his appearance has changed significantly since he first arrived on these shores over a decade ago.

‘The path I’ve been on helps you appreciate things and shows you can do it if you’re determined.’ He added to The Guardian.

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

‘Coming from way down to the highest point makes you humble, focused, not stopping. I still haven’t reached my level. There is no ceiling; I want to believe that I can always get better.’

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

The goalkeeper has so far six clean sheets in the league and has conceded an average of one goal per game. battle during this period. A figure only surpassed by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.