Spain hopes to hit the table with a victory against Italy that gives them a place in the round of 16 of the Euro Cup after a week in which his goalkeeper Unai Simón has become, much to his regret, the absolute protagonist. After the comfortable victory against Croatia in his debut in the Euro Cup, the Basque goalkeeper appeared before the press to emphasize that the match against Italy will be both challenging and exciting.
But his words about tonight’s challenge were not what made him the character of the week. Unai Simón caused a real earthquake with his words about Mbappé. The Frenchman clearly positioned himself against the extreme right and urged young people not to vote for the extremes. “I think we are at a crucial moment in the history of our country. We must have a sense of priorities. The euro has a very important place, but above all we are citizens. I want to address all French people, especially the young. extremes are at the doors of power and we have the opportunity to change that. I call on everyone to vote. I know that many young people tell themselves that one vote will not change anything, on the contrary, every voice counts” he stated against the party of LePen.
After being asked about the words of the brand new Real Madrid player, Unai Simón did not hesitate to respond forcefully: “Mbappé has a great influence on the world and society. However, as a footballer, I think we should focus on sporting issues. Leave political matters aside.
Some words that have made him the target of fierce attacks from the radical left who has not hesitated to use his parents’ status as security forces agents in his pointing campaign.
A situation that makes the goalkeeper uncomfortable, always very discreet in his personal life. In fact, he is not active on social networks nor is the identity of his girlfriend known.
Who is Unai Simón, beyond Football?
Much of his childhood was spent in the Zamorano town of San Marcial del Vino, where his father was from. There he returned with his family every summer, something he repeats whenever he can, whenever football allows it. He is the son of a Civil Guard who found love in the Basque Country with an ertzaina, something that placed the footballer as a target of criticism from some extremist and pro-independence sectors.
He lived through hard moments when Athletic Bilbao faced Osasuna and a section of the stands chanted: “Unai Simón, son of a bitch” and received serious insults from the ultra group Indar Gorri. Last season the cameras captured some of the harassment and insults that the goalkeeper had to endure in Pamplona. “Die, faggot! Fucking faggot”!, could be read perfectly on a man’s lips. You can also hear how another group of people uses his status as goalkeeper of the Spanish National Team to verbally attack him.. “Fucking Spain and fucking national team”they shout in chorus.
Something that has now happened again in the harassment campaign in which the profession of their parents has been one of the arguments of the “haters.”
Although he is an elite footballer, he maintains a very different type of life from that of many of his professional colleagues. Very discreet and introverted, he stays far from luxury in the way he dresses or on social networks, where the goalkeeper prefers to go unnoticed.
A girlfriend about whom nothing is known
Precisely, in an interview on the Cope network he referred to social networks from which he prefers to stay away: «I am outside of them, I don’t find any benefit from them. I don’t like to expose myself to the media. I’m not a very extroverted person. “I prefer to expose myself to 60,000 people in a field than to 10 journalists,” he explained in the same interview.
He studies a degree in Business Administration and Management after leaving aside Physiotherapy, the degree in which he originally enrolled.
Jealous of his privacy, nothing is known about his partner either. «I have a very healthy group of friends to whom I can tell any problem, a girlfriend, I have many people who support me»explained the footballer in an interview in El Correo and, although he spoke about her, the identity of the young woman who occupies the heart of the National Team goalkeeper is not known.
As he has always done, Unai remains silent in the face of the attacks and only hopes to speak on the field and be key in a victory for “La Roja” against Italy.