Jump to content

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kepa Arrizabalaga
Arrizabalaga playing for Chelsea in 2021
Personal information
Full name Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta[1]
Date of birth (1994-10-03) 3 October 1994 (age 30)[2]
Place of birth Ondarroa, Spain
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
AFC Bournemouth
(on loan from Chelsea)
Number 13
Youth career
2004–2011 Athletic Bilbao
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2013 Basconia 31 (0)
2013–2015 Athletic Bilbao B 50 (0)
2015–2018 Athletic Bilbao 53 (0)
2015Ponferradina (loan) 20 (0)
2015–2016Real Valladolid (loan) 39 (0)
2018– Chelsea 109 (0)
2023–2024Real Madrid (loan) 14 (0)
2024–AFC Bournemouth (loan) 5 (0)
International career
2012 Spain U18 2 (0)
2012 Spain U19 6 (0)
2013–2017 Spain U21 22 (0)
2017– Spain 13 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Spain
UEFA Nations League
Winner 2023 Netherlands
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Runner-up 2017 Poland
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner 2012 Estonia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:16, 19 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:15, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

Kepa Arrizabalaga Revuelta (born 3 October 1994), known simply as Kepa, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club AFC Bournemouth, on loan from Chelsea, and the Spain national team.[4]

Arrizabalaga began his senior club career with Basconia in 2011 but rejoined Athletic Bilbao in 2013. He played for Ponferradina and Real Valladolid on consecutive loans between 2015 and 2016, after which, he became a first-team regular at Bilbao; in 2018, he was the subject of a record association football transfer when he moved to Chelsea in a transfer worth €80 million (£72 million), a record fee for a goalkeeper. There, he won the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA Super Cup. After inconsistent performances, Kepa joined Real Madrid on loan in 2023, where he won La Liga and the Champions League.

Arrizabalaga won the 2012 European Championship with Spain's under-19 team. He made his senior debut in 2017, and was part of the national squad for the 2018 World Cup, although he did not make an appearance at the tournament.

Club career

Athletic Bilbao

Born in Ondarroa, Biscay, Basque Country, Arrizabalaga joined Athletic Bilbao's youth setup at Lezama in 2004, aged ten. He made his senior debut with farm team Basconia in January 2012, in Tercera División.[5]

On 5 May 2012, Arrizabalaga was called up to the main squad for a La Liga match against Getafe,[6] but remained unused in the 0–0 draw at the San Mamés Stadium.[7] He was also called up to pre-season in July, and on 23 September was also a substitute in another home game of the same outcome, against Málaga.[8]

Arrizabalaga was promoted to Bilbao's reserve team in January 2013, to cover for injured Jon Ander Serantes.[9] He made his debut for the B-side on 16 February 2013, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Logroñés in the Segunda División B.[10] On 3 March, he was one of two players sent off towards the end of a 3–1 home win over Amorebieta, as well as teammate Jon García;[11] in April he suffered a pubalgia, only returning to the field in September.[12]

Arrizabalaga appeared regularly for the B's after his return, but broke the first metacarpal of his right hand in January 2014,[13] being sidelined for a month. On 11 March, Getafe submitted a loan request to the Lions for him, as a replacement to injured Miguel Ángel Moyá,[14] but it was rejected a day later.[15]

On 5 January 2015, Arrizabalaga was loaned to Segunda División club Ponferradina until June.[16] He made his professional debut on the eleventh, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Racing Santander.[17]

On 20 July 2015, Arrizabalaga moved to Real Valladolid, also of the second tier, in a season-long loan deal.[18] He played his first competitive game on 22 August, in a 0–1 loss at Córdoba,[19] and missed only three matches as his team finished 16th.[20]

After returning from loan, Arrizabalaga was included in the first team, initially as third-choice behind Gorka Iraizoz and Iago Herrerín. He made his debut in the top flight on 11 September 2016, starting in a 1–0 away win over Deportivo de La Coruña.[21]

On 22 January 2018, amid heavy transfer speculation linking him to Real Madrid, Arrizabalaga renewed his contract – due to expire that June – until 2025.[22]

Chelsea

2018–19: Debut season, UEFA Europa League victory

Arrizabalaga playing for Chelsea in the 2019 UEFA Super Cup

On 8 August 2018, Athletic Bilbao announced on their website that Arrizabalaga had paid his required release clause (€80 million / £71.6 million),[23] making him the world's most expensive goalkeeper only weeks after the record was set by Alisson's transfer to Liverpool.[24] Later that day, his move to Chelsea on a seven-year contract was confirmed,[25] replacing Thibaut Courtois who had departed for Real Madrid. He made his Premier League debut three days later in a 3–0 away win against Huddersfield Town,[26] going on to keep six clean sheets[27] in the team's 12-match unbeaten run in the league, before a 3–1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur.[28]

On 24 January 2019, in the second leg of the EFL Cup semi-final, Arrizabalaga saved a penalty from Tottenham's Lucas Moura in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out win at Stamford Bridge, helping his team go through to the final.[29]

On 24 February 2019, during the 2019 EFL Cup Final against Manchester City, with the match at 0–0 near the end of extra time, Maurizio Sarri called for Arrizabalaga to be substituted off for Willy Caballero for the upcoming penalty shootout. Arrizabalaga refused to be substituted, gesticulating and remaining on the field. During the shootout, he saved one penalty as Chelsea lost 4–3.[30][31] After the game, both Arrizabalaga and Sarri said that the situation was a misunderstanding, with Sarri incorrectly believing that Arrizabalaga was too injured with cramp to continue.[32] Later on, Arrizabalaga met with Sarri and apologised to him and to the rest of the club. He was fined a week's worth of pay as a result of his actions, with Sarri leaving the decision of any further discipline up to the club.[33] Arrizabalaga was dropped from the starting lineup for Caballero in Chelsea's next match, a Premier League game against Tottenham.[34] He returned to the lineup for the following match.

On 9 May 2019, Arrizabalaga saved two penalties in the shootout at the end of the second leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-final against Eintracht Frankfurt to take Chelsea to the final,[35] which they won 4–1 over Arsenal.[36]

2019–21: Struggles, UEFA Champions League win

Under the management of Frank Lampard, Chelsea failed to win any trophies. Throughout the 2019–20 season, Arrizabalaga struggled to stay in form, eventually being benched in favour of Willy Caballero in late January 2020 in a cup match against Hull City. Arrizabalaga remained outside of the starting eleven during the next four league matches and a Champions League match.[37] He regained his starting spot on 4 March during the FA Cup fifth round against Liverpool where he made a string of saves to deny the eventual Premier League champions;[38] Chelsea went on to win the match 2–0.[39] But he would find himself benched to end the season, missing out on the team's run to the final of the FA Cup.[40] During the second half of the season, Arrizabalaga faced abuse from Chelsea fans which led to him turning off comments on social media.[41]

Arrizabalaga appeared for Chelsea in the opening game of the 2020–21 Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion. Chelsea won 3–1. Arrizabalaga was judged to have made a significant error in the next match against Liverpool, after his pass went straight to Sadio Mané who collected the ball and scored; Chelsea went on to lose 2–0. Lampard publicly criticized Arrizabalaga, stating that his mistake had cost a goal.[42]

On 24 September, Chelsea signed Édouard Mendy from Rennes, and Arrizabalaga was relegated to the bench.[43] He did not feature again until 17 October against Southampton where his performance received further criticism in the media as the side drew 3–3.[44] On 10 January 2021, Arrizabalaga marked his 100th appearance for the club in a 4–0 home win against Morecambe in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[45][non-primary source needed]

Arrizabalaga's fortunes turned under the coaching of Thomas Tuchel. He kept five clean sheets in eight games, all of which came in successive games. He had a save percentage of 89.4% under the German manager, significantly higher than under the previous manager.[46] He was named as part of the 25-man squad for the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final on 29 May, and was an unused substitute as Chelsea beat Manchester City 1–0 at the Estádio do Dragão, lifting his second European trophy.[47][48]

2021–22: Super Cup win & EFL Cup final defeat

In the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Villarreal, Arrizabalaga came on as a substitute in the 119th minute to replace first-choice goalkeeper Mendy. He saved two penalties, including the decisive attempt from Villarreal captain Raúl Albiol, in the shootout as Chelsea won their second Super Cup title.[49] The Spaniard got a start against Tottenham Hotspur, keeping a clean sheet.[50] Later in the season, Arrizabalaga started only a few matches including league cup tie against Aston Villa, which Chelsea would go on to win 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. Arrizabalaga made a decisive save against a spot kick from Marvelous Nakamba, leading him to become Chelsea's most successful goalkeeper at saving penalties during shootouts, passing Petr Čech.[51]

During January 2022, following Mendy’s departure to the AFCON, Arrizabalaga was reinstated to the first team. The Spaniard took his team to the final of the EFL Cup, notably thanks to his quick thinking to trap Harry Kane offside.[52] He then went on to have another excellent performance in the Club World Cup semi final, as Chelsea went on to win the tournament.[citation needed] On 27 February, in the EFL Cup Final, Arrizabalaga came on in the 120th minute, ready for the penalty shootout. Despite this, he failed to save a single penalty and missed the only penalty of the shootout in an 11–10 defeat against Liverpool.[53]

2022–23: Re-emergence

In 2022, Chelsea replaced Tuchel with new manager Graham Potter, and also brought in new goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts. This coincided with Mendy, who was Tuchel's preferred goalkeeper, being injured and in poor form.[54] Kepa contributed to a draw in Potter's first game with a save to deny Benjamin Šeško, but this was followed by a game cancelation and an international break. Kepa continued in the team in the next game against Crystal Palace, a 2–1 win. He kept his place in the squad with a run of five consecutive clean sheets, including impressive away displays at Aston Villa and Brentford, the latter of which being his 50th for Chelsea.[55] After having gone 10 hours without conceding, Kepa conceded a last-minute header against Manchester United.[56] Following the turn of the year, he won three back-to-back Man of the Match awards, following clean sheets against Crystal Palace, Liverpool, and Fulham.[57]

Kepa finished the season with the third best save percentage in the league, having also kept out the third most shots based on the Expected Goals model.[58][59] One of the saves he made in the aforementioned clean sheet at Aston Villa in October won the Premier League Save of the Season award.[60]

2023–24: Loan to Real Madrid

On 14 August 2023, Real Madrid announced the signing of Kepa from Chelsea on a one-year loan deal.[61][62] The move was initiated in response to a long-term injury sustained by their primary goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois.[63] The following day, Kepa was unveiled by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez at the Ciudad Real Madrid.[64]

On 25 August 2023, Kepa made his debut for the club in a 1–0 away win over Celta Vigo, simultaneously keeping his first clean sheet for Carlo Ancelotti's side.[65] However, he failed to make an impact at Real, rapidly losing his place to Andriy Lunin.[66]

2024–25: Loan to AFC Bournemouth

On 29 August 2024, Kepa was loaned out to fellow Premier League club AFC Bournemouth until the end of the 2024–25 season.[67][68]

International career

Arrizabalaga with Spain U19 in 2012

After appearing for Spain's under-18s, Arrizabalaga was called up to the under-19 team for that year's UEFA European Championship. He was the starter during the tournament, as his side were crowned champions;[69] highlights included a 3–3 semi-final success against France, where he saved two penalties in the shootout.[70]

Arrizabalaga missed the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup due to injury, being replaced in the tournament squad by Rubén Yáñez.[71] On 8 November 2013, he was called up to the under-21 team, along with Athletic teammate Iker Muniain.[72]

Arrizabalaga was called up to the senior side on 22 March 2017 ahead of a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Israel and a friendly with France, as a late replacement for the injured Pepe Reina.[73] He earned his first cap on 11 November of that year, playing the full 90 minutes in a 5–0 friendly win over Costa Rica in Málaga.[74][75]

Arrizabalaga was named in Spain's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia,[76] although he did not play in the tournament.

Style of play

As a prospect and young player, Arrizabalaga was regarded as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in Europe, known for his consistency, speed, agility, shot-stopping ability, and quick reflexes, enabling him to produce "brilliant saves."[77][78][79][80][81] Arrizabalaga was also known for his footwork, distribution, and skill with the ball at his feet, as well as his ability to rush off his line, which allowed him to act as a sweeper keeper and play the ball out of the back in Maurizio Sarri's possession-based system that relied on a high back-line.[80][82][83][84][85][86][87]

Former goalkeeper Manuel Almunia praised Arrizabalaga in 2017 as a goalkeeper with "good, strong feet" and "good movement," who was capable saving the ball with his feet, and also described him as a keeper who possessed "presence and character," also adding: "I'm sure he'll make a great keeper."[83] In 2018, former Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea described Arrizabalaga as being "good in the air," noting that "he jumps and catches the ball very well", while Richard Fitzpatrick of Bleacher Report described him as being "good at marshalling a defence."[84]

Following a strong start to the first part of his debut season with Chelsea, Arrizabalaga came under criticism for his inconsistency and poor performances, as well as his low save-percentage.[80][88][89] He ended the season strongly with a series of excellent performances, in particular en route to his club's Europa League victory.[89][90] During his second season with Chelsea, he once again drew criticism over his shot-stopping ability and mistakes, which led to him being dropped by Chelsea manager Frank Lampard for six matches.[91] Arrizabalaga regained his starting position during the FA Cup tie against Liverpool later in the season.[38] However, following more goalkeeping mistakes he was once again dropped for the final league match of the season and the FA Cup Final. He finished the season with the worst save percentage in Premier League history,[92] an unwanted record eventually broken by Gavin Bazunu of Southampton.[93]

During his re-emergence in subsequent seasons under different managers, Arrizabalaga was noted for his good distribution, a skill that would come in handy for English manager Graham Potter in 2022.[54] He has also been praised for his good reflexes and decision making, particularly during a stretch of consecutive clean sheets for Potter.[55]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 October 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Basconia 2011–12[94] Tercera División 12 0 12 0
2012–13[94] Tercera División 19 0 19 0
Total 31 0 31 0
Athletic Bilbao B 2012–13[94] Segunda División B 7 0 0 0 7 0
2013–14[94] Segunda División B 26 0 26 0
2014–15[94] Segunda División B 17 0 0 0 17 0
Total 50 0 0 0 50 0
Ponferradina (loan) 2014–15[95] Segunda División 20 0 0 0 20 0
Real Valladolid (loan) 2015–16[95] Segunda División 39 0 1 0 40 0
Athletic Bilbao 2016–17[94] La Liga 23 0 0 0 0 0 23 0
2017–18[94] La Liga 30 0 1 0 0 0 31 0
Total 53 0 1 0 0 0 54 0
Chelsea 2018–19[95] Premier League 36 0 1 0 4 0 13[c] 0 54 0
2019–20[95] Premier League 33 0 1 0 0 0 6[d] 0 1[e] 0 41 0
2020–21[95] Premier League 7 0 6 0 0 0 1[d] 0 14 0
2021–22[95] Premier League 4 0 2 0 6 0 1[d] 0 2[f] 0 15 0
2022–23[95] Premier League 29 0 1 0 0 0 9[d] 0 39 0
Total 109 0 11 0 10 0 30 0 3 0 163 0
Real Madrid (loan) 2023–24[95] La Liga 14 0 1 0 4[d] 0 1[g] 0 20 0
AFC Bournemouth (loan) 2024–25[95] Premier League 5 0 0 0 5 0
Career total 321 0 14 0 10 0 34 0 4 0 383 0
  1. ^ Includes Copa del Rey, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ a b c d e Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  5. ^ Appearance in UEFA Super Cup
  6. ^ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in Supercopa de España

International

As of match played 28 March 2023[96]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Spain 2017 1 0
2018 2 0
2019 7 0
2020 1 0
2023 2 0
Total 13 0

Honours

Chelsea

Real Madrid

Spain U19

Spain U21

Spain

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Squad List: FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2021: Chelsea FC" (PDF). FIFA. 9 February 2022. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of players: Spain" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  3. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga". Real Madrid CF. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga". Royal Spanish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  5. ^ "El Chelsea ficha a Kepa, el portero más caro de la historia" [Chelsea sign Kepa, most expensive goalkeeper in history] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Athletic Club-Getafe: Line-ups". Athletic Bilbao. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  7. ^ Sánchez, Álvaro (5 May 2012). "Sin argumentos en la Catedral" [No arguments at the Cathedral]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  8. ^ Liceras, Ángel (23 September 2012). "Europa les pesa" [Europe weighs on them]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  9. ^ "En Lezama apuestan fuerte por Kepa Arrizabalaga" [Lezama bets high on Kepa Arrizabalaga] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Bilbao Athletic 1–0 Unión Deportiva Logroñés" (in Spanish). UD Logroñés. 16 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 February 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  11. ^ "El Bilbao Athletic amenaza el liderato del Alavés" [Bilbao Athletic threaten Alavés' lead] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. 4 March 2013. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  12. ^ Beltrán, Javi (29 September 2013). "Kepa Arrizabalaga reaparece casi seis meses después en el Bilbao Athletic" [Kepa Arrizabalaga reappears after nearly six months in Bilbao Athletic] (in Spanish). El Desmarque. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  13. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga's injury". Athletic Bilbao. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  14. ^ "El Getafe pide la cesión de Kepa Arrizabalaga" [Getafe ask for Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan] (in Spanish). Aupa Athletic. 11 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  15. ^ Ortiz de Lazcano, Javier (12 March 2014). "El Athletic rechaza ceder hasta final de Liga al portero Kepa al Getafe" [Athletic reject loaning goalkeeper Kepa to Getafe until the end of the League]. El Correo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  16. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga se incorpora a la Ponferradina" [Kepa Arrizabalaga added to Ponferradina] (in Spanish). SD Ponferradina. 5 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  17. ^ "El Racing encontró justo premio a su trabajo en el último minuto" [Racing's work paid off in the last minute]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. 11 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  18. ^ "Kepa cierra la portería del Pucela" [Kepa shuts down goal of Pucela] (in Spanish). Real Valladolid. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  19. ^ Laz, Alberto (23 August 2015). "Fidel resuelve en un gran partido del Córdoba" [Fidel the decider in a great Córdoba match]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  20. ^ "Kepa traerá dinero a Zorrilla" [Kepa will bring money to Zorrilla]. Diario de Valladolid (in Spanish). 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  21. ^ Rincón, Jaime (11 September 2016). "Raúl García exhibe su pegada" [Raúl García shows his power]. Marca (in Spanish). Spain. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga ends Real Madrid speculation by signing Athletic Bilbao deal". Sky Sports. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  23. ^ "Kepa pays termination clause". Athletic Bilbao. 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  24. ^ Fifield, Dominic (7 August 2018). "Chelsea to pay £71.6m for Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  25. ^ "Kepa arrives at Chelsea". Chelsea F.C. 8 August 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  26. ^ Emons, Michael (11 August 2018). "Huddersfield Town 0–3 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Chelsea's Kepa relishing being world's most expensive keeper". Goal (website). Perform Group. 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  28. ^ Walker, Ron (24 November 2018). "Tottenham 3–1 Chelsea: Maurizio Sarri's unbeaten start ended". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  29. ^ "Carabao Cup semi-final: Chelsea beat Tottenham 4–2 on penalties to book final clash with Manchester City at Wembley". Sporting Life. 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  30. ^ Burt, Jason; Tyers, Mike (24 February 2019). "Manchester City take the honours after Kepa Arrizabalaga antics overshadow otherwise drab League Cup final". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  31. ^ "WATCH: Kepa Arrizabalaga defies furious Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri in Carabao Cup final". Sky News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  32. ^ "Maurizio Sarri: Kepa Arrizabalaga incident a 'misunderstanding', says Chelsea boss". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  33. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga: Chelsea goalkeeper fined & apologises for Wembley incident". BBC Sport. 25 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  34. ^ "'It's a message to the group' – Sarri explains reasoning for dropping Kepa". Goal (website). Perform Group. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  35. ^ "Chelsea 1–1 Frankfurt". BBC Sport. 10 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  36. ^ a b Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  37. ^ Ha, Andy (9 March 2020). "Chelsea fans hail Kepa's form since returning to first team". footballlondon. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Kepa stands out on potentially pivotal night for Lampard's Chelsea". The Independent. 3 March 2020. Archived from the original on 4 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  39. ^ Gholam, Simeon (4 March 2020). "Chelsea 2–0 Liverpool: Willian and Ross Barkley fire Blues to FA Cup quarter-finals". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  40. ^ "Kepa benched again for FA Cup final as Chelsea tackle Arsenal". Yahoo. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  41. ^ @cfcdaily (5 August 2020). "Kepa has limited his comments on Instagram. #cfc" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  42. ^ "Chelsea boss Frank Lampard says Kepa Arrizabalaga needs his support after latest mistake". BBC Sport. 20 September 2020. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  43. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga breaks his silence on losing place in Chelsea team". talkSPORT. 6 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  44. ^ SNTV, Source (18 October 2020). "Chelsea's Lampard defends Kepa after latest mistake against Southampton – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  45. ^ "Ready to make it a century of appearances in a Chelsea shirt Congratulations, @kepa_46". Chelsea F.C. 10 January 2021. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga 2020–2021 Match Logs". Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  47. ^ "Chelsea FC Champions League Final squad confirmed as Blues fly to Porto". Evening Standard. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  48. ^ "Man. City 0–1 Chelsea: Havertz gives Blues second Champions League triumph". UEFA. 29 May 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  49. ^ "Kepa goes from penalty villain to hero". BBC Sport. 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  50. ^ "Tottenham vs. Chelsea result: Thiago Silva, N'Golo Kante and Antonio Rudiger score in London derby win". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  51. ^ "Kepa breaks Chelsea penalty shoot-out record | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". Chelsea F.C. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  52. ^ "(Video): Big brain Kepa catches Kane out with instinctive offside trap". 13 January 2022. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  53. ^ "Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga misses decisive penalty as Liverpool wins Carabao Cup after shootout drama". CNN. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  54. ^ a b "Graham Potter facing crucial Chelsea selection decision in first Premier League game in charge". football.london. 30 September 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  55. ^ a b "Kepa Arrizabalaga reaches Chelsea clean sheet milestone in frustrating draw". weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com. 20 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  56. ^ @NizaarKinsella (22 October 2022). "Good effort by Kepa, he finally concedes after over 10 hours. Ball is barely over the line" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  57. ^ "Man Of The Match". Premier League. 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  58. ^ "Statistical Leaders – 2022". nbcsports.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  59. ^ "2022–2023 Premier League Advanced Goalkeeper Stats". fbref.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  60. ^ "Watch Kepa's 2022/23 Castrol Save of the Season". Premier League. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  61. ^ "Official Announcement: Kepa". Real Madrid C.F. 14 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  62. ^ "Kepa is a new Real Madrid player". Real Madrid C.F. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  63. ^ "Kepa joins Madrid on loan to replace Courtois". ESPN. 14 August 2023. Archived from the original on 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  64. ^ "Goalkeeper Kepa says Real Madrid was an easy choice despite offers from other clubs". Washington Post. 15 August 2023. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 25 December 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  65. ^ "Celta Vigo 0–1 Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham scores late winner". BBC Sport. 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  66. ^ McGrath, Mike (15 April 2024). "What happened to David de Gea? The Golden Glove winner who cannot find a team". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  67. ^ "Kepa completes Premier League loan switch". Chelsea F.C. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  68. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga joins on loan". AFC Bournemouth. 29 August 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  69. ^ a b "Spain make it six of the best in Estonia". UEFA. 16 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  70. ^ "Spain finally see off France in semi-final shoot-out". UEFA. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  71. ^ "Kepa deja la concentración por lesión y se pierde el Mundial de Turquía" [Kepa leaves training camp due to injury and misses World Cup in Turkey] (in Spanish). Royal Spanish Football Federation. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  72. ^ "Under21 Call-up". Athletic Bilbao. 8 November 2013. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  73. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga gets Spain call as Pepe Reina suffers injury". India.com. 22 March 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  74. ^ "Silva nets brace, Spain thrash Costa Rica in friendly". Chicago Tribune. 11 November 2017. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  75. ^ "Match report: Spain thrash Costa Rica in Málaga (5–0)". Royal Spanish Football Federation. 11 November 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  76. ^ Maston, Tom (21 May 2018). "Morata misses out on Spain's 23-man World Cup squad". Goal (website). Perform Group. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  77. ^ Dean, Sam (8 August 2018). "Meet Kepa Arrizabalaga: Chelsea's new goalie, bird lover, and the one that got away from Zinedine Zidane". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  78. ^ Fifield, Dominic (7 August 2018). "Chelsea to pay world record fee for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  79. ^ "The Next… Gianluigi Buffon?". beIN Sports. 4 May 2020. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  80. ^ a b c Tweedale, Alistair (21 February 2019). "Premier League big six goalkeeper analysis: Hugo Lloris making up for errors, Alisson outplaying David De Gea, Kepa falls short". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  81. ^ "ESPN FC 100: Liverpool, Man City dominate our ranking of world's best soccer players". ESPN. 20 November 2019. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  82. ^ Smith, Adam; Jackson, Sam (9 August 2018). "How does new Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa compare with Thibaut Courtois?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  83. ^ a b Ruiz, Marco (13 December 2017). "Manuel Almunia: "Kepa is good with his feet, like Luis Arconada"". AS.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  84. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Richard (14 August 2018). "Why Kepa Arrizabalaga Is the Most Expensive Keeper in the World". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  85. ^ Law, Matt (9 August 2018). "Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga after £71.6m transfer: 'It's brave of the club to sign me'". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  86. ^ Wilson, Jonathan (7 December 2018). "Ederson leads way as a ball-playing Premier League midfielder in gloves". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  87. ^ "Antonio Rudiger praises new Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on his debut". Yahoo!. 13 August 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  88. ^ "De Gea's Spanish number one spot under threat from Kepa". AS. 4 September 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  89. ^ a b "Yachine Trophy: Ranking the 7 Keepers in Contention for the Inaugural Award". Sports Illustrated. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  90. ^ Rathborn, Jack (11 June 2019). "Kepa Arrizabalaga vs David De Gea: Spain coach reveals why Chelsea goalkeeper has displaced Manchester United star as No 1". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  91. ^ "Leicester draws with Chelsea". TSN. 1 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  92. ^ "Kepa Arrizabalaga Has The Worst Save Percentage In Premier League History". sportbible.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  93. ^ "2022–2023 Premier League Goalkeeper Stats". fbref.com. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  94. ^ a b c d e f g "Kepa Arrizabalaga". Athletic Club. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  95. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kepa: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  96. ^ "Kepa". EU-football.info. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  97. ^ McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  98. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  99. ^ McNulty, Phil (14 May 2022). "Chelsea 0–0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 13 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  100. ^ McNulty, Phil (24 February 2019). "Chelsea 0–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  101. ^ McNulty, Phil (27 February 2022). "Chelsea 0–0 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  102. ^ McNulty, Phil (29 May 2021). "Manchester City 0–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  103. ^ Sterling, Mark (11 August 2021). "Chelsea 1–1 Villarreal". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  104. ^ "Chelsea 2–1 Palmeiras". BBC Sport. 12 February 2022. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  105. ^ "Real Madrid crowned champions after Barca's defeat at Girona". BBC Sport. 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  106. ^ "El Real Madrid recupera su corona en la Supercopa (4–1)". Real Federación Española de Fútbol (in Spanish). 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  107. ^ "Germany U21 1–0 Spain U21". BBC Sport. 30 June 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  108. ^ Smith, Emma (18 June 2023). "Spain win Nations League final on penalties". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  109. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2018/19 Season". UEFA. 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  110. ^ "Kepa claims Castrol Save of the Month award". Premier League. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  111. ^ "Watch Kepa's 2022/23 Castrol Save of the Season". Premier League. 4 June 2023. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.